by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 22 U.S. colleges awarded 135 degrees and certificates in Clinical Nurse Specialist. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 63% of graduates. College Factual ranks 5 schools in its 2027 Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $82,702 one year after completing, rising to $94,428 after four years.
Studying Clinical Nurse Specialist covers Clinical Nurse Specialist. A Program That Prepares Registered Nurses To Deliver Direct Patient And Client Care In Clinical Settings. Includes Instruction In Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics, Advanced Clinical Practice, Holistic Nursing, Nursing Practice And Health Care Policy, Administration And Consultation Services, Health Assessment, Patient Stabilization And Care, And Patient Education.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Across the country, clinical nurse specialist is a widely-pursued major, with 135 degrees awarded annually. 22 colleges award clinical nurse specialist degrees, an average of 6 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 22.
By level, the 135 awards include 13 bachelor’s degrees, 85 master’s degrees and 37 doctorates.
Women earned 87% of clinical nurse specialist degrees and certificates in the latest year (118 of 135). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (75) and Hispanic or Latino (32), and international students earned 1.
College Factual ranks 5 schools in its 2027 Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools ranking, including 5 for bachelor’s degrees, 3 for master’s degrees and 3 for doctorates. It also ranks clinical nurse specialist schools within 5 states. In all, 22 colleges offer clinical nurse specialist programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common clinical nurse specialist credential is the master’s degree: 85 of the 135 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to clinical nurse specialist call most for Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening and Speaking, and for knowledge of Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology and English Language, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression and Deductive Reasoning.
Top skills, rated 0–5:
Top knowledge areas, rated 0–5:
How long a clinical nurse specialist degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 13 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 85 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 37 |
Master’s degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to clinical nurse specialist, at 44.5%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 44.5% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 24.3% |
| Doctoral degree | 10.0% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 8.9% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 7.8% |
| First professional degree | 1.4% |
| Post-doctoral training | 1.4% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 1.3% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.3% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.2% |
Source: O*NET Online.
7 occupations are related to Clinical Nurse Specialist, with an average median salary of $91,600; the strongest outlook belongs to Critical Care Nurses, at 14.4% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Pediatric Oncology Nurse, Psychiatric RN (Psychiatric Registered Nurse), Staff Nurse and Nurse.
The occupation related to clinical nurse specialist with the most projected jobs is Registered Nurses, at 3,793,806.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,793,806 | 10.2% |
| Nurse Practitioners | 2,031,912 | 3.3% |
| Clinical Nurse Specialists | 1,937,405 | 12.3% |
| Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses | 1,349,827 | 0.0% |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | 790,445 | 5.7% |
| Critical Care Nurses | 590,563 | 14.4% |
| Acute Care Nurses | 191,452 | 4.1% |
Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates earn a median $82,702 one year after completing their program, $94,428 after four years and $90,122 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $82,702 |
| 4 years | $94,428 |
| 5 years | $90,122 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to clinical nurse specialist is Nurse Practitioners, with a median salary of $147,651.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Nurse Practitioners | $147,651 |
| Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses | $143,854 |
| Registered Nurses | $105,741 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | $69,718 |
| Critical Care Nurses | $65,103 |
| Acute Care Nurses | $56,247 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialists | $52,889 |
Clinical Nurse Specialist has 22 similar majors in the Health Professions field, which together award 317,918 degrees a year; the largest are Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (263,353), Family Practice Nurse/Nursing (14,704) and Nursing Practice (9,385). Browse all Health Professions majors or the full list of college majors.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 263,353 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 14,704 |
| Nursing Practice | 9,385 |
| Nursing Administration | 7,806 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 5,359 |
| Nursing Science | 4,606 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other | 3,955 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 2,183 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,125 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 934 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
