by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 766 master's degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in nursing.
It's hard to beat Duke University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $109,702 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Duke University
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 small city of Chapel Hill.
After graduation, nursing master's recipients typically make an average of $99,792 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
East Carolina University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in nursing. ECU is a very large public university located in the small city of Greenville.
Nursing master's degree recipients from East Carolina University earn a boost of about $2,011 over the average income of nursing graduates.
More information about a master’s in nursing from East Carolina University
University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in nursing. UNC Greensboro is a large public university located in the city of Greensboro.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $93,594 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the nursing program at University of North Carolina at Charlotte earn $7,874 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Located in the city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program report average early career wages of $92,353.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Wilmington
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
Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Boiling Springs.
Students who graduate with their master's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $94,355.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Gardner - Webb University
WCU is a large public university located in the town of Cullowhee.
Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $106,628 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Western Carolina University
Located in the rural area of Mount Olive, UMO is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Mount Olive
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools 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 |
Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Health | 711 |
| Allied Health Professions | 596 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 443 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | 278 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 234 |
| Communication Sciences | 222 |
| Medical Illustration & Informatics | 98 |
| Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences | 63 |
| Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | 52 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 49 |
