2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Master'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.
The Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in California to see which master'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.
2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Touro University California. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. TUC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - San Francisco helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Located in the large city of San Francisco, UCSF is a public college with a small student population.
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Out of the 42 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Loma Linda University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Loma Linda.
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With a ranking of #6, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
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Western University of Health Sciences landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Western University of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. USAHS is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the suburb of San Marcos.
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California State University - Stanislaus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Stan State is a large public school located in the suburb of Turlock.
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West Coast University - Orange County did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Anaheim.
Request InformationBest 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 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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