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Nursing Master's Degree

Nursing Master’s Degrees

There are 2,114 colleges and universities across the nation that offer amaster’s degree in Nursing. Among those who recently graduated from the schools offering this degree, the majority were women, and45% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 0.7% of Nursing graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Nursing Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 311,372 people earned theirNursing majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Nursing at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Certificate 2,663
Associate’s Degree 85,232
Bachelor’s Degree 153,340
Master’s Degree (this page) 56,706
Doctor’s Degree 13,391

Earnings of Nursing Majors With Master’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

Federal data tracks the median salary for graduates with amaster’s degree in Nursing of $80,149 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years of experience you have.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $83,453
4 years $80,149
5 years $90,156

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

We do not have the data to calculate the median and range of debt loads for Nursing students with their master’s degree.

Student Diversity

This degree is more popular with female students. About 87.8% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 5,967
Women 42,922
Gender Diversity of Master's Degrees in Nursing

The racial-ethnic distribution of Nursing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 26,420 54.0%
Asian 4,359 8.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6,665 13.6%
Black or African American 7,000 14.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 164 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 170 0.3%
Two or More Races 1,171 2.4%
Race Unknown 2,610 5.3%
International Students 330 0.7%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Nursing Master's Degree Students

This degree is not very popular with international students. Only 0.7% of graduates fall into this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 2,207 colleges that offer a master’s degree in Nursing. Learn more about the most popular below:

The most popular school in the United States for Nursing students seeking a master's degree is Chamberlain University-Illinois. This school awarded 13,367 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#2

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 8,953 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#3

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

Western Governors University comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 7,799 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#4

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Grand Canyon University comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5,116 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#5

Walden University

Minneapolis, MN

Walden University is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 4,948 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

The University of Texas at Arlington comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 3,485 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#7

Aspen University

Phoenix, AZ

Aspen University comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,999 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

West Coast University-Orange County is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,760 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Galen College of Nursing-Louisville is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,491 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#10

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Ivy Tech Community College is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,481 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of South Alabama comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,440 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio University-Main Campus comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,401 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#13

NUC University

Bayamon, PR

NUC University is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,335 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#14

Purdue University Global

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University Global comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in Nursing. This school awarded 1,160 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#15

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,154 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,142 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Rasmussen University-Florida is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,063 people received their master's degree in Nursing from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Alabama at Birmingham is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,053 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#19

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,035 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their master's degree in Nursing here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#20

Frontier Nursing University

Versailles, KY

Frontier Nursing University is a popular choice for Nursing majors seeking their master's degree. This school awarded 1,021 master's degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 256,965
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 14,847
Nursing Practice 9,206
Nursing Administration 7,911
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 4,379

Below are some popular majors similar to Nursing that also offer master’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services 90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services 80,693
Public Health 41,086

References

The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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