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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in the Plains States Region

67 Ranked Colleges
7,599 Degrees Awarded
$98,461 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2021-2022, 319,502 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In , nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $70,911 and had an average of $28,318 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 32,176 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,971 and $28,793 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 7,599 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,858 and $37,352 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 67 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in nursing.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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More Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region”.

Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in the Plains States Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Graceland University - Lamoni. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 144 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Graceland University - Lamoni

2
3

Out of the 67 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 785 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at Maryville U

4
Clarkson College crest
Clarkson College
Omaha, Nebraska

Out of the 67 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Clarkson College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 128 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

Read more about Nursing at Clarkson College

5
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Allen College
Waterloo, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Allen College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Waterloo, Iowa, and it awarded 51 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Allen College

6
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Research College of Nursing
Kansas City, Missouri

Research College of Nursing ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 42 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Nursing at Research College of Nursing

7
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Mount Marty University
Yankton, South Dakota

With a ranking of #7, Mount Marty University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Mount Marty is located in Yankton, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 14 masters’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at Mount Marty University

8
Cox College crest
Cox College
Springfield, Missouri

Cox College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. Cox College is a small school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 39 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Nursing at Cox College

9
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Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, Iowa

With a ranking of #9, Briar Cliff University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Briar Cliff

10

With a ranking of #10, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 39 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College

11

With a ranking of #11, Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 masters’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Nursing at Nebraska Methodist College

12

Nebraska Wesleyan University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 20 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full NWU Nursing Report

13
University of St. Mary crest
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, Kansas

With a ranking of #13, University of Saint Mary did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Saint Mary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Leavenworth, Kansas. It awarded 13 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Saint Mary

14
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Morningside College
Sioux City, Iowa

Morningside College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 48 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Morningside

15
St. Kate's crest
St Catherine University
Saint Paul, Minnesota

St Catherine University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. St Catherine University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 94 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full St. Kate’s Nursing Report

16
Presentation College crest
Presentation College
Aberdeen, South Dakota

Presentation College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Presentation College

17

University of Nebraska Medical Center came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Nebraska Medical Center is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 36 masters’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Nebraska Medical Center

18

University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. UMKC is a fairly large school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 121 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Missouri - Kansas City Nursing Report

19
20
Tabor crest
Tabor College
Hillsboro, Kansas

With a ranking of #20, Tabor College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Tabor College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Tabor Nursing Report

21

MidAmerica Nazarene University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. MNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Olathe, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Nursing at MidAmerica Nazarene University

22
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Rockhurst University
Kansas City, Missouri

Rockhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #22. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s nursing degrees to 66 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at Rockhurst

23
Newman University crest
Newman University
Wichita, Kansas

Newman University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #23. This small school is located in Wichita, Kansas, and it awarded 20 masters’s nursing degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Newman University

24

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s nursing degrees to 34 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SMU MN Nursing Report

25
UMary crest
University of Mary
Bismarck, North Dakota

With a ranking of #25, University of Mary did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Bismarck, North Dakota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 34 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Mary Nursing Report

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References

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