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Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools

424 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You

Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 66,964 degrees and certificates were awarded to students with this major.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 424 schools in the United States to see which doctor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Colleges.

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.

About 93% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 7% are male.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Grand Canyon University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at Grand Canyon University

#3

Rush University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Rush University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Frontier Nursing University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the United States. Located in the rural area of Hyden, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at Frontier Nursing University

#6

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public school located in the city of New Brunswick.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Of the 146 students majoring in nursing at Columbia, 9% are male and 91% are female.

Full Nursing at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Of the 142 students majoring in nursing at UMN Twin Cities, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Read More…

University of Maryland - Baltimore landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. UMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Baltimore.

Women make up 81% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at University of Maryland - Baltimore Report

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

University of South Alabama ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. USA is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Mobile.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at University of South Alabama

#13

Samford University

Birmingham, AL

Samford University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Samford is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 89% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at Samford University Report

#14

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Brandman University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 113 students majoring in nursing at Brandman, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Read More…

#15

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

University of Arizona ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. University of Arizona is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Tucson.

Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the city of Seattle.

Of the 107 students majoring in nursing at UW Seattle, 15% are male and 85% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#16

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Women make up 86% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read full report on Nursing at Duke University

#18

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

University of Utah came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. U of U is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.

Women make up 80% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at University of Utah Report

#19

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL

University of North Florida landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Jacksonville, UNF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 102 students majoring in nursing at UNF, 14% are male and 86% are female.

Read More…

#19

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.

Women make up 95% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at Johns Hopkins University Report

University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. UAB is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Birmingham.

Women make up 73% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham

#22

Creighton University

Omaha, NE

Creighton University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 97 students majoring in nursing at Creighton, 5% are male and 95% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Creighton University

#23

Augusta University

Augusta, GA

With a ranking of #23, Augusta University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 96 students majoring in nursing at Augusta University, 20% are male and 80% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Augusta University

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 96 students majoring in nursing at Missouri State, 35% are male and 65% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Missouri State University - Springfield

Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. MTSA is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Madison.

Of the 94 students majoring in nursing at MTSA, 41% are male and 59% are female.

Full Nursing at Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc Report

#27

Quinnipiac University

Hamden, CT
#28

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX
#29

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY
#31

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS
#33

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL
#36

Seattle University

Seattle, WA
#37

Chatham University

Pittsburgh, PA
#43

Barry University

Miami, FL
#44

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN
#45

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA

Remaining Award Winners

This list shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 424 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
51 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
53 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
53 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
53 University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester Worcester, MA
56 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
57 Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC
57 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Houston, TX
57 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
57 Baylor University Waco, TX
57 Washington State University Pullman, WA
57 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
63 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
64 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
65 South University’s online programs Savannah, GA
65 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences San Marcos, CA
65 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
68 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
68 Bradley University Peoria, IL
68 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN
68 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
68 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
73 University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE
73 Viterbo University La Crosse, WI
75 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
75 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
77 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
77 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
77 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
77 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
81 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
81 Regis College Weston, MA
83 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
84 Simmons University Boston, MA
84 Wilmington University New Castle, DE
84 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL

Nursing by Region

View the Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Nursing is one of 29 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Medicine 28,629
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 24,774
Public Health 19,473
Health & Medical Administrative Services 17,335
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 16,952

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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