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Doctor's Degree in Nursing

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Doctor’s Degrees in Nursing

10,943 Yearly Graduations
$108,639 Median Salary
86% Women
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 34% were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group. Also, 1.2% of nursing graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Nursing Majors

In 2020-2021, 10,943 doctor's degrees were awarded to nursing majors. 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 165,538
Associate Degree 85,504
Master’s Degree 51,608
Doctor’s Degree 10,943
Graduate Certificate 4,413
Undergraduate Certificate 2,494
Basic Certificate 2,092

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 data on debt ranges for nursing majors who have their doctor's degree is not available.

Student Diversity

More women than men pursue their doctor's degree in nursing. About 85.7% of graduates with this degree are female.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 1,565
Women 9,378
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The racial-ethnic distribution of nursing doctor’s degree students is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 852
Black or African American 1,744
Hispanic or Latino 762
White 6,542
International Students 129
Other Races/Ethnicities 914
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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
93% Women
44% 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 2020-2021 academic year, 565 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Chamberlain - Illinois. Around 44% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 93% were women.

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona
368 Yearly Graduations
90% Women
47% 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 $16,401 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,621 per year. The nursing program at Grand Canyon University awarded 368 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. About 90% of this group were women, and 47% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#3

Rush University

Chicago, Illinois
199 Yearly Graduations
88% Women
24% 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 $29,828 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $37,253 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 199 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at Rush University. About 88% of this group were women, and 24% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#4

Walden University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
191 Yearly Graduations
87% Women
53% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Walden University is the 4th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in nursing. Roughly 49,600 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,064 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,651 per year. The nursing program at Walden University awarded 191 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. Of these students, 87% were women and 53% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#5

Frontier Nursing University

Hyden, Kentucky
181 Yearly Graduations
92% Women
33% 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. The nursing program at Frontier Nursing University awarded 181 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. Of these students, 92% were women and 33% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#6

Capella University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
171 Yearly Graduations
94% Women
32% 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 $14,148 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $14,784 per year. The nursing program at Capella University awarded 171 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. Of these students, 94% were women and 32% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#7

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
163 Yearly Graduations
87% 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 $12,536 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $18,180 per year. The nursing program at Rutgers University - New Brunswick awarded 163 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. Around 52% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 87% were women.

146 Yearly Graduations
91% Women
52% 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 $59,450 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $50,496 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 146 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at Columbia. Around 52% 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
89% Women
17% 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 $13,532 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $17,844 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 142 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at UMN Twin Cities. About 89% of this group were women, and 17% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#10

University of Maryland - Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland
137 Yearly Graduations
81% Women
42% 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 $9,446 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $15,140 per year. The nursing program at University of Maryland - Baltimore awarded 137 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. Of these students, 81% were women and 42% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#11

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
134 Yearly Graduations
90% Women
31% 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 $12,253 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,927 per year. The nursing program at University of Illinois at Chicago awarded 134 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. Around 31% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 90% were women.

#11

University of South Alabama

Mobile, Alabama
134 Yearly Graduations
92% Women
46% 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 $8,256 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $8,226 per year. The nursing program at University of South Alabama awarded 134 doctor's degrees during the 2020-2021 school year. About 92% of this group were women, and 46% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#13

Samford University

Birmingham, Alabama
129 Yearly Graduations
89% Women
31% 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 $34,410 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $20,935 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 129 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at Samford. Of these students, 89% were women and 31% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#14

Brandman University

Irvine, California
113 Yearly Graduations
84% Women
85% 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 $12,240 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 113 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at Brandman. About 84% of this group were women, and 85% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#15

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
108 Yearly Graduations
93% Women
44% 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 $10,990 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,106 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 108 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at University of Arizona. Around 44% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 93% were women.

107 Yearly Graduations
85% Women
32% 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 $10,927 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $16,605 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 107 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at UW Seattle. Of these students, 85% were women and 32% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.

#16

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
107 Yearly Graduations
86% Women
27% 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 $58,085 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $57,900 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 107 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at Duke. About 86% of this group were women, and 27% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#18

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
105 Yearly Graduations
80% Women
16% 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 $7,749 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $6,970 per year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, 105 doctor's degrees were handed out to nursing majors at U of U. About 80% of this group were women, and 16% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#19

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
102 Yearly Graduations
86% Women
47% 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 2020-2021 academic year, 102 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from UNF. About 86% of this group were women, and 47% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#19

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
102 Yearly Graduations
95% Women
46% 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 $58,720 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $58,720 per year. During the 2020-2021 academic year, 102 people received their doctor's degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins. About 95% of this group were women, and 46% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

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

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Medicine 28,623
Rehabilitation Professions 15,249
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 15,192
Dentistry 6,742
Chiropractic 2,658

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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