2027 Best Online Nurse Education Doctorate Programs for Executive and Leadership Careers
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing an online nurse education doctorate is a leadership investment, not just an academic milestone. These programs help experienced nurses move into roles shaping curriculum, workforce development, clinical education strategy, and organizational change. The timing matters: the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects medical and health services manager employment to grow 23% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average. This guide is for working nurses, senior managers, faculty leaders, and aspiring executives who need to compare program quality, accreditation, cost, flexibility, and career fit before committing.
Key Things You Should Know
- The strongest online nurse education doctorate programs combine accredited nursing foundations, executive-level leadership coursework, flexible online delivery, transparent tuition, and a dissertation or applied project tied to workforce, curriculum, or organizational outcomes.
- Most online nurse education doctorates take about 3 to 5 years, with total tuition commonly ranging from under $25,000 at lower-cost public options to more than $60,000 at private or highly structured executive-format programs.
- For executive careers, the best degree depends on your goal: a PhD usually fits research and academic leadership, an EdD fits education systems leadership, and a DNP fits practice, clinical education, and healthcare operations leadership.
What Are the Best Online Nurse Education Doctorate Programs for Executive and Leadership Careers?
The best online nurse education doctorate programs for executive and leadership careers are not simply the most famous or the fastest. They are programs that match an experienced nurse's target role, schedule, budget, scholarly interests, and need for executive-level credibility.
A strong program should help you lead nursing education at scale: designing evidence-based curricula, managing faculty development, improving clinical learning systems, evaluating outcomes, using data and educational technology, and influencing workforce strategy. For senior leaders, the program should also build skills in finance, policy, interprofessional leadership, change management, and strategic communication.
The table below compares examples of online or low-residency doctoral options that are commonly considered by nurses pursuing education, academic leadership, or executive roles. Costs and formats can change, so use these as decision-support examples and verify the latest catalog, fees, and residency rules directly with each school.
| Program example | Doctorate type | Best fit for | Online flexibility | Cost signal | Executive value |
| University of West Georgia EdD in Nursing Education | EdD | Nurse educators seeking academic, curriculum, or education-system leadership | Designed for online study with doctoral education focus | Often viewed as a lower-cost public option | Strong fit for deans, directors, faculty leaders, and education administrators |
| Liberty University PhD in Nursing: Nursing Education | PhD | Nurses who want research preparation with an online format | Online coursework with doctoral research expectations | Private-university tuition; confirm per-credit rate and fees | Useful for research-minded faculty leaders and academic administrators |
| University of Northern Colorado PhD in Nursing Education | PhD | Future nurse scientists, faculty scholars, and graduate nursing faculty | Online or low-residency structure depending on cohort and requirements | Moderate-to-higher public doctoral tuition depending on residency status | Good fit when scholarly productivity and faculty credentials matter |
| Southern Connecticut State University EdD in Nursing Education | EdD | Experienced nurses focused on teaching, curriculum, and higher education leadership | Online-oriented format; verify cohort meetings and residency expectations | Public-university cost structure; fees may be material | Strong alignment for nurse educator leadership and academic administration |
| East Carolina University PhD in Nursing | PhD | Nurses seeking research-intensive doctoral preparation with leadership relevance | Online or hybrid elements may vary by plan of study | Public tuition may be attractive, especially for in-state students | Best for research, policy, and academic leadership rather than pure executive operations |
| Nebraska Methodist College EdD in Education and Leadership in Healthcare | EdD | Healthcare educators and leaders who want a broader interprofessional leadership doctorate | Online format designed for working professionals | Private-college tuition; compare total program cost | Good option for leaders whose role spans nursing education, healthcare training, and organizational development |
The right shortlist should come from your career direction, not from rankings alone. If your goal is tenure-track faculty leadership, prioritize research methods, publication expectations, faculty mentorship, and dissertation support. If your goal is chief learning officer, director of clinical education, dean, or system-level workforce leader, prioritize executive leadership coursework, applied projects, online flexibility, and access to education leaders who understand healthcare organizations.
