College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina

16 Colleges in North Carolina
931 Master's Degrees
$94,055 Avg Early-Career Salary
Nursing is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #2 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 931 master'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 Master's Degree

Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master'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 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 in North Carolina list to help you make the college decision.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Nursing in North Carolina

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in nursing.

10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Master's in Nursing

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

It is hard to beat Duke University if you want to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $95,695 in the first couple years of working.

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

2

It is hard to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you wish to pursue a master's degree in nursing. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.

After graduating, nursing master's recipients generally earn an average of $89,271 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in nursing needs to look into Wake Forest University. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from Wake Forest University receive $75,375 more than the standard nursing student.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Wake Forest University

4

East Carolina University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in nursing. ECU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Greenville.

Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $92,078 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in nursing from East Carolina University

5

Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $86,377 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

6

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Concord.More information about a master’s in nursing from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

7

Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a very large student population.

Those nursing students who get their master's degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte receive $4,973 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

8
Gardner - Webb crest
Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC

Located in the town of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

After graduating, nursing master's recipients usually earn around $86,811 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in nursing from Gardner - Webb University

9

Located in the large city of Charlotte, Queens is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program report average early career income of $80,503.

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

10

WCU is a fairly large public university located in the town of Cullowhee.

Master's recipients from the nursing major at Western Carolina University earn $3,266 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 208 2,300
Georgia 190 1,353
Virginia 182 728
Tennessee 166 1,147
Alabama 151 1,997
Kentucky 147 1,361
Louisiana 147 340
South Carolina 146 369
Mississippi 145 175
Arkansas 121 229
West Virginia 112 145

View All Rankings >

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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 297
Registered Nursing 165
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 160
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 85
Nursing Administration 80
School Nursing 47
Nursing Science 31
Nurse Anesthetist 23
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 11
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 8

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Allied Health Professions 566
Public Health 519
Health & Medical Administrative Services 281
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 238
Mental & Social Health Services 226
Communication Sciences 197
Medical Illustration & Informatics 86
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 46
Alternative Medicine & Systems 36
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 32

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options