2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, nursing students earned 18,329 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 5th in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 18 schools in California to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Samuel Merritt University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Point Loma Nazarene University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Touro University California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Fresno
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University of San Francisco landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. USFCA is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
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Loma Linda University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #10, Western University of Health Sciences did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Pomona.
Read full report on Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Washington | 3,851 |
Oregon | 1,502 |
Nevada | 2,015 |
Hawaii | 535 |
Alaska | 177 |
More Nursing Rankings in California
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
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 18 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.