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Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

67 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 42,404 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 67 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Our 2023 rankings named University of Pennsylvania the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Nursing at University of Pennsylvania Report

#2

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Out of the 67 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Villanova University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Nursing at Villanova University Report

#3

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Thomas Jefferson University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

Full Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Report

#4

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Wilkes University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Wilkes is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Wilkes-Barre.

Full Nursing at Wilkes University Report

#5

Chatham University

Pittsburgh, PA

Out of the 67 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Chatham University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Chatham is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

Catholic University of America did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

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With a ranking of #8, University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. UMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Baltimore.

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#9

Wagner College

Staten Island, NY

Wagner College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Wagner is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Staten Island.

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#10

Gannon University

Erie, PA

Gannon University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Gannon is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Erie.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
11 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
12 George Washington University Washington, DC
13 Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Lancaster, PA

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 17,708
Pennsylvania 11,477
Maryland 4,104
New Jersey 5,648
District of Columbia 990
Delaware 1,267

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

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

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 25 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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