2025 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
Nursing is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #2 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 31 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,383 master's degrees in nursing to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Master's Degree
The nursing master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master'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 master'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 master's degree.
- 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 master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 the Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Nursing in California
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in nursing.
10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Nursing
Samuel Merritt University is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Master's recipients from the nursing major at Samuel Merritt University make $9,207 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Samuel Merritt University
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in nursing. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Those nursing students who get their master's degree from University of Southern California make $3,638 more than the average nursing student.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of Southern California
University of San Francisco is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in nursing. USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.
After graduation, nursing master's recipients typically make an average of $125,983 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of San Francisco
University of California - Los Angeles is a great choice for students interested in a master's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, nursing master's recipients generally earn around $112,065 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles
Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Azusa.
Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $122,638 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Azusa Pacific University
