2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in California to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a graduate certificate.
Top 10 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in California. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Coast University - Orange County. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Out of the 16 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Western University of Health Sciences landed the # 3 spot on the list. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - San Francisco is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. UCSF is a small public school located in the city of San Francisco.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at California State University - Dominguez Hills helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Located in the small city of Carson, CSUDH is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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National University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.
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California State University - Long Beach landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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University of San Francisco came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
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Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges 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 16 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.
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