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2024 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

537 Colleges in the United States
51,608 Master's Degrees
$98,140 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #2 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 537 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 51,608 master's degrees in nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Master's Degree

Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools The nursing master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Nursing in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Nursing

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's recipients from the nursing program at University of Pennsylvania earn $6,509 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Pennsylvania

2
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University is a good option for individuals pursuing a master's degree in nursing. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.

After graduating, nursing master's recipients generally earn an average of $99,979 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Vanderbilt University

3
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in nursing needs to look into Emory University. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $97,878 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Emory University

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a master's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients usually earn about $95,695 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Duke University

5

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Nursing master's degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of around $69,088 over the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Southern California

6

Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Nursing master's degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York get an earnings boost of approximately $13,429 over the average income of nursing graduates.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Columbia University in the City of New York

7
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the nursing program at New York University earn $21,343 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in nursing from New York University

8

UTHealth is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Houston.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $98,390 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

9

Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Samuel Merritt University earn $25,523 more than the average nursing student.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Samuel Merritt University

10

Case Western is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Cleveland.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Case Western Reserve University make $13,876 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Case Western Reserve University

11

Located in the fringe town of Galveston, UTMB Galveston is a public university with a small student population.

After graduating, nursing master's recipients typically earn about $99,820 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from The University of Texas Medical Branch

12
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Georgetown University earn $6,643 more than the average nursing student.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Georgetown University

13

TTUHSC is a medium-sized public university located in the large city of Lubbock.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center receive $2,710 more than the typical nursing graduate.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

14
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $95,157 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Yale University

15

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.

Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $83,367 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Johns Hopkins University

16

Located in the large city of Baltimore, UMB is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, nursing master's recipients typically make an average of $71,766 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Maryland - Baltimore

17

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients typically earn around $93,862 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Maryville University of Saint Louis

18

GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $95,274.

More information about a master’s in nursing from George Washington University

19

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing master's degree recipients from Thomas Jefferson University receive an earnings boost of about $3,196 over the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University

20

University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients usually make about $87,239 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Virginia - Main Campus

21

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $94,892 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles

22

Located in the rural area of Versailles, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $94,235 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Frontier Nursing University

23
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $77,371.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Marquette University

24

Located in the city of San Francisco, UCSF is a public university with a small student population.

Nursing master's degree recipients from University of California - San Francisco receive an earnings boost of about $20,006 above the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of California - San Francisco

25

UT Health San Antonio is a small public university located in the city of San Antonio.

Nursing master's degree recipients from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio earn a boost of around $3,832 above the typical earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a master’s in nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Rest of the Top 50 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

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28
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
29
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31
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
32

33

34
35
35
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN
36
37
38
39
40

41

42
Samford crest
Samford University
Birmingham, AL
43
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
44
45
46
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
47
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
48
49
Miami Regional University crest
Miami Regional University
Miami Springs, FL

 

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 537 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Capella University Minneapolis, MN
51 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
52 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
53 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
54 West Coast University - Orange County Anaheim, CA
55 Creighton University Omaha, NE
56 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
57 Northeastern University Boston, MA
58 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
59 Midwestern University - Glendale Glendale, AZ
60 Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT
61 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
62 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
63 Mount Marty University Yankton, SD
64 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
65 Villanova University Villanova, PA
66 Rush University Chicago, IL
67 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
68 Allen College Waterloo, IA
69 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
70 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
71 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
72 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
73 Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles, CA
74 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
75 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
76 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
77 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
78 Bradley University Peoria, IL
79 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
80 Chamberlain University - Illinois Addison, IL

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
81 Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY
82 Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY
83 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
84 Gannon University Erie, PA
85 Hunter College New York, NY
86 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
87 Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science Los Angeles, CA
88 Widener University Chester, PA
89 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
90 Touro University California Vallejo, CA
91 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
92 MGH Institute of Health Professions Boston, MA
93 Florida International University Miami, FL
94 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
95 Regis College Weston, MA
96 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
97 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
98 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
98 Baylor University Waco, TX
99 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
100 Clarkson College Omaha, NE
101 Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR
101 Herzing University - Madison Madison, WI
101 University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE
103 West Coast University - Dallas Richardson, TX
104 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
105 University of Oklahoma - Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, OK
106 University of South Alabama Mobile, AL
106 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA
107 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nursing by Region

View the Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 18,773
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 14,286
Nursing Administration 8,411
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 1,498
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 1,456
Nursing Science 1,421
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 907
Nurse Anesthetist 878
Critical Care Nursing 583
School Nursing 455

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Health 16,133
Health & Medical Administrative Services 15,736
Mental & Social Health Services 14,517
Allied Health Professions 12,328
Communication Sciences 9,211
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 9,152
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 4,109
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 1,694
Medical Illustration & Informatics 1,507
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 1,443

Notes and References

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