2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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.
College Factual looked at 34 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,704 doctor's degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
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.
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
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 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.
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 the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in the Plains States Region
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a doctor's degree.
10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a good option for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Those nursing students who get their doctor's degree from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine receive $63,408 more than the average nursing graduate.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
It is hard to beat Creighton University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in nursing from Creighton University
Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in nursing has to look into Winona State University. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing doctorate recipients usually make an average of $111,705 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Winona State University
It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in nursing. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Doctorate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $123,367 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from University of Iowa
Maryville U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $115,625.
More information about a doctorate in nursing from Maryville University of Saint Louis
