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Doctor's Degree in Nursing

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Doctor’s Degrees in Nursing

12,107 Yearly Graduations
$108,639 Median Salary
$67,500 Median Debt
There are 425 schools in the United States where you can get your doctor's degree in nursing. In recent years, the majority of the students getting degrees in this area were female, and 35% were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group. Also, 1.1% of nursing graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Nursing Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 12,107 people earned their doctor's degree in nursing. This makes it the 5th most popular doctor's degree program in the country.

The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in nursing at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 162,800
Associate Degree 83,190
Master’s Degree 51,725
Doctor’s Degree 12,107
Graduate Certificate 5,303
Undergraduate Certificate 2,582
Basic Certificate 1,795

Earnings of Nursing Majors With Doctor’s Degrees

The median salary for graduates holding a doctor's degree in nursing is $108,639. This number may vary for a lot of reasons. For instance, you may decide to move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money. A better approximation of salary is to look at the typical range of salaries. In this case the low is $99,510 and the high is $124,759.

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Student Debt

The median student debt for graduates holding a doctor's degree in nursing is $67,500. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary. The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $87,542 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $54,967.

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Student Diversity

More women than men pursue their doctor's degree in nursing. About 84.7% of graduates with this degree are female.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 1,856
Women 10,251
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The racial-ethnic distribution of nursing doctor’s degree students is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 868
Black or African American 2,023
Hispanic or Latino 938
White 7,168
International Students 138
Other Races/Ethnicities 972
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There are 425 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in nursing. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:

565 Yearly Graduations
91% Women
47% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Chamberlain University - Illinois tops the list of the most popular school in the U.S. for nursing majors who are seeking their doctor's degree. Roughly 29,400 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $19,117 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,000 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 565 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Chamberlain - Illinois. Around 47% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 91% were women.

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona
368 Yearly Graduations
91% Women
58% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

The 2nd most popular school in the country for nursing majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Grand Canyon University. Roughly 103,400 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $16,407 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,655 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 368 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University. About 91% of this group were women, and 58% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#3

Rush University

Chicago, Illinois
199 Yearly Graduations
89% Women
25% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Rush University is the 3rd most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Roughly 2,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $30,315 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $38,030 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 199 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Rush University. Around 25% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 89% were women.

#5

Frontier Nursing University

Versailles, Kentucky
181 Yearly Graduations
94% Women
31% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Frontier Nursing University is the 5th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Roughly 2,400 attend the school each year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 181 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Frontier Nursing University. About 94% of this group were women, and 31% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#6

Capella University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
171 Yearly Graduations
92% Women
34% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Capella University comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in nursing. Roughly 38,900 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $14,328 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,826 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 171 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Capella University. Of these students, 92% were women and 34% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#7

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
163 Yearly Graduations
85% Women
52% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Rutgers University - New Brunswick is the 7th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Roughly 50,400 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,900 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $18,696 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 163 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Rutgers New Brunswick. Around 52% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 85% were women.

146 Yearly Graduations
91% Women
47% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Columbia University in the City of New York is the 8th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Each year, around 30,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $61,989 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $52,016 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 146 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Columbia. Around 47% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 91% were women.

#9

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
142 Yearly Graduations
85% Women
24% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

The 9th most popular school in the country for nursing majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Roughly 52,000 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $14,006 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $18,468 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 142 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from UMN Twin Cities. Around 24% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 85% were women.

#10

University of Maryland - Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland
137 Yearly Graduations
92% Women
43% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of Maryland - Baltimore comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in nursing. Each year, around 7,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $9,635 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $15,443 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 137 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from UMB. About 92% of this group were women, and 43% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#11

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
134 Yearly Graduations
92% Women
35% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of Illinois at Chicago comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in nursing. Roughly 33,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,396 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,181 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 134 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from UIC. Of these students, 92% were women and 35% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#11

University of South Alabama

Mobile, Alabama
134 Yearly Graduations
93% Women
62% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of South Alabama is the 11th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Each year, around 14,200 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,616 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,424 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 134 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from USA. Around 62% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 93% were women.

#13

Samford University

Birmingham, Alabama
129 Yearly Graduations
87% Women
20% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Samford University comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in nursing. Roughly 5,700 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $35,750 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $21,265 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 129 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Samford. Around 20% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 87% were women.

#14

Brandman University

Irvine, California
113 Yearly Graduations
84% Women
87% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

The 14th most popular school in the country for nursing majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Brandman University. Each year, around 10,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,000 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,510 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 113 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Brandman. About 84% of this group were women, and 87% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#15

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
108 Yearly Graduations
83% Women
38% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of Arizona comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in nursing. Roughly 45,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,210 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,348 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 108 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from University of Arizona. About 83% of this group were women, and 38% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

107 Yearly Graduations
90% Women
33% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is the 16th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Each year, around 48,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,189 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $17,004 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 107 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from UW Seattle. About 90% of this group were women, and 33% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#16

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
107 Yearly Graduations
76% Women
28% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Duke University is the 16th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Each year, around 16,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $60,435 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $60,220 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 107 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Duke. Around 28% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 76% were women.

#18

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
105 Yearly Graduations
83% Women
11% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of Utah is the 18th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Roughly 33,000 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $8,175 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,353 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 105 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from U of U. Of these students, 83% were women and 11% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#19

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
102 Yearly Graduations
75% Women
52% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of North Florida is the 19th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Each year, around 16,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $3,996 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,570 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 102 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from UNF. Around 52% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 75% were women.

#19

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
102 Yearly Graduations
92% Women
39% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Johns Hopkins University comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in nursing. Roughly 28,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $60,480 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $60,480 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 102 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins. Of these students, 92% were women and 39% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
7,040
1,105
1,084
901
730

Below are some popular majors that are similar to nursing that offer doctor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
29,080
16,296
14,696
6,731
2,881

References

*The racial-ethnic minority student 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 percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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