Nursing major

Nursing: courses, careers, and where to study

Nursing prepares graduates for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam and careers as Registered Nurses, combining biomedical sciences with clinical rotations across hospital units.

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the most common entry point into Registered Nursing. Programs include 1.5–2 years of pre-nursing prerequisites (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, statistics, psychology) followed by 2 years of nursing major coursework with clinical rotations. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN.

The BSN is increasingly the preferred credential, many hospitals (especially Magnet-designated ones) now require it. Students starting at a community college can complete an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN, 2 years) and then bridge to a BSN through an RN-to-BSN program. The BLS projects 6 % growth in RN roles over the next decade, with persistent national shortages.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Nursing maps to CIP 51.3801, Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, within the HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS family. The official definition:

A program that generally prepares individuals in the knowledge, techniques and procedures for promoting health, providing care for sick, disabled, infirmed, or other individuals or groups. Includes instruction in the administration of medication and treatments, assisting a physician during treatments and examinations, Referring patients to physicians and other health care specialists, and planning education for health maintenance.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Nursing is awarded as

Of the 250,183 Nursing credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:

  • Certificate<1%2,028
  • Associate33%82,305
  • Bachelor's58%143,965
  • Graduate9%21,885

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 51 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 2 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Microbiology and pharmacology
  • Adult health, pediatric, maternity, mental-health, and community nursing
  • Pathophysiology
  • Nursing research and evidence-based practice
  • Clinical leadership and management
  • Health assessment and physical examination
  • 700–1,000+ hours of supervised clinical rotations

Typical careers

Typical salary range: $66,000–$95,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 registered nurses median $93,600)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Nursing, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Nursingby the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Registered Nurses$93,600189,100+4.9%Bachelor's degree
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$79,9408,600+16.8%Doctoral or professional degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 2 of these 2 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Nursing does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Nursing major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Nursing program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Nursing department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Many health programs require specialized programmatic accreditation, and graduates often need state licensure or national certification to practice. Confirm a Nursing program's accreditation and your state's licensure requirements before you enroll.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Nursingcareers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Nursing program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Nursing credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Nursing schools

Where Nursing credentials were awarded

44 states have a distinct enough set of Nursing colleges to be worth its own page.

Search Nursing schools by state

Related majors

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Nursing degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Education & Library careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

Explore Healthcare careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Nursing degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Nursing path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.