Best PhD in Nursing Programs in West Virginia, Ranked (2026)
West Virginia University delivers its nursing PhD online, which changes what a one-program state actually means for you. You don't have to move to Morgantown, and if you're working in a hospital on the other side of the state that matters more than any ranking does. The PhD in nursing programs in West Virginia are this one program, about 55 credits over four years at full pace, with a part-time route for nurses who keep practicing or teaching while they study.
Last updated
Programs ranked
1
Universities
1
Nursing faculty median
$62,210
Faculty jobs in WV
400
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in West Virginia
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.
West Virginia pays nurse faculty a median of $62,210 while the state's RNs make $80,130. If a faculty post is the goal, WVU is your only in-state route to it, and it's a route toward $17,920 less than bedside.
Where it wins. You keep your West Virginia nursing job through it. Campus time is one day each fall, one each spring, plus two sessions in Morgantown at the start. WVU carries $1.4 million of NINR funding across two awards and graduated four PhDs against three DNPs, so research isn't the sideline.
What you give up. The 55 credits at $845 each come to about $46,475, and there's no bachelor's entry, so you need the master's first. WVU also wants a first-authored paper accepted, not merely submitted, before you defend, which puts a journal editor on your critical path.
Every published detail for West Virginia University
Degree awarded
PhD
Delivery
Online
School
WVU School of Nursing
Entry points
MSN-to-PhD, post-master's
Minimum GPA
3
Applications close
July 1 (fall); November 1 (spring); March 1 (summer)
Part-time study
Available
Dissertation
Required
On campus
One-day academic offering each fall and each spring, plus two in-person on-campus sessions in May and June at program entry
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in West Virginia
Nursing instructors in West Virginia earn a median of $62,210, which is $18,040 below the national median of $80,250 and a number worth sitting with before you commit four years to doctoral work. The range runs from $47,400 at the tenth percentile to $90,270 at the ninetieth, and only 400 people teach nursing in the state. Staff RNs earn a median of $80,130, roughly $17,900 more than nursing faculty, and the top ten percent of RNs here reach $131,760, well past anything the faculty range shows. Teaching in West Virginia is a choice you make for reasons other than pay.
Can You Get a Nursing PhD in West Virginia Without Moving to Morgantown?
Yes. The West Virginia University program is online, so Morgantown is where the degree is administered rather than where you have to live. For a state where nurses are spread across small hospitals and long drives, that's the difference between a doctorate being possible and being theoretical. About 55 credits over four years at full pace, or longer part time, and you stay in the job that pays your mortgage.
Morgantown still matters for one reason: that's where the research is. West Virginia drew $1,399,604 in NIH nursing research awards across FY2021 through FY2025, and with a single doctoral nursing program in the state, that funding sits with the faculty who would supervise your dissertation. Ask what those projects are and whether doctoral students work on them, because an online student who never connects to a funded project can end up isolated from the work that makes a PhD useful.
The program awards about four nursing doctorates a year. That's a small operation, so faculty attention is easy to get and seats are limited. No West Virginia program is listed as fully funded, so treat tuition as something you're covering unless you're told otherwise.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in West Virginia
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in West Virginia?
1, at 1 university. 0 are campus-based and 1 runs online.
How many nursing PhD programs are there in West Virginia?
One, at West Virginia University in Morgantown. It's delivered online, runs about 55 credits over four years at full pace, and awards roughly four nursing doctorates a year.
Do nursing faculty in West Virginia earn less than staff nurses?
Yes, and the gap is wide. Nursing instructors in West Virginia have a median wage of $62,210 while registered nurses have a median of $80,130. A doctorate that moves you from the bedside into teaching will usually reduce your income here.
What do nursing professors earn in West Virginia?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in West Virginia earn a $62,210 median. The bottom 10% earn $47,400 and the top 10% clear $90,270, across 400 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in West Virginia without moving?
1 of the 1 program in West Virginia 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.