Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Alabama, Ranked (2026)
Two of the three PhD in nursing programs in Alabama are the same degree. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama in Huntsville run a Joint Nursing Science Ph.D. between them, which is why both land on 59.6 here. The third is the University of Alabama Birmingham's Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, a hybrid program scoring 69.2. So the real choice in Alabama is closer to two than three, and knowing that before you start writing statements of purpose will save you an application.
Last updated
Programs ranked
4
Universities
4
Nursing faculty median
$79,690
Faculty jobs in AL
1,460
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Alabama
Campus and online programs are scored on separate models, because they compete on different
things, and this page lists both together with each one's score from its own model. Research
funding comes from NIH RePORTER, doctoral scale from federal IPEDS completions, and the
curriculum, funding and deadline figures from each school's own pages.
The full scoring model is here.
Every federal nursing research dollar in Alabama sits in this one building: $11.9 million across 28 NINR awards, and the other three programs hold none. If your PhD has to attach to funded science, this is the only address in the state.
Where it wins. Seven nursing doctorates a year, more than any other Alabama program, and you can stack a 15-credit mixed methods certificate onto the PhD or take it as a dual DNP-PhD alongside the 178 DNPs the school awards annually.
What you give up. At 87 credits it's the heaviest load in Alabama, 24 more than the joint UA/UAH degree, and at $646 a credit in the classroom that's $56,202 in tuition. Take it at the distance rate and it's $64,728.
Funding. 'Full time students may be eligible for a limited number of Graduate Fellowships and Traineeships' awarded through the School of Nursing only when funds are available, plus need- and merit-based school scholarships awarded twice a year.
Research. Clinical Trials and Precision Health, Emerging Technology, Health Science, Implementation Science, Social Determinants of Health.
Read this and the UA Huntsville listing as one degree, because they are one: the same joint Nursing Science PhD, taught by faculty from both colleges, with the annual intensive alternating between Tuscaloosa and Huntsville. Pick the campus, not the program.
Where it wins. At $500 a credit, nothing in Alabama is cheaper, and 63 credits works out to $31,500, roughly $24,700 less than UAB's classroom rate over its 87 credits. It takes you from a BSN or an MSN.
What you give up. Entry is summer only and once a year, so a missed April deadline costs you twelve months. And no federal nursing research money runs through either campus of the joint degree, so grant-funded lab work isn't what you're buying.
Research. rural and medically underserved populations, interprofessional research initiatives.
Every published detail for Alabama
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
Capstone College of Nursing
Entry points
BSN-to-PhD, MSN-to-PhD
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
April 1 for that summer's enrollment (November 1 priority)
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Three days on campus each year for an intensive; students are expected to attend at least two intensives, hosted on alternating campuses
Same degree as the Tuscaloosa listing, administered from the smaller campus: 8,564 students here against 40,846 at UA. The credit count is three lower, which at $500 a credit saves you $1,500 and not much else.
Where it wins. Sixty credits at $500 makes this the smallest tuition bill of any Alabama PhD, $30,000 against $39,060 at Auburn and $56,202 at UAB. Coursework is at a distance, and the only fixed obligation is three days on campus a year.
What you give up. You're buying the cheapest route, not the strongest one. The joint program has no NINR funding behind it and awards three doctorates a year, and admission runs once a year for a summer start only.
Research. rural and medically underserved populations, interprofessional research initiatives.
Every published detail for UA Huntsville
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
UAH College of Nursing
Entry points
BSN-to-PhD, MSN-to-PhD
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
November 1 priority, April 1 final
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Three days on campus each year for a mandatory intensive; at least two intensives required
The assistantships are the reason to look here: paid tuition plus a monthly stipend for roughly 13.3 hours a week of teaching. In Alabama the faculty median of $79,690 runs above the RN median of $77,080, reversing the national order.
Where it wins. Tuition is a flat $630 a credit whether or not you live in Alabama, so the 62-credit degree costs $39,060 either way. Three years across nine semesters full-time is the fastest published finish of the four programs here.
What you give up. No NINR funding runs through the college, so the research infrastructure is thinner than UAB's. Assistantships need a separate Qualtrics application by May 1 and go to whoever competes best, and you need a master's to apply at all.
Funding. College of Nursing graduate assistantships start each fall and are renewable annually on satisfactory performance; they carry paid tuition plus a monthly stipend in exchange for roughly 13.3 hours per week of instructional, laboratory, simulation and clinical teaching work based at the College of Nursing. They are applied for separately through a Qualtrics form (deadline May 1) and are competitive rather than automatic. Departmental nursing scholarships require the FAFSA plus the AUCON Departmental Graduate Scholarship Application by May 1.
Research. Rural and underserved health, Aging and older adults, Health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations, Chronic illness, Emerging health technologies and simulation, Systems-level interventions and health policy.
Every published detail for Auburn University
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Hybrid
School
Auburn University College of Nursing
Entry points
MSN-to-PhD, post-master's
GRE
Not required
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
May 1 for fall entry (international applicants February 1); students are admitted in fall semester only
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Multi-day on-campus core intensives tied to the graduate nursing core curriculum, completed in the first year for full-time students. Published dates for the 2026-2027 entering class are Core Intensive I on August 19-21, 2026 and Core Intensive III on June 2-4, 2027; the 2027-2028 class meets August 18-20, 2027 and May 31-June 2, 2028. NURS 8010 Doctoral Seminar I is flagged as an intensive course in the plan of study.
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Alabama
Alabama is one of the few states where nursing faculty out-earn staff nurses. Postsecondary nursing instructors have a median wage of $79,690 and the state's registered nurses have a median of $77,080, so teaching pays $2,610 more at the midpoint. Hold that against the national picture before you celebrate. The national RN median is $97,550, which puts Alabama RN pay $20,470 below it, and the Alabama faculty median is $560 under the national faculty median of $80,250. The inversion is real, but it comes from low bedside pay rather than strong faculty pay. About 1,460 instructors work statewide, with a tenth percentile of $48,100 and a ninetieth of $122,930.
Can You Finish an Alabama Nursing PhD While Working Full Time?
All three programs accept part-time students and two of the three are online, so the structural answer is yes. The University of Alabama and the University of Alabama in Huntsville deliver their joint Nursing Science Ph.D. online. The University of Alabama Birmingham runs its Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing as a hybrid, so expect to be in Birmingham for parts of it.
The numbers back the format up. The median Alabama nursing PhD runs 63 credits with a median of about 3.75 years to finish, which is a quick pace for a state where every program allows part-time study. All three admit BSN holders directly, so you can go from a bachelor's straight into doctoral work with no master's in between, and one of the three drops the GRE.
What working full time actually costs you is research time. Alabama holds $11,896,886 in NIH nursing research awards from FY2021 through FY2025 and awards about 13 nursing doctorates a year, so funded projects exist and very few doctoral students are competing for a seat on them. If you want that, raise it in the interview, because a part-time online student is the easiest person for a research team to leave out.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Alabama
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Alabama?
4, at 4 universities. 2 are campus-based and 2 run online.
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Alabama?
Three, all at public universities. The University of Alabama Birmingham offers a hybrid Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama in Huntsville share a Joint Nursing Science Ph.D. delivered online, so two of the three listings are the same degree.
Can you get a nursing PhD in Alabama without a master's?
Yes. All three Alabama programs admit BSN holders directly. All three also accept part-time students, one of the three drops the GRE, and the median program runs 63 credits over about 3.75 years.
What do nursing professors earn in Alabama?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Alabama earn a $79,690 median. The bottom 10% earn $48,100 and the top 10% clear $122,930, across 1,460 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Alabama without moving?
2 of the 4 programs in Alabama run online. You can also apply to any of the online programs based in other states, since an online nursing PhD does not care where you live. They are all ranked here.