2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Washington
If you pursue a doctor's degree in
nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #5 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 6 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Washington ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 326 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
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 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 doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 complete 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.
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 Washington list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in Washington
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in nursing.
Top Washington Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing
Seattle University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Seattle University
Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in nursing has to look into University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $119,434.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Gonzaga University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Gonzaga University get an earnings boost of about $18,791 above the average income of nursing graduates.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Gonzaga University
Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in nursing has to take a look at Pacific Lutheran University. Located in the suburb of Tacoma, PLU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
After graduation, nursing doctorate recipients typically earn about $104,932 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Pacific Lutheran University
Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a very large student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing doctorate recipients typically earn around $123,908 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Washington State University