The best nursing liberal arts colleges are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best nursing degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding nursing faculty.
A bachelor’s degree in nursing is an excellent starting point for a career providing care in an emergency room, mental health facility, or home healthcare setting. In fact, an undergraduate degree in nursing could qualify you to work in an extremely wide range of healthcare contexts. As a nursing major, you’ll study the basic principles of care as well as medical ethics, anatomy, pathology, and more. You can also choose from a wide range of specializations in areas like rehabilitation, radiology, and anesthetics. The best schools for nursing are those which are regionally accredited, which offer a full array of nursing concentrations, and which give you the chance to work with the best and most influential professors and classmates.
Degree popularity: Nursing bachelor’s degrees are the 3rd most popular undergraduate degrees across all student demographics. This degree ranks slightly higher for women at 2nd compared to 9th for men. Nursing is one of the few degrees that ranks among the top 10 most desired degrees for all demographics, and consistently in the top 3 for women, according to the number of degree earners reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics
The best liberal arts colleges for nursing degrees encourage their nursing students to become passionate about lifelong learning. The nursing profession, after all, is an ever-evolving discipline, thanks to advancements in science and technology within the healthcare industry. Nursing programs must then evolve with the times, so to speak, if they are to remain relevant in the contemporary world.
Prospective students interested in becoming nursing majors have three major academic pathways to choose from, namely:
Regardless of the academic path chosen, nursing students must tackle didactic courses that include general education courses, core and required courses, and electives.
Nursing majors must also complete supervised clinical experiences, known as clinical internships, in clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare settings. Keep in mind that collegiate nursing education is among the most rigorous because of its healthcare emphasis.
The academic rigor starts with the admissions process, too! Prospective nursing majors must meet selective admissions criteria including:
Depending on the nursing school, personal interviews may be conducted to determine suitability of shortlisted applicants.
Once admitted into the best nursing programs, students must be in good physical and mental health to survive the rigors of collegiate nursing education! Every nursing program is designed to provide its students with the appropriate knowledge and skills vital for success in the nursing profession.
This means a combination of several aspects including but not limited to:
Nursing majors often report about their stressful college life with limited time for other personal and professional commitments. The physical and mental demands can also take their toll. Indeed, nursing students must take good care of themselves first and foremost for this reason.
But the rewards that come with being a nursing professional make the sacrifices worthwhile! Nursing professionals can look forward to an excellent job outlook and employment opportunities in diverse occupations.
Rewarding career advancement opportunities await, too, particularly with specialized education and continuing professional development. Nursing majors can identify their specializations early on with choices like addiction nursing, cardiovascular nursing, and critical care nursing.
This four-year degree will qualify you to work as a Registered Nurse, once you’ve successfully completed your National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), as well as any state-specific requirements. Though you can become an RN with an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree can elevate your candidacy for nursing leadership roles. Some healthcare settings may also offer support to nurses with associate’s degrees to enroll into RN-to-BSN degree programs.
As a registered nurse, you’ll get the chance to play a critical role in shaping and improving the treatment strategies and philosophies of care in use today. This means that leaders, researchers, and innovators in the field have a direct impact on our everyday experiences in the healthcare system. Today, top influencers in nursing are breaking new ground in Nurse Practitioner Programs, Primary Nursing, Oncology Nursing, and more.
Back to TopNursing is a popular major because there is an extremely high demand for qualified and capable registered nurses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of new positions in the nursing field is expected to grow at a rate of 7% by 2029, which is significantly faster than the average rate of growth for jobs across all fields. In addition to likely adding more than 220,000 jobs during that time, the nursing sector offers higher than average pay as well. The BLS reports that nurses earned a median salary of $73,300 in 2019.
Back to TopOnce you’ve declared your major in nursing, you will likely be required to complete a set of core courses in a number of healthcare-related subject areas. While your concentration will give you a chance to choose from a wide range of highly-specialized nursing electives, there are several common courses that most nursing majors will be required to take, including:
Majoring in nursing can lead you into a wide variety of healthcare settings, and into any number of areas in clinical treatment, healthcare administration, or research. You have numerous options, and your degree program can help you hone in on the path that feels most suited to your skills and interests. As you consider career prospects, be sure that you know the degree requirements specific to your desired role. With the proper education and credentials, your nursing major can lead to a wide range of career opportunities, including these top jobs:
If you think a research university may be a better fit for you, see our ranking of the best research universities for a bachelor’s in nursing.
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
81%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/26
University of Portland’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
68%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1104/21
Ashland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
57%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
952/21
Tuskegee University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
84%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/28
Fairfield University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
55%
Graduation
52%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
Dillard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
48%
Student body
4K
Jacksonville University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
57%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/22
Hartwick College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
69%
Student body
2K
University of Evansville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
57%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1169/23
Webster University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Wagner College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
56%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1029/22
Wesleyan College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
70%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1107/23
Niagara University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
47%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1000/20
Graceland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
41%
Student body
2K
Trinity Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
54%
Student body
8K
Radford University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
81%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/26
Hope College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
56%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1074/23
McKendree University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
54%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/19
San Francisco State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
60%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/22
Malone University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
77%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/23
Dominican University of California’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
40%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
960/19
Alliance University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
54%
Student body
4K
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
52%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/21
Carlow University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
46%
Graduation
58%
Student body
20K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/28
Hunter College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
77%
Student body
4K
Manhattan College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
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Did you know that there is a constant demand for well-qualified nurses? And as the healthcare sector continues to expand, the demand for nurses is expected to remain high. This makes nursing one of the best jobs of the future.