Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration Degree

990 schools compared · Average earnings $75,274/yr

Students study patient care, pharmacology, anatomy, health assessment, and clinical nursing practice across specialties from pediatrics to critical care. Graduates typically pursue careers as registered nurses in hospitals, clinics, public health, and home health, with opportunities to advance to nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and nursing administrator roles. Nursing offers exceptional job security, strong starting salaries, geographic flexibility, and numerous advancement paths with additional education.

What Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration Graduates Do

Your career will likely begin as a registered nurse, the backbone of any healthcare setting. You’ll be on the front lines, assessing patients, administering medications, and coordinating care plans with doctors. This hands-on experience is your launchpad. With an advanced degree, you can transition into roles with greater autonomy and responsibility.

Many nurses pursue paths like becoming a nurse practitioner, where you’ll diagnose illnesses and manage patient treatment independently, or a medical and health services manager, where you’ll oversee entire departments, handling budgets and staffing. These advanced practice roles are growing exceptionally fast. AI is poised to automate significant parts of your administrative work, like initial data entry and chart analysis, freeing you up for more direct patient interaction. Your core value—critical thinking, empathy, and hands-on care—remains irreplaceable, especially in highly specialized fields like nurse anesthesia, which face minimal disruption from automation.

Schools Offering
990
Avg Grad Earnings
$75,274/yr
Avg DegreeOutlook Score
77/100
AI Automation Risk
High
43% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 292,500 combined openings per year.

Career Path Salary Range Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Nurse anesthetists
$223,210
2,700 +8.6% 17%
Nurse practitioners
$129,210
$110K$150K
29,500 +40.1% 48%
Nurse midwives
$128,790
$104K$147K
500 +11.1% 39%
Medical and health services managers
$117,960
$89K$162K
62,100 +23.2% 43%
Registered nurses
$93,600
$79K$108K
189,100 +4.9% 45%
Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
$79,940
$62K$102K
8,600 +16.8% 40%
Nurse anesthetists
$223,210
2,700 openings/yr +8.6% growth 17% AI risk
Nurse practitioners
$129,210
$110K $150K
29,500 openings/yr +40.1% growth 48% AI risk
Nurse midwives
$128,790
$104K $147K
500 openings/yr +11.1% growth 39% AI risk
Medical and health services managers
$117,960
$89K $162K
62,100 openings/yr +23.2% growth 43% AI risk
Registered nurses
$93,600
$79K $108K
189,100 openings/yr +4.9% growth 45% AI risk
Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
$79,940
$62K $102K
8,600 openings/yr +16.8% growth 40% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration

Top 20 of 990 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA
91
88–91
$125,646/yr 39.1x
2 California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA
91
88–92
$124,392/yr 56.0x
3 California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
91
88–91
$119,356/yr 38.2x
4 San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
91
88–91
$117,532/yr 47.6x
5 California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA
91
88–91
$117,088/yr 43.4x
6 California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
91
88–91
$116,001/yr 44.6x
7 CUNY Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, NY
91
88–91
$115,779/yr 42.5x
8 California State University-Chico
Chico, CA
91
88–91
$113,181/yr 36.4x
9 California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA
91
88–91
$110,626/yr 42.5x
10 College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, NY
91
88–91
$110,335/yr 39.2x
11 CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY
91
88–91
$109,744/yr 40.9x
12 California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA
91
88–91
$106,780/yr 41.1x
13 California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
91
87–91
$103,799/yr 33.2x
14 CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY
91
88–91
$103,692/yr 37.7x
15 CUNY New York City College of Technology
Brooklyn, NY
91
88–91
$103,611/yr 36.8x
16 Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, NY
91
87–91
$103,508/yr 31.7x
17 California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA
91
88–91
$103,484/yr 39.7x
18 California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA
91
88–91
$103,028/yr 40.1x
19 CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY
91
88–91
$101,531/yr 42.2x
20 San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
91
87–91
$100,221/yr 32.1x

Highest Earning Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration Programs

Schools where Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

Best ROI for Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
College of Central Florida 102.5x $78,006/yr 90
Broward College 95.3x $79,135/yr 91
Valencia College 93.7x $93,751/yr 79
Austin Community College District 85.4x $88,105/yr 79
Florida State College at Jacksonville 83.3x $77,442/yr 90
Indian River State College 83.2x $81,648/yr 90
Pensacola State College 81.2x $77,185/yr 78
St Petersburg College 80.9x $80,787/yr 90
Miami Dade College 78.4x $90,158/yr 79
Gulf Coast State College 77.7x $74,619/yr 78
Want to compare two Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration graduates earn?
Across 990 schools, Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration graduates earn an average of $75,274 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $9,648 to $125,646 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration?
Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 43% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration program?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Sonoma State University ranks #1 for Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration with a score of 91/100 and graduate earnings of $125,646/yr.
What's the outlook for a Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration degree?
On average, Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration graduates earn 15.6x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →