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Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

9 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary

Nursing is the most popular major in Illinois with 21,938 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. 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, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Illinois to see which online doctor's degree programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing an online doctor's degree.

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online doctor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 7% are male.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bradley University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

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

Full Nursing at Bradley University Report

#3

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means McKendree University is a great place for nursing students working on their online doctor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Lebanon, McKendree is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

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The in-demand online doctor’s degree programs at University of St Francis helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at University of St Francis

#4

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Out of the 9 online programs at schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lewis University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular online places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.

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#7

Oak Point University

Chicago, IL

Oak Point University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Oak Point is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chicago.

Women make up 75% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at Oak Point University Report

#8

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Rush University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at Rush University Report

#9

North Park University

Chicago, IL

North Park University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Read full report on Nursing at North Park University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Ohio 13,973
Michigan 7,345
Indiana 7,922
Wisconsin 5,410

More Nursing Rankings in Illinois

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

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 9 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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