Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Mississippi, Ranked (2026)
The two PhD in nursing programs in Mississippi aren't the same degree. The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg runs a Nursing Leadership PhD and delivers it online. The University of Mississippi runs a PhD in Nursing on a hybrid schedule from its campus in University. One is named for leadership and one isn't, and that difference in what the degree points at deserves more of your attention than a few points of ranking score. Both are public.
Last updated
Programs ranked
4
Universities
3
Nursing faculty median
$75,060
Faculty jobs in MS
1,050
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Mississippi
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.
Mississippi's 4 Nursing PhD Programs, Compared
PhD in nursing programs in Mississippi, ranked 2026
Of Mississippi's four PhDs this is the only one with no campus obligation at all. The residency is satisfied by continuous enrollment, six credits over four straight semesters or twelve over two, rather than by showing up.
Where it wins. It's also the cheapest way through for a master's-prepared nurse: 48 credits at $594 is about $28,500, roughly $10,500 under William Carey's 60 credits at $650. Eight nursing PhDs awarded a year is the most on this page.
What you give up. The degree is a nursing leadership doctorate, not a clinical science one, so a dissertation that needs a lab or a patient cohort is a harder fit here than at the Jackson program. Admission also requires an interview.
Funding. HRSA has granted approximately $300,000 annually since 2005 for the Nurse Faculty Loan Scholarship Program, which supports doctoral students pursuing nursing education careers.
Every published detail for University of Southern Mississippi
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
School of Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice, College of Nursing and Health Professions
Entry points
BSN-to-PhD, MSN-to-PhD
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
March 1
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Residency may be met by continuous enrollment of 6 semester hours for each of 4 consecutive semesters, or 9 semester hours for each of 3 consecutive semesters, or 12 semester hours for each of 2 consecutive semesters.
This one is aimed at a single reader: a nurse who already holds a DNP. William Carey credits 17 of the 60 hours for that degree, leaving 43 to take, and no other Mississippi program prices the shortcut.
Where it wins. Those 43 hours at $650 come to about $27,950, and the plan of study is two years part-time, so a working DNP holder keeps the job. The only travel is two intensives a year in Hattiesburg; everything else runs through Canvas.
What you give up. The DNP is a hard gate, so a nurse holding only a BSN or an MSN can't use this track. William Carey's two doctorates are also the most expensive per credit in the state at $650, with a $20-an-hour online course fee on top.
Funding. No assistantships or funding package advertised; nursing doctoral tuition is charged per credit hour - $650 for 2026-2027 and $640 for 2025-2026 - plus a $20 per-hour online course fee.
Research. Nursing education and curriculum development, Academic nurse educator role development, Teaching strategies and evaluation of student learning, Program evaluation, Online educational environments.
Every published detail for William Carey University
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Hybrid
School
Joseph and Nancy Fail School of Nursing
Entry points
post-master's
GRE
Not required
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
Annual fall admission; no fixed calendar deadline.
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Two in-person intensive experiences at the Hattiesburg, Mississippi campus.
On the timeline
2 years part-time (60 credit hours including 17 hours awarded for the DNP; must be completed within six years of initial enrollment)
Same school, same 60 credits and same two intensives a year as the DNP bridge next to it; what changes is the door in and the syllabus. This track takes master's-prepared nurses and adds administration and health policy to the education core.
Where it wins. It's the broader of William Carey's two doctorates: program administration and academic leadership, health policy and healthcare economics, quality and safety, alongside curriculum and teaching. If you're aiming at a dean's office rather than a classroom, this is the one shaped for it.
What you give up. You pay for all 60 credits. A DNP holder who enrolls here instead of the bridge track buys 17 hours the bridge would have credited, roughly $11,050 at $650 a credit, and adds up to a year to the plan of study.
Funding. No assistantships or funding package advertised; nursing doctoral tuition is charged per credit hour - $650 for 2026-2027 and $640 for 2025-2026 - plus a $20 per-hour online course fee.
Research. Nursing education and curriculum development, Nursing program administration and academic leadership, Program evaluation and student assessment, Health policy, healthcare economics and health systems administration, Quality and safety in healthcare.
Every published detail for William Carey University
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Hybrid
School
Joseph and Nancy Fail School of Nursing
Entry points
MSN-to-PhD
GRE
Not required
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
Annual fall admission; no fixed calendar deadline.
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
Two on-campus intensives per year at the Hattiesburg, Mississippi campus.
On the timeline
2-3 years (two- or three-year plans of study; must be completed within six years of initial enrollment)
The only Mississippi PhD run out of a medical center, and it shows in the subject matter: obesity, hypertension and heart disease, HIV and cancer, health disparities, rather than the education and leadership curricula the other three are built on.
Where it wins. It's the one that makes you publish. A first-authored article in a peer-reviewed journal is a degree requirement alongside the dissertation, which is what a research hiring committee actually reads. Cohorts are kept deliberately small.
What you give up. Four to five years is the longest timeline on this page, and classes meet Thursdays at the Jackson campus rather than the Oxford-area address on the card. No Mississippi program carries NINR funding, so grant support has to come from elsewhere.
Research. health disparities, chronic disease and vulnerable populations, obesity, hypertension and heart disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer.
Every published detail for University of Mississippi
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Hybrid
School
University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Mississippi
Mississippi's postsecondary nursing instructors have a median wage of $75,060, which is $5,190 below the national faculty median of $80,250. The state's RNs have a median of $77,090, sitting $20,460 under the national RN median of $97,550. Both numbers are low, and the gap between them is only $2,030, so a faculty post won't cost you much against staying in practice and it won't gain you much either at the median. Faculty pay starts at $61,150 at the 10th percentile and reaches $106,400 at the 90th. About 1,050 people teach nursing in Mississippi, against 29,060 working RNs.
Do Mississippi Nursing PhD Programs Take the GRE, and Can You Study Part Time?
Neither of the two Mississippi programs waives the GRE, and neither lists a part-time track. That's two constraints at once. You'll be sitting a standardized test as part of the application, and you'll be enrolling full time once you're in, which is harder to arrange around a clinical schedule than most applicants expect going in.
What makes it workable is the delivery. The University of Southern Mississippi's Nursing Leadership PhD is fully online out of Hattiesburg, and the University of Mississippi's PhD in Nursing is hybrid, so full-time enrollment here doesn't have to mean relocating to Hattiesburg or to University. Both admit directly from a BSN, so there's no master's to finish first.
The median load is 48 credits over about 4.5 years, which means full time in Mississippi isn't the same as fast. The state's schools award about 71 nursing doctorates a year, so the programs are used, and the practical planning question is how you cover four and a half years of full-time study without a part-time option to fall back on.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Mississippi
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Mississippi?
4, at 3 universities. 3 are campus-based and 1 runs online.
Can you get a nursing PhD online in Mississippi?
Yes. The University of Southern Mississippi's Nursing Leadership PhD is delivered online from Hattiesburg. The University of Mississippi's PhD in Nursing is hybrid, mixing online work with scheduled time on campus.
Do Mississippi nursing PhD programs require the GRE?
Both do. Neither of the two Mississippi programs admits without a GRE score, so build test prep into your application timeline.
What do nursing professors earn in Mississippi?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Mississippi earn a $75,060 median. The bottom 10% earn $61,150 and the top 10% clear $106,400, across 1,050 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Mississippi without moving?
1 of the 4 programs in Mississippi 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.