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2025 Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools

17 Colleges in the United States
340 Clinical Nurse Specialist Degrees Awarded
Clinical Nurse Specialist is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #642 out of the 1506 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 340 degrees in clinical nurse specialist to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Clinical Nurse Specialist School

Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools The clinical nurse specialist program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Clinical Nurse Specialist rankings. We derive our Best Overall Clinical Nurse Specialist School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Clinical Nurse Specialist Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Clinical Nurse Specialist
Master's Degrees in Clinical Nurse Specialist
Doctor's Degrees in Clinical Nurse Specialist

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 Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Clinical Nurse Specialist in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the clinical nurse specialist degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Clinical Nurse Specialist

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY

New York University is a great option for students interested in a degree in clinical nurse specialist. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 7 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from New York University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TX
66.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in clinical nurse specialist needs to take a look at Texas Christian University. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were about 3 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from Texas Christian University

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MS in Nursing - Nurse Executive Leadership Program Name

Get on track to lead with your online MSN in Nurse Executive Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MS in Nursing - Nurse Executive Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA

Loma Linda University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in clinical nurse specialist. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.

There were approximately 2 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from Loma Linda University

4
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
134 Clinical Nurse Specialist Degrees Awarded

University of San Francisco is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in clinical nurse specialist. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 134 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from University of San Francisco

5
Molloy crest
Molloy College
Rockville Centre, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NY
66.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Rockville Centre, Molloy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #98 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Molloy is a great college overall.

There were about 3 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at Molloy in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from Molloy College

6

Pitt is a very large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN

IUPUI is a very large public university located in the city of Indianapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #253 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.

There were roughly 8 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN Program Name

With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX
16.7% Growth in Graduates

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 12 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from The University of Texas at Austin

9
DeSales crest
DeSales University
Center Valley, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA

Located in the suburb of Center Valley, DeSales is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 34th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 2 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at DeSales in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from DeSales University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
31.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Detroit, Detroit Mercy is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 7th out of 56 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 19 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at Detroit Mercy in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from University of Detroit Mercy

Clinical Nurse Specialist by Region

View the Best Clinical Nurse Specialist 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 >

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768

View All Clinical Nurse Specialist Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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