Registered Nursing
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Types of Degrees Registered Nursing Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many registered nursing graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 157,596 |
| Associate Degree | 84,448 |
| Master’s Degree | 18,773 |
| Undergraduate Certificate | 2,293 |
| Basic Certificate | 1,912 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 1,058 |
| Graduate Certificate | 571 |
What Registered Nursing Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to registered nursing were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Registered Nursing Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:
- Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Skills for Registered Nursing Majors
When studying registered nursing, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Abilities for Registered Nursing Majors
Registered Nursing majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
What Can You Do With a Registered Nursing Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with registered nursing:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing Instructors and Professors | 24.0% | $73,490 |
| Registered Nurses | 14.8% | $71,730 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Registered Nursing?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of registered nursing majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 11,169 |
| Black or African American | 17,135 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 22,558 |
| White | 91,910 |
| International Students | 1,298 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 13,526 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Registered Nursing. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.
How Much Do Registered Nursing Majors Make?
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $75,510 to $81,350 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to registered nursing. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Registered Nursing
Some careers associated with registered nursing require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
Find out what the typical degree level is for registered nursing careers below.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Some College Courses | 5.8% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 36.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 15.1% |
| Master’s Degree | 23.7% |
| Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 1.0% |
| Doctoral Degree | 17.1% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 3.2% |
Online Registered Nursing Programs
In the 2020-2021 academic year, 2,042 schools offered some type of registered nursing program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
| Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 53 | 1 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 36 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 1,108 | 15 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 46 | 13 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
| Master’s Degree | 317 | 102 |
| Post-Master’s | 70 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 38 | 5 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 33 | 6 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 1 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Registered Nursing Worth It?
The median salary for a registered nursing grad is $75,510 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 89% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $712,200 after 20 years!
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Majors Related to Registered Nursing
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to registered nursing.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Aleksahgabrielle under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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