2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in California with 18,329 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. USAHS is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the suburb of San Marcos.
Out of the 18 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Samuel Merritt University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Point Loma Nazarene University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Out of the 18 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Touro University California landed the # 5 spot on the list. TUC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo.
University of California - Davis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Davis
California State University - Fresno landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
University of San Francisco ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Loma Linda University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.
Western University of Health Sciences landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Pomona, Western University of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Oregon | 1,502 |
| Washington | 3,851 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
| Alaska | 177 |
More Nursing Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
| Nursing Science | 4,600 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,287 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,021 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,936 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 1,883 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 773 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| School Nursing | 553 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 509 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 444 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 419 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 331 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 181 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 57 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 53 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 14 |
| Forensic Nursing | 14 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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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