If affordability is the main filter, compare tuition with program length and funding rules rather than choosing the lowest sticker price. A useful starting point is a review of cheapest online nursing PhD programs, especially if you are deciding whether a research doctorate can meet your education leadership goals at a lower cost.
Common red flags include vague accreditation language, no clear dissertation or project timeline, limited faculty expertise in nursing education, unclear residency costs, and programs that market "executive" outcomes without leadership coursework or alumni examples. A program can be online and still be rigorous; the key is whether the rigor supports your specific leadership goal.
Which Type of Nurse Education Doctorate Is Best for Executive Leadership Careers?
The best doctorate depends on the type of executive leadership you want. "Nurse education doctorate" can refer to several doctoral pathways, and each sends a different signal to employers, academic institutions, and professional networks.
The table below summarizes the main doctorate types. Use it to decide whether your future role is primarily research-focused, practice-focused, education-system-focused, or executive-operations-focused.
| Degree type | Primary focus | Best for | Typical final requirement | Trade-off |
| PhD in Nursing with nurse education focus | Research, theory, scholarship, and academic inquiry | Faculty researchers, tenure-track professors, graduate nursing faculty, academic leaders | Dissertation | Excellent scholarly preparation, but may be less directly focused on healthcare operations |
| EdD in Nursing Education | Applied education leadership, curriculum, teaching systems, and organizational improvement | Deans, program directors, curriculum leaders, clinical education executives | Dissertation in practice or applied doctoral project | Highly practical for education leadership, but may not carry the same research emphasis as a PhD |
| DNP with education or leadership concentration | Clinical practice leadership, evidence translation, quality improvement, and systems change | Chief nursing officers, clinical education leaders, practice executives, quality leaders | DNP project | Strong for practice leadership, but not always designed for academic research careers |
| Healthcare EdD or leadership doctorate with nursing education application | Broad healthcare education, executive leadership, and organizational learning | Healthcare training executives, workforce development leaders, interprofessional education leaders | Applied project or dissertation in practice | Flexible and executive-friendly, but may be less nursing-specific |
A PhD is usually the better choice if you want to publish original research, compete for tenure-track faculty roles, lead funded studies, or become a senior academic scholar. An EdD is often stronger for nurses who want to redesign educational systems, lead faculty teams, oversee accreditation preparation, or move into dean-level academic administration. A DNP may be the better choice if your leadership work stays close to clinical practice, quality improvement, patient care systems, or advanced nursing operations.
Some nurses considering nurse education leadership are actually choosing between education leadership and advanced clinical authority. If your goal is to remain in direct advanced practice while adding leadership capacity, compare nurse education doctorates with online nurse practitioner programs before committing to a doctoral route that may move you away from clinical practice.
For executive careers, ask whether the degree gives you the leadership language employers use: budget responsibility, measurable outcomes, stakeholder management, accreditation strategy, faculty or staff supervision, policy awareness, and organizational transformation. A doctorate helps most when it builds evidence that you can lead complex systems, not just complete advanced coursework.
What Accreditation Should an Online Nurse Education Doctorate Program Have?
Accreditation is one of the most important filters when comparing online nurse education doctorate programs. At the institutional level, the school should be accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This affects transferability, federal financial aid eligibility, employer recognition, and the credibility of the doctorate.
Programmatic accreditation depends on the degree type. DNP programs should generally hold nursing programmatic accreditation from an organization such as CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA. PhD and EdD programs in nursing education may not always have separate programmatic accreditation in the same way clinical practice programs do, so you should evaluate the nursing school's accreditation history, faculty qualifications, state authorization, and whether related nursing degrees at the institution are accredited.
The table below shows which accreditation checks matter most by program type. This is especially important for working executives because an unrecognized doctorate can limit promotion, faculty appointment, reimbursement, and consulting credibility.
| Accreditation item | Why it matters | What to verify |
| Institutional accreditation | Establishes baseline legitimacy for the university | Confirm the school is accredited by a recognized institutional accreditor |
| Nursing programmatic accreditation | Important for DNP programs and for schools preparing licensed nurses | Look for CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA where applicable |
| State authorization | Online programs must be authorized to enroll students in certain states | Ask whether your state is approved before applying |
| Licensure and certification alignment | Some roles depend on state board or employer requirements | Confirm whether the program supports your intended credential or faculty role |
| Specialized approvals | Some nursing education roles require specific institutional policies | Check requirements for teaching, precepting, or supervising clinical education in your state |
Do not rely on marketing language such as "nationally recognized" or "approved curriculum" without checking the accreditor. If you are comparing broader online nursing programs, the same rule applies: institutional legitimacy and nursing-specific quality assurance should come before speed, convenience, or advertised tuition discounts.
