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Nurse administrator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a nurse administrator. Nurse administrators usually study nursing, business, or health care administration. 44% of nurse administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,990 real nurse administrator resumes to see exactly what nurse administrator education sections show.
The most common colleges for nurse administrators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online nurse administrator courses to help get the education required to be a nurse administrator.
There are certain nurse administrator certifications that you should consider. These nurse administrator certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Wound Care Certified (WCC).
What education do you need to become a nurse administrator?
What degree do you need to be a nurse administrator?
- Bachelor's, 44%
- Associate, 32%
- Master's, 13%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a nurse administrator?
- Nursing, 73%
- Business, 7%
- Nursing Science, 3%
- Other Majors, 13%
Most common colleges for nurse administrators
| Nurse administrator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 25.15% |
| Excelsior College | 5.52% |
| Central State University | 5.52% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 4.91% |
| Walden University | 4.91% |
Best majors for nurse administrators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 72.8% |
| 2 | Business | 6.6% |
| 3 | Health Care Administration | 3.9% |
| 4 | Nursing Science | 2.7% |
| 5 | Psychology | 2.3% |
Best colleges for nurse administrators
The best colleges for nurse administrators are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A nurse administrator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for nurse administrators. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become nurse administrators.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
8. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for nurse administrators
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10. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
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12. Medical Device Regulation (MDR): Intro for Device Designers
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13. Introduction to Integrative Nursing
This course is designed for nurses who are drawn to practice in a different way – nurses who value whole-person care and know that the essence of nursing practice is truly caring and healing. You will learn about the principles and practices of Integrative Nursing and how you can be a healing presence to all you serve. Then, you will do an integrative assessment and apply the principles of Integrative Nursing to improve symptom management and overall patient outcomes. Finally, you will explore...
14. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
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16. Medical Terminology 101
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17. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
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18. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
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19. Nursing Informatics Leadership Theory and Practice
“By the end of this Course, you will be able to…” • Evaluate effective leadership styles for leadership in nursing informatics in clinical or academic contexts to improve leadership success. • Discover core values that support effective nursing informatics leadership in academic and clinical contexts to inform development of a personal leadership mission statement. • Discover competing values and polarities related to knowledge leadership and management to promote successful leadership...
20. High Level Biocontainment for Healthcare Facilities
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Top 10 most affordable universities for nurse administrators
The most affordable schools for nurse administrators are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.
If the best universities for nurse administrators are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for nurse administrators.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
9. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nurse administrators
The hardest universities for nurse administrators to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for nurse administrators are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for nurse administrators based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nurse administrators
The easiest schools for nurse administrators to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a nurse administrator without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for nurse administrators.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
8. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
9. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average nurse administrator salary by education level
| Nurse administrator education level | Nurse administrator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $88,260 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $79,504 |
| Doctorate Degree | $82,138 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $69,441 |
Nurse administrator education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025