College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

28 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,051 Master's Degrees
$102,683 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a master's degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 28 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 2,051 master's degrees in nursing to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Master's Degree

Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of nursing for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete 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.

More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools

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 in Pennsylvania list to help you make the college decision.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Nursing in Pennsylvania

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in nursing.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools for a Master's in Nursing

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in nursing. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $104,649 in the first couple years of their career.

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

2

Thomas Jefferson University is a great choice for individuals pursuing a master's degree in nursing. Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Soon after graduation, nursing master's recipients typically earn around $101,336 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University

3
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University is a great choice for students pursuing a master's degree in nursing. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

After graduation, nursing master's recipients usually make around $101,146 in their early careers.

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

4
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA

Duquesne University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in nursing. Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $85,211 for their early career.

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

5
11 Annual Graduates

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

6
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Villanova University receive $11,985 more than the standard nursing grad.

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

7
DeSales crest
DeSales University
Center Valley, PA

DeSales is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Center Valley.

After graduation, nursing master's recipients usually make about $100,494 in the first five years of their career.

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

8

Gannon is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Erie.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Gannon University receive $56,811 more than the average nursing student.

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

9
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA

Located in the suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $103,993.

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

10
La Salle crest
La Salle University
Philadelphia, PA

Located in the city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Master's recipients from the nursing program at La Salle University make $3,211 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in nursing from La Salle University


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 261 2,540
Maryland 193 624
New Jersey 188 445
District of Columbia 154 448
Delaware 109 129

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 1,008
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 289
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 219
Nurse Anesthetist 121
Nursing Administration 85
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 80
School Nursing 53
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 43
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 41
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 32

Related Major Annual Graduates
Allied Health Professions 1,308
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 924
Public Health 705
Health & Medical Administrative Services 575
Communication Sciences 495
Mental & Social Health Services 396
Health/Medical Prep Programs 206
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 136
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 125
Other Health Professions 120

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options