by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 39 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for registered nursing students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 976 doctor's degrees in registered nursing during the <nil> academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of registered nursing for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality registered nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
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.
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 registered nursing students working on their doctor's degree.
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 Registered Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in registered nursing.
It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from University of Pennsylvania
New York University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in registered nursing. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from New York University
Loma Linda University is a great option for students interested in a doctor's degree in registered 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 registered nursing from Loma Linda University
Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in registered nursing. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Georgetown University
Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Villanova University
Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Northeastern University
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Omaha.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Creighton University
Located in the large suburb of Buffalo, University at Buffalo is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from University at Buffalo
View the Best Registered Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 23 majors within the Nursing area of study, Registered Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing Practice | 7,474 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,403 |
| Nursing Science | 927 |
| Nursing Administration | 725 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 683 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 339 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 193 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 88 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 55 |
| School Nursing | 43 |
