2025 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
If you pursue a master's degree in
nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual reviewed 41 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of nursing. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,829 master's degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Master's Degree
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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
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.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
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 nursing students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of nursing students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- 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.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for nursing to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized nursing related body.
Our full 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
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 the Far Western US Region list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Nursing in the Far Western US Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in nursing.
10 Top Far Western US Region Schools for a Master's in Nursing
It's difficult to beat Samuel Merritt University if you want to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Master's recipients from the nursing major at Samuel Merritt University earn $13,981 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Samuel Merritt University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in nursing needs to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Master's recipients from the nursing program at University of Southern California make $8,412 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Southern California
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in nursing needs to take a look at University of San Francisco. USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $125,983 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of San Francisco
It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $112,065 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduation, nursing master's recipients generally make around $115,543 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
