Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Oregon, Ranked (2026)
Registered nurses in Oregon earn a median of $129,010. Nursing faculty in Oregon earn $78,050. That's a $50,960 question sitting underneath every decision about PhD in nursing programs in Oregon, and it deserves an honest answer before you look at a single curriculum. A nursing PhD isn't a raise here. It's a change of job. If you're going to give up that much income to teach and run research, the reason has to be the research, because the arithmetic won't do the persuading for you.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$78,050
Faculty jobs in OR
450
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Oregon
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.
Oregon's RNs earn a median $129,010 against $78,050 for the state's nursing instructors, so moving from the bedside to a faculty post here costs about $50,960 a year. Come to OHSU for the research, not the title.
Where it wins. The school's NINR funding runs to $5,788,688 across 12 awards, and the focus areas are narrow enough to pick a supervisor from: sleep and circadian rhythms, symptom biology in heart failure, addiction. OHSU graduates 73 DNPs a year to 5 PhDs, so cohorts stay small.
What you give up. You're relocating to Portland, and naming a faculty research match is an admission requirement, not a suggestion. Budget $700 a credit as an Oregon resident across at least 84 credits, roughly $58,800, over a window OHSU quotes at three to seven years.
Funding. Funding is not guaranteed. The program points applicants to nursing scholarships and loan forgiveness/repayment programs, and lists tuition at "$700 per credit for Oregon residents and $908 for non-residents."
Research. Mental health, substance use and addiction, Symptom biology in heart failure, Sleep and circadian rhythms, Dementia, aging and gerontology, Health disparities and community-based health interventions, Rural and underserved populations.
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Oregon
Registered nurses in Oregon earn $129,010, which is $31,460 above the national RN median of $97,550. Nursing faculty earn $78,050, which is $2,200 below the national faculty median of $80,250. The faculty number is ordinary and the RN number is not, and that mismatch is the whole story of teaching nursing in this state. The faculty range is enormous, from $46,900 at the tenth percentile to $130,810 at the ninetieth, so the top of the faculty scale does reach staff nurse money. But the ninetieth percentile is, by definition, a tenth of roughly 450 jobs statewide.
Why Every Nursing PhD in Oregon Runs Through Portland
Oregon Health & Science University sits in Portland and runs the state's only nursing PhD, on campus and full time. There's no part-time track and no online option, so Portland isn't a preference in this decision, it's a requirement. Work the housing math early, because you'll be paying city rent on doctoral student income rather than on Oregon RN wages.
The program takes about five years and accepts applicants straight from a BSN, and it's dropped the GRE. Five years of full-time study is a long commitment, and coming in from a BSN means the coursework front end is longer than a post-master's route would be.
OHSU brought in $5.8 million in NIH nursing research awards between FY2021 and FY2025, and that's the money that pays research assistantships and funds the studies you'd join. Oregon graduates about five nursing doctorates a year, so the program is small and the supervision is close, which is worth something when you're five years into one question.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Oregon
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Oregon?
1, at 1 university. 1 is campus-based and 0 run online.
Can you do a nursing PhD online in Oregon?
No. Oregon Health & Science University's nursing PhD is on campus in Portland and full time, and it's the only nursing PhD in the state. If you can't move to Portland, your options are out of state.
Do you need a master's to apply to OHSU's nursing PhD?
No. The program accepts BSN-prepared applicants, and it doesn't require the GRE. Expect about five years of full-time study.
What do nursing professors earn in Oregon?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Oregon earn a $78,050 median. The bottom 10% earn $46,900 and the top 10% clear $130,810, across 450 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Oregon without moving?
Every nursing PhD program in Oregon is campus-based, so studying in state means commuting or moving. The alternative is an online program based elsewhere, and those are ranked here.