by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 356 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 10,943 doctor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of nursing for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good 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.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor'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 full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for nursing students working on their doctor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a doctor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Vanderbilt University is a good choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in nursing. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Vanderbilt University
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. UTHealth is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Houston.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston earn a boost of around $44,944 over the typical income of nursing graduates.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in nursing needs to look into Duke University. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Doctorate recipients from the nursing degree program at Duke University get $7,905 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Duke University
University of Maryland - Baltimore is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Baltimore, UMB is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Maryland - Baltimore
Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduating, nursing doctorate recipients usually earn around $115,222 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Columbia University in the City of New York
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.
Doctorate recipients from the nursing degree program at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine make $68,673 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $112,807.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Emory University
Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Texas Christian University earn a boost of around $48,753 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Texas Christian University
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 nursing from Loma Linda University
Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from New York University receive an earnings boost of around $16,122 above the typical income of nursing majors.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from New York University
Located in the town of Galveston, UTMB Galveston is a public university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from The University of Texas Medical Branch
UTHSC is a small public university located in the city of Memphis.More information about a doctorate in nursing from The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
After graduation, nursing doctorate recipients generally earn an average of $107,800 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Rush University
Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Cleveland.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Case Western Reserve University
Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Seattle.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Seattle University
Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Those nursing students who get their doctor's degree from Yale University make $16,790 more than the standard nursing student.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Yale University
Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Omaha.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Creighton University
Located in the rural area of Versailles, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $108,067.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Frontier Nursing University
TTUHSC is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Lubbock.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center receive an earnings boost of approximately $11,068 above the typical income of nursing graduates.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Located in the large suburb of Glendale, Midwestern University - Glendale is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Midwestern University - Glendale
Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Samuel Merritt University
This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 356 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 52 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 53 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 55 | Mount Marty University | Yankton, SD |
| 56 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 57 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 58 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 59 | Touro University Nevada | Henderson, NV |
| 60 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 61 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 62 | University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences | San Marcos, CA |
| 63 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 64 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 65 | University of Nebraska Medical Center | Omaha, NE |
| 66 | Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX |
| 67 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA |
| 68 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 69 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 70 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 71 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
View the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing Practice | 6,164 |
| Registered Nursing | 1,058 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,015 |
| Nursing Science | 950 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| Nursing Administration | 435 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 397 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 152 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 72 |
| School Nursing | 40 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Medicine | 28,623 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | 15,249 |
| Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences | 15,192 |
| Dentistry | 6,742 |
| Chiropractic | 2,658 |
| Optometry | 1,803 |
| Alternative Medicine & Systems | 1,176 |
| Communication Sciences | 1,045 |
| Public Health | 981 |
| Allied Health Professions | 533 |
