by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 39 U.S. colleges awarded 506 degrees and certificates in Critical Care Nursing. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 93% of graduates. College Factual ranks 14 schools in its 2027 Best Critical Care Nursing 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 Critical Care Nursing involves the study of Critical Care Nursing. A Program That Prepares Registered Nurses To Provide Specialized Care To Patients With Life-Threatening Problems, Including Those In Intensive Care Facilities And On Life Support. Includes Instruction In Adult, Neonatal, And Pediatric Critical Care; Technical Skills; Patient Monitoring And Assessment; Normal And Abnormal Readings; And Troubleshooting. Examples: [Acute Care Nursing], [Acute Care Nurse Practitioner].
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
In the U.S., critical care nursing is a popular field of study, with 506 degrees awarded annually. 39 colleges award critical care nursing degrees, an average of 13 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 105.
By level, the 506 awards include 470 master’s degrees and 36 doctorates.
Women earned 79% of critical care nursing degrees and certificates in the latest year (400 of 506). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (270) and Hispanic or Latino (125), and international students earned 4.
College Factual ranks 14 schools in its 2027 Best Critical Care Nursing Schools ranking, including 12 for master’s degrees and 11 for doctorates. It also ranks critical care nursing schools within 10 states. In all, 39 colleges offer critical care nursing programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Critical Care Nursing Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common critical care nursing credential is the master’s degree: 470 of the 506 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to critical care nursing 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 critical care nursing degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 470 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 36 |
Master’s degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to critical care nursing, 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 Critical Care Nursing, 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), Nurse and Staff Nurse.
The occupation related to critical care nursing 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% |
Critical Care Nursing 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 critical care nursing 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 |
Critical Care Nursing has 22 similar majors in the Health Professions field, which together award 317,547 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.
