2025 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in New Jersey
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.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in New Jersey ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 567 master's degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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 complete 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 New Jersey.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Nursing in New Jersey
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in nursing.
10 Top New Jersey Schools for a Master's in Nursing
It is hard to beat Rutgers University - New Brunswick if you wish to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the city of New Brunswick.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $102,721 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Monmouth University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in nursing. Monmouth is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of West Long Branch.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $115,337 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Monmouth University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in nursing needs to look into Seton Hall University. Seton Hall is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of South Orange.
Master's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $111,063 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Seton Hall University
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus is a good choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in nursing. Located in the suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing master's degree recipients from Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $11,604 over the average earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a master’s in nursing from Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
William Paterson University is a medium-sized public university located in the large suburb of Wayne.
Nursing master's degree recipients from William Paterson University of New Jersey get an earnings boost of approximately $6,535 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a master’s in nursing from William Paterson University of New Jersey