by our College Data Analytics TeamSchool Nursing was the 581st most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 553 degrees in this year alone. This is a difference of 29 over the prior year, a growth of 5.2%.
This year's Best School Nursing Schools ranking compares 26 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom school nursing rankings further below.
When studying School Nursing, you’ll learn that giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs. Required skills include talking to others to convey information effectively and understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Specific school nursing careers may require a certain level of degree attainment or additional certifications beyond that.
There are various different levels of school nursing degrees. You can get anything from a in school nursing to the highest school nursing degree, a . Depending on the school nursing degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A master's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to school nursing, with approximately 44.5% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for school nursing workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 41.9% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 25.3% |
| Doctoral Degree | 14.0% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 10.6% |
| Some College Courses | 4.1% |
Most workers in school nursing have at least a master's degree. See the chart below for the most common degree level workers in school nursing have received.
This of course varies depending on which school nursing career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your school nursing degree? School Nursing careers are expected to grow 16.1% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to school nursing.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,393,200 | 14.8% |
| Nurse Practitioners | 211,600 | 36.1% |
| Nursing Instructors and Professors | 84,200 | 24.0% |
As you might expect, salaries for school nursing graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for school nursing graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers school nursing grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Nurse Practitioners | $110,030 |
| Nursing Instructors and Professors | $81,350 |
| Registered Nurses | $75,510 |
With over 93 different school nursing degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased school nursing school rankings to help you with this.
One of 22 majors within the Nursing area of study, School Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
Image Credit: By Aleksahgabrielle under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
