2023 Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
The Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 18 schools in Tennessee to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Vanderbilt University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Tennessee. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,810 master’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $60,852 in student loans. Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Vanderbilt does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 21% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
The excellent master’s degree programs at East Tennessee State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Tennessee. East Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school located in Johnson City, Tennessee that handed out 681 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
On average, master’s degree students take out $30,344 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
ETSU does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 51% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. This large public school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 1,162 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Master’s Degree recipients from UofM accumulate an average of $36,729 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UofM does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 61% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Lincoln Memorial University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Harrogate, Tennessee, and it awarded 375 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $55,541 in student loans. Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
LMU does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2020-2021 year, about 17% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you attend King University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Bristol, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 157 students in 2021-2022.
On average, master’s degree students take out $38,187 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
King does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 78% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #6, Middle Tennessee State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Middle Tennessee State University is a large public school located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that handed out 826 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
On average, master’s degree students take out $30,922 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Middle Tennessee State University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 60% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
South College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the medium-sized private for-profit school awarded 242 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2021-2022.
On average, master’s degree students take out $91,576 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 74% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since South College does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 34% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Austin Peay State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Austin Peay State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Clarksville, Tennessee. It awarded 405 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Master’s Degree recipients from Austin Peay State University accumulate an average of $28,564 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 69% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Austin Peay State University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 80% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Southern Adventist University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Located in Collegedale, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 114 master’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Master’s Degree recipients from Southern Adventist accumulate an average of $45,954 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Southern Adventist. In 2020-2021 about 76% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Union University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Union is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jackson, Tennessee. It awarded 287 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $38,004 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 75% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Union does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 76% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #10, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Tennessee Technological University is a medium-sized public school located in Cookeville, Tennessee that handed out 389 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
On average, master’s degree students take out $27,160 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Tennessee Tech University. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 76% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #12, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the fairly large public school handed out 407 master’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Master’s Degree recipients from UT Chattanooga accumulate an average of $34,878 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UT Chattanooga, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 58% took at least some of their classes online.
Tennessee State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 368 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $40,547 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 75% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Tennessee State University. In 2020-2021 about 49% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Carson - Newman University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Jefferson City, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 305 students in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $28,686 in student loans. Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
Carson - Newman does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 84% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 1,752 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $36,835 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UT Knoxville, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 32% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Belmont University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 319 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Master’s Degree recipients from Belmont accumulate an average of $56,221 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Belmont. During the 2020-2021 year, about 9% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Cumberland University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. CU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lebanon, Tennessee. It awarded 141 master’s degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $27,606 in student loans. Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at CU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 13% took at least some of their classes online.
Tusculum University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Tusculum is located in Greeneville, Tennessee and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 175 master’s degrees to qualified students.
By the time they get their master’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,027 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Tusculum. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 63% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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