Best PhD in Nursing Programs in North Dakota, Ranked (2026)
There are 150 nursing instructors in all of North Dakota. That's the market you'd be entering, and it's small enough that a couple of retirements at one school change what's open in a given year. The PhD in nursing programs in North Dakota consist of the University of North Dakota's online doctorate in Grand Forks, about 90 credits and three years at full pace, with part-time study available. Decide early whether you plan to stay in the state afterward, because an online degree travels and 150 jobs do not.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$80,710
Faculty jobs in ND
150
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in North Dakota
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.
Synchronous classes land on Tuesdays, 11 to 2 or 3 to 6 Central, which decides this for a lot of North Dakota nurses before anything else does. Clear that afternoon every week and UND's the only in-state PhD you'd need to consider.
Where it wins. The pay math here is unusually kind: nurse faculty take a median $80,710 against $80,730 for the state's RNs, about twenty dollars apart. The yearly in-person days can also be served at the Midwest Nursing Research Society conference instead of Grand Forks.
What you give up. Ninety credits after you already hold a master's, at $911.98 each, is about $82,078 of tuition, and there's no bachelor's entry. The research areas are rural health end to end, so bring a rural question or bring a different school.
Research. rural health, rural and underserved populations, rural programs and policies, healthcare ethics for rural and underserved populations.
Every published detail for University of North Dakota
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, Department of Nursing
Entry points
post-master's
Applications close
April 1 (priority); July 1 (fall/final)
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
A 3-4 day face-to-face intensive experience (NURS 556) is required once each year, usually in the spring, held on campus or at the Midwest Nursing Research Society Conference; students enroll every spring for 1 credit, 4 credits total.
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in North Dakota
In North Dakota, nursing faculty pay and staff nurse pay sit on top of each other, which is not how this usually goes. Nursing instructors earn a median of $80,710 and registered nurses earn a median of $80,730, a difference of about twenty dollars. The faculty median also lands right at the national median of $80,250. The range runs from $61,020 at the tenth percentile to $106,380 at the ninetieth. Read all of that with the base in mind: 150 people hold nursing instructor jobs statewide, so a handful of hires or departures at one school moves the median more than any real change in what the work pays.
Is the University of North Dakota Nursing PhD Fully Online?
Yes, the program is delivered online. Grand Forks is where it's run from, not somewhere you need to move to, and that's the practical reason a state this size can support a nursing doctorate at all. Ninety credits, about three years at full pace, and a part-time option for nurses who keep working.
That 90 credit figure is worth reading carefully against the three year timeline. It's a heavy load for that span, which means full pace really means full pace, and part time is the realistic choice if you're carrying a clinical schedule. The program isn't structured as a BSN to PhD track, so it's aimed at nurses who already hold a graduate degree in nursing. Confirm the entry requirements with the school before you build a plan around them.
The University of North Dakota awards about two nursing doctorates a year. That's a small program, and it's the only one in the state, so your dissertation committee will be drawn from a short list of faculty in Grand Forks. Check that somebody there works in your area of interest before you apply, because there's no second program in North Dakota to fall back on.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in North Dakota
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in North Dakota?
1, at 1 university. 0 are campus-based and 1 runs online.
How many credits is the University of North Dakota nursing PhD?
About 90 credits, taken across roughly three years at full pace. The program is delivered online and offers part-time study, which most working nurses use to spread that credit load over a longer period.
Is there more than one nursing PhD program in North Dakota?
No. The University of North Dakota in Grand Forks runs the state's only nursing PhD, and it awards about two doctorates a year. Anyone who needs a different research focus is looking at programs based outside North Dakota.
What do nursing professors earn in North Dakota?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in North Dakota earn a $80,710 median. The bottom 10% earn $61,020 and the top 10% clear $106,380, across 150 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in North Dakota without moving?
1 of the 1 program in North Dakota 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.