2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Master'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 Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in California to see which master's degree 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 Master’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Full Nursing at University of Southern California Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Touro University California. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Vallejo, TUC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Nursing at Touro University California Report
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - San Francisco helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. UCSF is a small public school located in the city of San Francisco.
Full Nursing at University of California - San Francisco Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Loma Linda University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Nursing at Loma Linda University Report
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University of California - Davis landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.
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Western University of Health Sciences came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
Full Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences Report
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University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
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California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a large student population.
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West Coast University - Orange County came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report
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 25 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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