2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois
Nursing is of the hottest doctor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #5 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 10 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 1,151 doctor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Doctor's Degree
The nursing doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to nursing students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other nursing students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt nursing students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- 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 colleges for nursing students working on their doctor's degree.
More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools
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 in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in Illinois
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in nursing.
10 Top Illinois Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing
Loyola University Chicago is a good choice for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in nursing. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.
Doctorate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $149,948 in their early career salary.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Loyola University Chicago
Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in nursing needs to look into Rush University. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $119,538.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Rush University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in nursing. SIUE is a large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
Soon after graduation, nursing doctorate recipients generally earn an average of $165,748 in their early careers.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
It is difficult to beat Bradley University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Peoria.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $108,003.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Bradley University
Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $130,967 in their early career salary.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Chamberlain University - Illinois