Best PhD in Nursing Programs in New Mexico, Ranked (2026)
New Mexico drew $7,666,072 in NIH nursing research awards between FY2021 and FY2025, and every bit of doctoral nursing education in the state sits at one address in Albuquerque. That concentration is the story here. The PhD in nursing programs in New Mexico amount to the University of New Mexico's online doctorate, about 69 credits, open to nurses coming straight from a BSN, and available part time. What you're really choosing isn't a school. You're choosing whether one faculty's research interests line up with yours.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$79,380
Faculty jobs in NM
320
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in New Mexico
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.
Six NINR awards averaging about $1.28 million apiece sit behind a program that pitches itself to rural nurses studying part-time from home. That combination, real grant money and genuine remote delivery, is what you're buying here.
Where it wins. It takes BSN entrants, and the aid picture is concrete rather than vague: $1,226,100 in scholarships awarded in 2023-24, with 83 percent of nursing students on some form of aid. Coursework at $628.22 a credit runs about $43,300 for the 69-credit path.
What you give up. Coming in from a BSN adds 18 bridge credits, roughly $11,300 more in tuition, before the PhD coursework starts. You also owe a week on campus every September plus an annual research conference, so studying online here still means flights.
Funding. The College of Nursing awarded over $1,226,100 in scholarships in 2023-24 and states that 83% of its students receive some form of financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships, work-study or teaching assistant positions.
Research. Health Policy concentration, Health Equity and Preparedness concentration, individualized plan of study.
Every published detail for University of New Mexico
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
UNM College of Nursing
Entry points
BSN-to-PhD, post-master's
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
January 1 (priority); April 1 (final)
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
A weeklong on-campus residency each year, typically in September; students must also attend the Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference or similar each year.
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in New Mexico
Nursing instructors in New Mexico earn a median of $79,380, just under the national median of $80,250. The spread underneath that is wide. The bottom ten percent earn $42,680 and the top ten percent earn $109,880, a gap of more than $67,000, and only 320 people hold these jobs across the whole state. With a base that thin, one university or one hospital system revising its pay scale moves the state median. Registered nurses in New Mexico earn a median of $94,340, roughly $15,000 more than nursing faculty, so moving from practice into teaching usually costs you income.
What Does New Mexico's NIH Nursing Research Funding Mean for a UNM Doctoral Student?
It means there's real research money moving through Albuquerque. The $7,666,072 in NIH nursing research awards that came to New Mexico across FY2021 through FY2025 landed in a state with one doctoral nursing program, so the work behind those awards and the faculty who could supervise your dissertation are in the same building.
Use that when you apply. Find out which University of New Mexico faculty currently hold funded projects and what those projects are about, then write your statement toward one of them rather than toward the program in general. In a state with a single program and about two doctorates awarded a year, admissions is a question of fit with a specific person, not a numbers game.
Funding for you personally is a separate question, and worth asking early. No New Mexico program is listed as fully funded, so grant-supported research assistant work is something you negotiate rather than something you're handed. The program's structure helps on the other side of the ledger: it's online, it accepts BSN-prepared nurses, and it runs part time, so about 69 credits can be spread across a working life in Albuquerque or anywhere else in the state.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in New Mexico
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in New Mexico?
1, at 1 university. 0 are campus-based and 1 runs online.
Does the University of New Mexico nursing PhD accept BSN-prepared nurses?
Yes. The program has a BSN to PhD route, runs about 69 credits, is delivered online, and can be taken part time. It's the only nursing PhD in New Mexico.
How much nursing research funding does New Mexico receive?
New Mexico received $7,666,072 in NIH nursing research awards from FY2021 through FY2025. With one doctoral nursing program in the state, that activity centers on Albuquerque, so ask which faculty hold current awards before you apply.
What do nursing professors earn in New Mexico?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in New Mexico earn a $79,380 median. The bottom 10% earn $42,680 and the top 10% clear $109,880, across 320 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in New Mexico without moving?
1 of the 1 program in New Mexico 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.