2025 Best Registered Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Ranked #25 in popularity, registered 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for registered nursing students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 29 doctor's degrees in registered nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on registered nursing students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other registered nursing students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized registered nursing related body.

Our complete 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.

More Ways to Rank Registered Nursing Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Registered Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for registered nursing students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top Southeast Region Schools for a Doctorate in Registered Nursing

1

Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

4 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Nova Southeastern University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in registered nursing. NUS Florida is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Nova Southeastern University

2

Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Gardner - Webb University is a great decision for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in registered nursing. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Boiling Springs.More information about a doctorate in registered nursing from Gardner - Webb University

Best Registered Nursing Colleges by State

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

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	217	7
North Carolina	190	11
Georgia	190	12
Virginia	182	4
Tennessee	150	3
Alabama	139	134

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Registered Nursing Related Rankings by Major

One of 23 majors within the Nursing area of study, Registered Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Nursing Practice	2,674
Nurse Anesthetist	361
Nursing Science	257
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	250
Nursing Administration	117
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing	100
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing	17
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing	14
Critical Care Nursing	5
School Nursing	4

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle. More about our data sources and methodologies.