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2025 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

456 Colleges in the United States
51,725 Master's Degrees
$110,922 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 456 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 51,725 master's degrees in nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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 schools 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 20% 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 want 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.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from University of Pennsylvania make $4,460 more than the standard nursing graduate.

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

2

It's difficult to beat Samuel Merritt University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Master's recipients from the nursing major at Samuel Merritt University make $30,897 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in nursing needs to look into New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from New York University earn $30,431 more than the typical nursing student.

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

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

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

After graduating, nursing master's recipients generally make about $109,702 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $107,880.

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

6

UTMB Galveston is a small public university located in the small city of Galveston.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch make $5,801 more than the average nursing grad.

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

7

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

After graduation, nursing master's recipients generally earn about $102,660 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8

Located in the large city of Lubbock, TTUHSC is a public university with a small student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $110,624 for their early career.

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

9

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

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients generally earn an average of $84,697 in the first five years of their career.

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

10

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program report average early career income of $91,784.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

11

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

Soon after graduating, nursing master's recipients usually earn about $110,523 in the first five years of their career.

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

12
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

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

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $112,845.

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

13

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

Master's recipients from the nursing major at Northeastern University earn $14,558 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

14

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

Master's recipients from the nursing program at Case Western Reserve University make $4,087 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

15

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

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients typically earn about $85,488 in the first five years of their career.

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

16

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

Master's recipients from the nursing major at University of Southern California get $25,328 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

17
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY

Located in the large suburb of Stony Brook, SUNY Stony Brook is a public university with a very large student population.

Nursing master's degree recipients from Stony Brook University receive an earnings boost of approximately $15,870 over the average income of nursing graduates.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Stony Brook University

18
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.

Master's recipients from the nursing program at University of San Francisco earn $15,061 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 San Francisco

19

SUNY Downstate is a small public university located in the city of Brooklyn.

Master's recipients from the nursing major at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University earn $21,557 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in nursing from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

20
Molloy crest
Molloy College
Rockville Centre, NY

Molloy is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Rockville Centre.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Molloy College earn $23,030 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Molloy College

21

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

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program report average early career income of $112,065.

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

22

UofSC is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients generally earn about $105,149 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of South Carolina - Columbia

23
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

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

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Drexel University earn $6,369 more than the typical nursing graduate.

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

24
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's recipients from the nursing degree program at Villanova University make $14,495 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

25

Located in the fringe town of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from University of Connecticut receive $17,955 more than the standard nursing graduate.

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

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

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27
28
29
30
31
32

33
LIU Post crest
LIU Post
Brookville, NY

34
35
Fairfield U crest
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT
36
37
38
39
Samford crest
Samford University
Birmingham, AL
40
41
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

42
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

43
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
44
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
45
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
46
47
48
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
49
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT
50
La Salle crest
La Salle University
Philadelphia, PA

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 456 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
52 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
53 Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science Los Angeles, CA
54 Herzing University - Madison Madison, WI
55 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
56 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
57 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
58 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
59 Hunter College New York, NY
60 Roseman University of Health Sciences Henderson, NV
61 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
62 University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ
63 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
64 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
65 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
66 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
67 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
68 Florida International University Miami, FL
69 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
70 Lehman College Bronx, NY
71 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
72 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
73 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
74 Pacific College Costa Mesa, CA
75 West Coast University - Orange County Anaheim, CA
76 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
77 Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston, MA
78 Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Saint Louis, MO
79 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
80 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
81 Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN
82 Touro University Nevada Henderson, NV
83 Gannon University Erie, PA
84 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
85 Clarkson College Omaha, NE
86 Wagner College Staten Island, NY
87 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
88 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
89 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
90 Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA
91 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
92 Widener University Chester, PA
93 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
94 Mount Marty University Yankton, SD
95 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
96 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
97 West Coast University - Dallas Richardson, TX
98 Regis College Weston, MA
99 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
100 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI
101 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
102 D’Youville College Buffalo, NY
103 Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Lancaster, PA
104 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
105 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
106 University of South Alabama Mobile, AL
107 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
108 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
109 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
110 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
111 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
112 Moravian College Bethlehem, PA
113 South University’s online programs Savannah, GA
114 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
115 American University of Health Sciences Signal Hill, CA
116 College of Mount Saint Vincent Bronx, NY
117 Allen College Waterloo, IA
118 Otterbein University Westerville, OH
119 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
120 Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN
121 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
122 University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE
123 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
124 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ
125 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
126 United States University San Diego, CA
127 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
128 Bradley University Peoria, IL
129 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
130 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
131 University of Oklahoma - Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, OK
132 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
133 Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA
134 Russell Sage College Troy, NY
135 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
136 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
137 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
138 Concordia University, Wisconsin Mequon, WI
139 Barry University Miami, FL
140 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR
141 St. John Fisher College Rochester, NY
142 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
143 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
144 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
145 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
146 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
147 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
148 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
149 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
150 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
151 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
152 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV

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 19,942
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 14,527
Nursing Administration 7,308
Nursing Science 1,417
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 1,397
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 1,319
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 1,108
Nurse Anesthetist 657
Critical Care Nursing 557
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 525

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Health 17,036
Mental & Social Health Services 15,994
Health & Medical Administrative Services 15,775
Allied Health Professions 13,307
Communication Sciences 10,063
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 9,069
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 3,891
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 1,793
Medical Illustration & Informatics 1,644
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 1,604

Notes and References

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