2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Ranked #5 in popularity,
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 9 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 472 doctor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Doctor's Degree
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:
Overall Quality Is a Must
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 Salaries
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.
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 doctor'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 doctor'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 colleges for nursing students working on their doctor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in California
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a doctor's degree.
Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in nursing needs to look into Samuel Merritt University. Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt 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 $136,861.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Samuel Merritt University
Loma Linda University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
After graduating, nursing doctorate recipients usually make around $135,439 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Loma Linda University
It's difficult to beat University of San Francisco if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from University of San Francisco get an earnings boost of around $2,948 over the average income of nursing majors.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of San Francisco
It is difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine.More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of California - Irvine
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those nursing students who get their doctor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles receive $5,978 more than the standard nursing student.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles
