Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Delaware, Ranked (2026)
Two hundred and forty. That's how many people work as postsecondary nursing instructors in the whole state of Delaware, and it's the number to hold on to when you read that their median pay is $98,170, or $17,920 above the national median. A base that thin moves when a few senior faculty retire. Read it as a sign that Delaware pays nursing faculty well, not as a salary you can bank on. The same caution applies to everything else here, because PhD in nursing programs in Delaware means one program at one university.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$98,170
Faculty jobs in DE
240
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Delaware
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.
At $1,116 a credit with assistantships awarded competitively, this is a doctorate you'll part-fund yourself. Delaware pays nursing faculty a median $98,170, but employs only 240 of them, so plan on a job search that reaches past the state line.
Where it wins. Nursing instructors in Delaware earn a median $98,170, which is $17,920 above the national median and only $1,350 under what the state's own RNs make. The nursing doctoral courses run online, synchronous or asynchronous, and the June 1 deadline leaves room to decide in spring.
What you give up. The hybrid label has a hole in it. Statistics, cognate and methodology electives come from departments outside health sciences and may not be online, and one year of full-time study is required. The program awards one PhD a year, so the cohort is tiny.
Funding. "Students accepted into the PhD in Nursing Science Program may be offered graduate assistantships that will pay a stipend in exchange for working 20 hours per week as a research assistant or a teaching assistant", competitive, not guaranteed.
Research. Aging / Healthy Aging, Symptom Science / Self-Management, Health Services, Community Based Research / Health Disparities.
Every published detail for University of Delaware
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Hybrid
School
University of Delaware School of Nursing
Entry points
BSN-to-PhD, MSN-to-PhD
GRE
Not required
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
June 1
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
One year of full-time study is required during the period of earning the PhD
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Delaware
The Delaware faculty median of $98,170 lands within $1,350 of what registered nurses in the state earn, $99,520. Parity that close is unusual, and it means the pay cut for moving into teaching is barely a cut. Delaware RN pay also runs $1,970 above the national RN median of $97,550, so the whole scale is healthy rather than one side being weak. Underneath the median, the faculty range is wide: $61,800 at the tenth percentile, $137,820 at the ninetieth. With 240 instructor jobs in the state, openings come up occasionally rather than steadily, and that's the constraint worth planning around.
How Many Nursing PhDs Does Delaware Graduate Each Year?
About one. Delaware awards roughly one nursing doctorate a year, and there's a single program producing it, the PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Delaware in Newark.
A program that size isn't a cohort experience. There may be nobody in your year, and the people ahead of you may already have finished. What replaces cohort support is the relationship with your advisor, so pick the person before you pick the program. Ask what they're working on now rather than what they published five years ago, and ask whether they expect to still be at Newark through your defense.
The structure is friendlier than the size suggests: hybrid delivery, about 3.5 years, entry straight from a BSN, no GRE, and part-time enrollment available. Behind it sits $2.0 million in NIH nursing research awards from FY2021 through FY2025, which is real money for a program producing one doctorate a year, and it's worth asking which projects that money is attached to.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Delaware
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Delaware?
1, at 1 university. 1 is campus-based and 0 run online.
Does Delaware have a PhD in nursing program?
Yes, one. The University of Delaware in Newark offers a PhD in Nursing Science, delivered hybrid, and it takes about 3.5 years. Part-time enrollment is available and the GRE isn't required.
How much do nursing professors make in Delaware?
The median is $98,170, which is $17,920 above the national median for postsecondary nursing instructors. Only about 240 people hold those jobs in the state, so the figure describes a small group and can move from year to year.
What do nursing professors earn in Delaware?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Delaware earn a $98,170 median. The bottom 10% earn $61,800 and the top 10% clear $137,820, across 240 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Delaware without moving?
Every nursing PhD program in Delaware is campus-based, so studying in state means commuting or moving. The alternative is an online program based elsewhere, and those are ranked here.