A practical accreditation check should include three steps: confirm the school's institutional accreditor, confirm whether the nursing school or doctoral program has relevant nursing accreditation, and ask your employer or target institution whether the degree meets promotion or faculty-appointment standards. This is particularly important if you plan to use the doctorate for academic rank, dean-level roles, or executive hiring committees.
Online nurse education doctorate programs teach experienced nurses how to lead education systems, evaluate outcomes, and use evidence to improve teaching, workforce development, and healthcare learning environments. The curriculum should go beyond "how to teach" and prepare students to make strategic decisions at the program, school, hospital, or system level.
The best programs usually combine advanced nursing education, leadership, research methods, and applied doctoral work. These areas matter because executive roles require both educational expertise and the ability to influence budgets, people, policy, and measurable organizational outcomes.
- Advanced curriculum design, including competency-based education, clinical judgment, simulation, and assessment strategy
- Teaching and learning science, including adult learning, inclusive pedagogy, online learning, and learner evaluation
- Research methods, evidence appraisal, statistics, and scholarly writing for dissertation or project work
- Leadership and organizational change, including strategic planning, conflict management, policy, and finance
- Accreditation and regulatory preparation, including program evaluation and continuous improvement
- Technology-enabled education, including learning management systems, simulation tools, analytics, and AI-aware instructional design
- Faculty development, mentoring, interprofessional education, and workforce planning
A current trend affecting nurse education doctorates is the rise of digital learning and AI-supported instruction. Strong programs increasingly expect leaders to understand academic integrity, simulation-based learning, data dashboards, adaptive learning tools, and responsible AI use in curriculum design. For executives, this is not just a classroom issue; it affects training quality, compliance, staffing efficiency, and patient-safety education.
The final doctoral work should connect directly to your leadership goals. A nurse educator aiming for a dean role might study faculty retention or curriculum outcomes. A clinical education executive might evaluate onboarding for new graduate nurses. A health system leader might examine competency-based workforce development across multiple sites.
Yes, many online nurse education doctorate programs are designed for working nurses, faculty members, managers, and executives. However, "online" does not always mean "asynchronous," "self-paced," or "fully remote." The real question is whether the program's weekly workload, synchronous sessions, residencies, doctoral milestones, and final project expectations fit your professional responsibilities.
Online education demand remains high among graduate students. The National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2024 that distance education remained a major part of postsecondary enrollment after the pandemic-era shift, which matters because universities are continuing to build flexible graduate formats for working adults. For nurse leaders, this means more choices, but also more variation in quality and expectations.
Before enrolling, compare flexibility across the features that actually affect your calendar. These are the details most likely to determine whether you can stay employed while making steady doctoral progress.
- Course delivery: asynchronous courses are easiest to schedule, while synchronous evening courses may offer stronger cohort connection but less flexibility
- Residency requirements: low-residency programs can be valuable for networking, but travel, lodging, and missed work should be included in total cost
- Course load: part-time enrollment may protect your job performance, while full-time enrollment may shorten the timeline but increase burnout risk
- Dissertation or project pacing: programs with structured milestones can help working professionals avoid getting stuck after coursework
- Practicum or fieldwork expectations: DNP and applied leadership programs may require organizational access, data permissions, or executive sponsorship
- Faculty availability: online doctoral students need responsive advising, writing support, and committee continuity
Working executives should be especially cautious about compressed doctoral programs. A faster program can be useful if it has strong structure and a realistic capstone model, but it can be risky if it leaves little time for research design, data collection, committee feedback, or leadership application. A slower part-time route may produce better work and stronger career leverage if it allows you to align your doctoral project with your organization's strategic priorities.
