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2024 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

96 Colleges in the Southeast Region
3,097 Doctor's Degrees
$110,270 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 96 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,097 doctor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.

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 the Southeast Region 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 quality 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 the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.


 

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in the Southeast Region

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

14 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing

1
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
49 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Vanderbilt University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Vanderbilt University

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Duke University get an earnings boost of about $12,868 above the typical income of nursing graduates.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Duke University

3
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

It is hard to beat Emory University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those nursing students who get their doctor's degree from Emory University receive $2,537 more than the average nursing student.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Emory University

4
70 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. UTHSC is a small public university located in the large city of Memphis.More information about a doctorate in nursing from The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center

5

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

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $108,067.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Frontier Nursing University

6

Located in the medium-sized city of Charleston, MUSC is a public university with a small student population.

After graduating, nursing doctorate recipients typically earn about $93,842 in their early careers.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Medical University of South Carolina

7
Samford crest
Samford University
Birmingham, AL

Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Samford is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career income of $78,010.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Samford University

8
94 Annual Graduates

MTSA is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc

9
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Doctorate recipients from the nursing program at University of Miami make $15,353 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Miami

10

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

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career income of $107,180.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Virginia - Main Campus

11
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $98,110.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Florida

12
28 Annual Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

13

Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Virginia Commonwealth University receive an earnings boost of about $55,760 over the typical income of nursing majors.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University

14

LSU Health - New Orleans is a small public university located in the large city of New Orleans.

Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans receive an earnings boost of about $51,060 above the average income of nursing graduates.

More information about a doctorate in nursing from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans


 

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
15 Florida International University Miami, FL
16 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
17 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR
18 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
19 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
20 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
21 Anderson University South Carolina Anderson, SC
22 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
23 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
24 East Carolina University Greenville, NC

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 138 636
Virginia 127 237
Georgia 126 236
North Carolina 115 372
Mississippi 113 50
Louisiana 103 147
Tennessee 102 344
Alabama 98 490
South Carolina 91 79
Kentucky 87 404
Arkansas 58 66
West Virginia 49 36

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 1,897
Nurse Anesthetist 338
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 240
Nursing Science 233
Registered Nursing 171
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 104
Nursing Administration 87
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 17
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 4
School Nursing 3

Related Major Annual Graduates
Medicine 6,904
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 3,918
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 3,141
Dentistry 1,187
Chiropractic 529
Optometry 346
Allied Health Professions 317
Communication Sciences 235
Public Health 224
Health & Medical Administrative Services 105

Notes and References

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