by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 78 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for health professions students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 16,678 master's degrees in health professions during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The health professions master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality health professions program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for health professions students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Health Professions Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for health professions students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in health professions. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester.More information about a master’s in health professions from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in health professions. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a master's degree in health professions. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City.More information about a master’s in health professions from University of Iowa
University of Nebraska Medical Center is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in health professions. UNMC is a small public university located in the city of Omaha.More information about a master’s in health professions from University of Nebraska Medical Center
Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from Maryville University of Saint Louis
Located in the city of Saint Louis, Goldfarb School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College
Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Yankton.More information about a master’s in health professions from Mount Marty University
Located in the large city of Omaha, Clarkson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from Clarkson College
SLU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in health professions from Saint Louis University
Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Omaha.More information about a master’s in health professions from Creighton University
Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from University of North Dakota
Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the small city of St. Cloud.More information about a master’s in health professions from Rasmussen University - Minnesota
Located in the city of Waterloo, Allen College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from Allen College
Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from Iowa State University
Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in health professions from University of St Thomas Minnesota
Learn about other programs related to Health Professions that might interest you.
The online MPH degree at SNHU gives you a solid grounding in the scientific basis of public health, preparing you to effect change for entire populations.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Health Professions Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City, MO |
| 17 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 18 | Graceland University - Lamoni | Lamoni, IA |
| 19 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 20 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 21 | College of Saint Mary | Omaha, NE |
| 22 | Northwestern Health Sciences University | Bloomington, MN |
| 23 | Newman University | Wichita, KS |
| 24 | Winona State University | Winona, MN |
| 25 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD |
| 26 | Washburn University | Topeka, KS |
Explore the best health professions schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 32 | 3,644 |
| Minnesota | 31 | 9,527 |
| Kansas | 30 | 593 |
| Iowa | 29 | 1,002 |
| Nebraska | 29 | 774 |
| North Dakota | 28 | 321 |
| South Dakota | 25 | 223 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing | 7,167 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 2,934 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 1,566 |
| Public Health | 1,075 |
| Allied Health Professions | 1,054 |
| Communication Sciences | 737 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 734 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | 464 |
| Medical Illustration & Informatics | 318 |
| Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | 230 |
