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2024 Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools

220 Colleges in the United States
18,773 Master's Degrees
Ranked #4 in popularity, registered nursing is one of the most sought-after master'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 220 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 18,773 master's degrees in registered nursing during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School for Your Master's Degree

Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools Your choice of registered nursing for getting your master's degree school matters. 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

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for registered nursing students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Registered Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Registered Nursing in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for registered nursing students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Registered Nursing

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
269 Annual Graduates

Columbia University in the City of New York is a wonderful option for students pursuing a master's degree in registered nursing. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Columbia University in the City of New York

2
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26 Annual Graduates

New York University is a good choice for students pursuing a master's degree in registered nursing. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from New York University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Samuel Merritt University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in registered nursing. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Oakland.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Samuel Merritt University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Case Western Reserve University if you want to pursue a master's degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Case Western Reserve University

5
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
259 Annual Graduates

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Georgetown University

6
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 Annual Graduates

Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Yale University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
308 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Johns Hopkins University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Annual Graduates

UMB is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of Maryland - Baltimore

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Annual Graduates

Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Thomas Jefferson University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Simmons University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of Virginia - Main Campus

11
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
250 Annual Graduates

Marquette is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Milwaukee.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Marquette University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Annual Graduates

UCSF is a small public university located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of California - San Francisco

13
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
303 Annual Graduates

Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Drexel University

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

15
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1 Annual Graduates

Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Loma Linda.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Loma Linda University

16
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Annual Graduates

Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Pomona.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Western University of Health Sciences

17
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4,104 Annual Graduates

Walden University is a very large private for-profit university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Walden University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
246 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Ohio State University - Main Campus

18
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of San Francisco

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

20
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Annual Graduates

Gonzaga is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Spokane.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Gonzaga University

21
Miami Regional University crest
Miami Regional University
Miami Springs, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Annual Graduates

Miami Regional University is a fairly small private for-profit university located in the large suburb of Miami Springs.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Miami Regional University

22
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24 Annual Graduates

Capella University is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from Capella University

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
686 Annual Graduates

UAB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Birmingham.More information about a master’s in registered nursing from University of Alabama at Birmingham

Rest of the Top Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools

26
27
28
29
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
30
31
32
Fairfield U crest
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT

33
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
34 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
35 Chamberlain University - Illinois Addison, IL
36 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
37 Gannon University Erie, PA
38 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
39 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
40 Florida International University Miami, FL
41 Regis College Weston, MA
42 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
43 University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE
44 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH

Registered Nursing by Region

View the Best Registered Nursing Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Registered Nursing is one of 23 different types of Nursing programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 14,286
Nursing Administration 8,411
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 1,498
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 1,456
Nursing Science 1,421
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 907
Nurse Anesthetist 878
Critical Care Nursing 583
School Nursing 455
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 454

Notes and References

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