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2024 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California

17 Colleges in California
451 Doctor's Degrees
$127,792 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #5 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after doctor'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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 451 doctor's degrees in nursing during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of nursing for getting your doctor's degree school matters. 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

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor'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 doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.


 

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in California

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a doctor's degree.

10 Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing

1
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
25 Annual Graduates

Loma Linda University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Loma Linda University

2
25 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles

3
9 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in nursing needs to take a look at Samuel Merritt University. Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Samuel Merritt University

4
2 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of California - Irvine

5
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.

Those nursing students who get their doctor's degree from University of San Francisco earn $27,087 more than the typical nursing grad.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of San Francisco

6
45 Annual Graduates

USAHS is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the suburb of San Marcos.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

7

USD is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego.

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $114,672.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of San Diego

8
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of California - Davis

8
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Touro University California

9
9 Annual Graduates

PLNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Point Loma Nazarene University


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 122 315
Oregon 107 43
Nevada 84 79
Hawaii 53 16
Alaska 19 3

View All Rankings >

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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Nursing Practice 205
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 98
Registered Nursing 65
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 29
Nursing Administration 21
Nursing Science 13
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 10
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 6
School Nursing 4

Related Major Annual Graduates
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 2,064
Medicine 1,756
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 1,336
Dentistry 791
Alternative Medicine & Systems 681
Optometry 237
Chiropractic 220
Public Health 66
Mental & Social Health Services 48
Communication Sciences 38

Notes and References

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