Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Idaho, Ranked (2026)
There's no campus in Idaho where you can sit in a classroom for a nursing PhD. The one program in the state, at Idaho State University in Pocatello, runs online. That shapes the whole decision. PhD in nursing programs in Idaho won't make you move to Pocatello or leave a staff RN job, but they also won't put you down the hall from the faculty member directing your dissertation. You'll build that working relationship over video calls and email, and you'll be the one who has to start it.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$90,890
Faculty jobs in ID
430
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Idaho
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.
Check the door before you plan anything: ISU's catalog says the PhD isn't taking applications for 2026-2027, and it's the only nursing doctorate in Idaho. That makes the real decision waiting for it to reopen or going online out of state.
Where it wins. When it is open, the deal is good: 59 credits at $514.12 works out near $30,333, one August orientation in Pocatello is the whole in-person obligation, and Idaho pays nurse faculty a median $90,890 against $92,460 for its RNs, so the classroom costs you almost nothing in salary.
What you give up. One PhD conferred against 20 DNPs tells you how thin the cohort is, and every research area listed runs rural, interprofessional or policy, so a bench-science dissertation has nowhere to sit here. There's no NINR money to fund your time either.
Research. rural and vulnerable individuals, families, and communities, interprofessional research, research and practice in rural and global communities, health policy in advanced nursing practice, ethics in nursing research.
Every published detail for Idaho State University
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
School of Nursing
Entry points
BSN-to-PhD, MSN-to-PhD
GRE
Not required
Minimum GPA
3.5
Applications close
December 1 (preference), then rolling until the class is filled
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Mandatory attendance at the orientation for the Ph.D. program to be held on the ISU campus in August of the year of admission
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Idaho
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Idaho have a median wage of $90,890, roughly $10,600 above the national median of $80,250 for the same job. Registered nurses in the state have a median of $92,460, about $5,100 under the national RN median of $97,550. Put those two side by side and teaching pays $1,570 less than staff nursing, a gap small enough that the usual pay cut for moving into a faculty role barely shows up here. The instability is in the spread. Faculty wages run from $46,940 at the tenth percentile to $145,940 at the ninetieth, and only 430 people statewide hold one of these jobs. On a base that thin, a few hires or retirements move the median.
Why Does Idaho Graduate About One Nursing PhD a Year?
Idaho awards about one nursing doctorate a year, all of it out of the single program at Idaho State University in Pocatello. A cohort that size cuts both ways. You won't compete for a faculty member's time, and the people advising you will know your project in detail. You also won't have a group of classmates a year ahead of you who have already survived the proposal defense and can tell you how it went.
The bigger thing to plan around is research money. No NIH nursing research awards came into Idaho across FY2021 through FY2025, and the Idaho State program isn't structured as a fully funded PhD. There's no grant-supported lab waiting for you to join and no stipend line to assume. Ask the program directly where current students get their dissertation work paid for, and ask before you apply rather than after.
What Idaho State does give you is a door that stays open to working nurses. The PhD runs about 59 credits, admits students straight from the BSN so you don't need a master's first, doesn't require the GRE, and allows part-time enrollment. If you're staying in your nursing job while you study, that combination matters more to you than a ranking does.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Idaho
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Idaho?
1, at 1 university. 0 are campus-based and 1 runs online.
Can I get a PhD in nursing in Idaho without moving to Pocatello?
Yes. The only nursing PhD in Idaho is at Idaho State University, and it's delivered online, so you don't have to relocate to Pocatello to enroll. There's no campus-based nursing PhD anywhere in the state, so if you specifically want to sit in a classroom and work on a research team in person, you'd be applying outside Idaho. The Idaho State program also allows part-time enrollment, which is what most people who keep working through the degree end up using.
Do I need a master's degree or the GRE to apply for a nursing PhD in Idaho?
No to both. Idaho State University admits students to its Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing directly from the BSN, so a master's isn't a prerequisite, and the program doesn't require the GRE. Plan on roughly 59 credits. Because the program isn't a fully funded PhD, work out how you'll pay for those credits and whether an assistantship is available before you commit to the first semester.
What do nursing professors earn in Idaho?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Idaho earn a $90,890 median. The bottom 10% earn $46,940 and the top 10% clear $145,940, across 430 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Idaho without moving?
1 of the 1 program in Idaho runs 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.