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 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 46 doctor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.
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 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.
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 South Dakota ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Nursing in South Dakota
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a doctor's degree.
Top South Dakota Schools for a Doctorate in Nursing
Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in nursing has to check out Mount Marty University. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Yankton.
Nursing doctor's degree recipients from Mount Marty University get an earnings boost of about $51,614 above the average earnings of nursing majors.
South Dakota State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in nursing. South Dakota State is a fairly large public university located in the remote town of Brookings.
After graduating, nursing doctorate recipients usually make an average of $104,596 at the beginning of their careers.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).