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Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools

673 Colleges
$98,140 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Master'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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 673 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs 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 Master's Degree Colleges.

The in-demand master’s degree programs at Chamberlain University - Illinois helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the United States. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.

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

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#3

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

The in-demand master’s degree programs at Western Governors University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the United States. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read More…

#4

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Out of the 673 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.

Of the 1,935 students majoring in nursing at Grand Canyon University, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Grand Canyon University

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means The University of Texas at Arlington is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Arlington, UT Arlington is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 1,204 students majoring in nursing at UT Arlington, 12% are male and 88% are female.

Read More…

Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Of the 839 students majoring in nursing at Maryville U, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Read More…

University of South Alabama came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. USA is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Mobile.

Of the 780 students majoring in nursing at USA, 12% are male and 88% are female.

Full Nursing at University of South Alabama Report

With a ranking of #8, University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. UAB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Birmingham.

About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

Full Nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham Report

#9

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

Of the 643 students majoring in nursing at Capella University, 7% are male and 93% are female.

Full Nursing at Capella University Report

Frontier Nursing University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Hyden, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

Full Nursing at Frontier Nursing University Report

With a ranking of #11, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. UC is a very large public school located in the large city of Cincinnati.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

South University’s online programs landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. South University's online programs is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Savannah.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read full report on Nursing at South University’s online programs

#13

Simmons University

Boston, MA

Simmons University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Simmons is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

Women make up 92% of the nursing majors at the school.

Read full report on Nursing at Simmons University

#14

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

With a ranking of #14, Purdue University Global did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Purdue University Global is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

Read More…

#15

Miami Regional University

Miami Springs, FL

Miami Regional University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Miami Springs, Miami Regional University is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 493 students majoring in nursing at Miami Regional University, 41% are male and 59% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at Miami Regional University

#16

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. NKU is a large public school located in the large suburb of Highland Heights.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at Northern Kentucky University

#17

Aspen University

Denver, CO

Aspen University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Denver, Aspen University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

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

Full Nursing at Aspen University Report

University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Tempe.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

Read More…

#19

United States University

San Diego, CA

United States University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of San Diego, USU is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

About 83% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 17% are male.

Full Nursing at United States University Report

#20

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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

Read full report on Nursing at University of Pennsylvania

#21

Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, MI

Spring Arbor University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of Spring Arbor, Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 381 students majoring in nursing at Spring Arbor, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Read More…

#22

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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

Read full report on Nursing at Vanderbilt University

#23

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Master’s Degree Schools list. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

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

Read full report on Nursing at Drexel University

West Coast University - Orange County landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 317 students majoring in nursing at West Coast University - Orange County, 22% are male and 78% are female.

Read More…

#25

Regis College

Weston, MA

With a ranking of #25, Regis College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Regis College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Weston.

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

Read full report on Nursing at Regis College

#27

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY
#28

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD
#29

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA
#31

Duke University

Durham, NC
#33

Georgetown University

Washington, DC
#34

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI
#38

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
#41

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL
#41

Universidad del Turabo

Gurabo, PR
#43

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
#44

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ
#47

Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT
#50

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Nursing Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 673 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
52 New York University New York, NY
53 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
54 Graceland University - Lamoni Lamoni, IA
55 Rush University Chicago, IL
56 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
56 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
58 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL
58 University of Maryland - Baltimore Baltimore, MD
60 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock, TX
60 George Washington University Washington, DC
60 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
63 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
64 Augusta University Augusta, GA
65 University of California - San Francisco San Francisco, CA
66 Emory University Atlanta, GA
67 Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL
68 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
68 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
70 Benedictine University Lisle, IL
71 Regis University Denver, CO
71 Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH
73 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
74 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
75 Florida International University Miami, FL
76 Pace University - New York New York, NY
77 Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
78 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
79 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
79 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
81 LIU Post Brookville, NY
82 D’Youville College Buffalo, NY
83 Wilmington University New Castle, DE
84 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
85 Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA
86 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
87 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
87 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
89 Yale University New Haven, CT
90 Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth, TX
91 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
92 MGH Institute of Health Professions Boston, MA
92 Columbus State University Columbus, GA
92 Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY
95 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
95 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
97 Lehman College Bronx, NY
97 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
99 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
99 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
99 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
99 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank College Location
103 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
104 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
105 Bradley University Peoria, IL
106 Clarkson College Omaha, NE
107 Florida National University - Main Campus Hialeah, FL
108 SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Brooklyn, NY
108 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
108 St. John Fisher College Rochester, NY
108 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
112 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
112 Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY
114 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
115 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
115 Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN
117 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL
118 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
118 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
118 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
121 Rivier University Nashua, NH
122 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN
123 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
123 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
125 Dominican College of Blauvelt Orangeburg, NY
126 SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY
127 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
127 Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA
129 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
129 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
131 Western University of Health Sciences Pomona, CA
131 University of North Alabama Florence, AL
131 Northeastern University Boston, MA
131 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
131 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX

Nursing by Region

View the Most Popular Nursing Master'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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