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Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

17 Colleges
$98,140 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Master's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Virginia. In total, 6,775 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Virginia.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs 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 Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of Virginia - Main Campus to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

Full Nursing at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#3

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Shenandoah University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

Full Nursing at Shenandoah University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Sentara College of Health Sciences. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chesapeake.

Full Nursing at Sentara College of Health Sciences Report

Out of the 17 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the # 5 spot on the list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

Read full report on Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University

#6

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University 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 #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Radford University Report

#7

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA

Eastern Mennonite University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

Read full report on Nursing at Eastern Mennonite University

#8

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University 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. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Read full report on Nursing at George Mason University

#9

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the city of Norfolk.

Full Nursing at Old Dominion University Report

#10

Marymount University

Arlington, VA

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

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
Tennessee 6,004
Georgia 7,112
Kentucky 6,395
West Virginia 1,771
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Arkansas 2,882

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 17 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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