Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Oklahoma, Ranked (2026)
Ninety credits is a long road, and that's what the one nursing PhD in Oklahoma asks for. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City delivers it online across about four years at full pace, and it takes you straight from a BSN if you don't already hold a graduate degree. The PhD in nursing programs in Oklahoma come down to that single option, which makes your decision less about which school and more about whether that credit load fits the rest of your life.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$67,840
Faculty jobs in OK
640
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Oklahoma
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.
Money is the story here. Ninety credits at $247 works out to about $22,200 in tuition for the whole PhD, delivered online from a health sciences campus. What Oklahoma pays nursing faculty afterwards is the part worth thinking hard about.
Where it wins. You can enter from a BSN, which matters in a state where this is the only doorway, and the whole thing runs out of a dedicated health sciences campus of 3,680 students rather than a general university. Classes of four to six a year.
What you give up. You need a 3.5 GPA to apply, and 90 post-baccalaureate credits is a long haul even part-time. Oklahoma's nursing faculty median of $67,840 sits below what the state's staff RNs earn, so the degree buys standing more than pay.
Funding. Multiple scholarship and pre-doctoral funding opportunities are advertised, but no guaranteed funding package is described.
Research. Nursing Science Core, Research Methods Core, substantive focus area coursework in physiology, psychology, nutrition or education.
Every published detail for OU Health Sciences Center
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Oklahoma
Nursing instructors in Oklahoma earn a median of $67,840, which is $12,410 under the national median of $80,250. The top ten percent reach $84,830, so even the best paid nursing faculty in the state land only just above what a typical nursing instructor earns nationally. The bottom ten percent earn $51,780. Staff RNs in Oklahoma have a median of $82,920, about $15,000 more than the faculty median, and there are 38,270 of them against 640 nursing instructors. If pay is the reason you're considering this degree, teaching in Oklahoma is a step down from the bedside.
How Long Does the Online Nursing PhD at OU Health Sciences Center Take?
About four years at full pace, and the reason it's four rather than three is the 90 credit total. That number is high because the program admits nurses straight from a BSN, so master's level coursework is folded into the doctorate instead of sitting in a separate degree you paid for first. If you already hold a graduate nursing degree, ask the admissions office what transfers, because the answer changes your timeline more than anything else will.
Part-time study is available, and most nurses who take this program take it that way. Run the arithmetic honestly before you enroll. Ninety credits at a part-time pace while working full time is a commitment measured in years, not semesters, and it's the point where people stall out.
The format helps. The Oklahoma City program is delivered online, so you don't relocate and you don't give up a job in another part of the state to enroll. Oklahoma awards about four nursing doctorates a year through this program, which is enough throughput that dissertations move through the process regularly, and small enough that faculty know every student by name.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Oklahoma
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Oklahoma?
1, at 1 university. 0 are campus-based and 1 runs online.
Can you go straight from a BSN to a PhD in nursing in Oklahoma?
Yes. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center program takes BSN-prepared nurses, which is part of why the credit total reaches about 90. Plan on roughly four years at full pace and longer if you study part time.
Is there an online nursing PhD in Oklahoma?
Yes, and it's the only nursing PhD in the state. The program is based at Oklahoma City but delivered online, so you can stay in your current job and your current town while you study.
What do nursing professors earn in Oklahoma?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Oklahoma earn a $67,840 median. The bottom 10% earn $51,780 and the top 10% clear $84,830, across 640 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Oklahoma without moving?
1 of the 1 program in Oklahoma 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.