A good rule is to ask for a sample weekly schedule, residency calendar, dissertation sequence, and recent time-to-completion pattern before applying. If a school cannot clearly explain how employed doctoral students progress from coursework to completion, that is a warning sign.
Admission requirements vary by school and degree type, but most online nurse education doctorate programs expect applicants to be licensed nurses with graduate-level preparation, professional experience, and a clear reason for pursuing doctoral study. Executive-focused programs often value leadership experience as much as traditional academic credentials.
Most applicants should prepare the following materials. These requirements help schools judge whether you can handle doctoral scholarship and whether your goals fit the program's faculty expertise.
- Active, unencumbered RN license, and sometimes APRN licensure for DNP pathways
- MSN, master's in nursing education, or a closely related graduate degree from an accredited institution
- Minimum graduate GPA, often around 3.0, though competitive programs may expect stronger academic records
- Professional resume showing teaching, leadership, clinical education, management, or advanced practice experience
- Statement of purpose connecting your doctoral goals to nursing education, leadership, research, or systems improvement
- Letters of recommendation from academic, clinical, or executive supervisors
- Writing sample, scholarly paper, interview, or proposed area of doctoral inquiry
- Background check, immunization documentation, or site approval if the program includes practice-based work
Applicants with a BSN but no MSN may need a bridge pathway, while MSN-prepared nurses may qualify for post-master's doctoral entry. If your goal is clinical systems leadership rather than academic nurse education, compare nurse education doctorates with MSN to DNP programs, because the DNP may align better with executive nursing practice, quality improvement, and health system operations.
Strong applicants usually show a pattern of leadership readiness: teaching experience, committee work, preceptor roles, quality-improvement participation, publication or presentation experience, simulation work, curriculum responsibilities, or staff-development leadership. If you lack formal teaching experience, look for ways to build it before applying, such as adjunct instruction, clinical precepting, continuing education design, or onboarding leadership.
One common mistake is applying to programs without checking faculty fit. Doctoral study depends heavily on mentorship. If no faculty member works in nursing education leadership, simulation, workforce development, curriculum evaluation, or your intended research area, the program may not be the best fit even if it is accredited and affordable.
Most online nurse education doctorates take about 3 to 5 years, depending on degree type, enrollment intensity, transfer credits, dissertation or project design, and whether the student enters with an MSN or another graduate degree. Some structured EdD and DNP programs advertise shorter timelines, while research-focused PhD programs may take longer because of dissertation development and original research expectations.
The table below compares typical timelines. Use it to evaluate whether a program's advertised completion time is realistic for a working executive or senior nurse leader.
| Pathway | Common timeline | Why it may take longer | Best scheduling fit |
| Post-MSN EdD in Nursing Education | About 3 to 4 years | Dissertation in practice, committee review, data access, or part-time pacing | Working educators and academic leaders |
| Post-MSN PhD in Nursing or Nursing Education | About 4 to 5 years | Original research design, dissertation proposal approval, data collection, publication goals | Research-focused faculty and future academic scholars |
| Post-MSN DNP with education or leadership focus | About 2 to 4 years | Practice hours, project site approvals, organizational data access | Clinical leaders, executives, and advanced practice nurses |
| BSN-to-doctorate pathway | About 4 to 6 years or more | Graduate bridge coursework, clinical or practice-hour requirements, doctoral project sequence | Nurses who want a longer integrated route |
Completion time is not only a convenience issue. It affects tuition, opportunity cost, family schedules, work performance, and the timing of promotions or faculty applications. A program that takes one extra year but offers stronger dissertation support, better faculty fit, and lower burnout risk may be a better executive investment than a shorter program with weak advising.
When comparing programs, ask how students move from coursework to candidacy, how often committees meet, what happens if a chair leaves, and whether students receive structured writing support. Many doctoral delays occur after coursework, so completion support is a major quality indicator.
Many online nurse education doctorates require either a traditional dissertation, a dissertation in practice, or a doctoral project. The requirement depends on whether the degree is a PhD, EdD, or DNP. This distinction matters because the final requirement shapes your workload, timeline, and career signal.
The table below explains the most common final doctoral requirements and how they relate to executive and leadership careers.
| Requirement | Common in | What it involves | Leadership relevance |
| Traditional dissertation | PhD programs | Original research that contributes to nursing knowledge or education science | Strong signal for faculty scholarship, research leadership, and academic credibility |
| Dissertation in practice | EdD programs | Applied inquiry into a real education or organizational problem | Strong fit for deans, directors, curriculum leaders, and institutional change agents |
| DNP project | DNP programs | Evidence-based practice or quality-improvement project in a healthcare setting | Strong fit for clinical education executives, quality leaders, and practice administrators |
| Capstone-style applied project | Some professional doctorates | Structured solution to an organizational or educational challenge | Useful when the project produces a measurable workplace outcome |
A dissertation is not automatically better than a project, and a project is not automatically easier. A high-quality applied project may require stakeholder approval, data access, implementation, evaluation, and executive communication. A dissertation may require deeper research methods, literature synthesis, and committee review.
For executive careers, the best final project is one you can translate into leadership evidence. Examples include improving nurse residency retention, redesigning simulation assessment, evaluating faculty development, building competency-based onboarding, or measuring outcomes of clinical education interventions. If a program lets you align the final requirement with your current organization, it may increase the practical return on your doctorate.
Ask schools for examples of recent dissertations or projects, average time from proposal to defense, committee expectations, and whether students can use workplace data. These details tell you more about the student experience than a generic statement that the program is "doctoral-project based."
An online nurse education doctorate can be worth the investment when it directly supports a realistic leadership goal, such as dean, program director, chief nursing officer, director of clinical education, academic administrator, consultant, or workforce development executive. It is less likely to pay off if you enroll mainly for prestige, lack a clear career plan, or choose a program whose curriculum does not match your target role.
Costs vary widely because programs differ in credit requirements, public or private tuition, fees, residencies, dissertation continuation charges, and employer reimbursement rules. When comparing programs, calculate total cost rather than relying on advertised per-credit tuition.
- Lower-cost public online doctorate options may fall below $25,000 in tuition before fees if per-credit rates are low and the program is around 60 credits.
- Moderate-cost public or private programs often land around $35,000 to $55,000 before travel, technology fees, books, and dissertation continuation costs.
- Higher-cost private or executive-format programs can exceed $60,000, especially when tuition is higher per credit or the program includes required residencies.
- Residency expenses can add travel, lodging, meals, parking, and lost work time even when coursework is online.
Recent federal data show why total cost matters. The U.S. Department of Education's 2024 portfolio data continued to show graduate and professional borrowers carrying a large share of federal student loan balances, even though they represent a smaller share of all borrowers. For nurse leaders, that means ROI should be evaluated against expected career mobility, employer tuition support, loan terms, and the risk of taking on debt for a role that may not require a doctorate.
Salary context can help, but it should not be treated as a promise. The BLS reported a May 2024 median annual wage of $117,960 for medical and health services managers. That figure includes many types of healthcare managers, not only nurse executives, but it shows why leadership pathways can have stronger financial upside than roles limited to classroom teaching alone. Postsecondary nursing instructor pay is typically lower than senior healthcare management pay, so academic career ROI may depend more on rank, institution type, administrative responsibilities, and long-term advancement.
The table below outlines how to judge value beyond tuition. This is important because the cheapest program is not always the best investment, and the most expensive program is not automatically more respected.
| Cost or value factor | Why it matters | What to ask |
| Tuition and fees | Determines baseline affordability | What is the total tuition, required fees, and projected cost through completion? |
| Residency costs | Online programs may still require travel | How many campus visits are required, and what costs are not included in tuition? |
| Employer reimbursement | Can substantially reduce out-of-pocket cost | Does your employer cover doctoral nursing education, and are there service commitments? |
| Time to completion | Extra semesters can add tuition and opportunity cost | What is the median completion time for working students? |
| Leadership alignment | Career relevance drives ROI | Do coursework and final projects match your target executive role? |
| Faculty and network | Mentorship and professional connections affect career leverage | Who will supervise your work, and what leadership networks are available? |
The doctorate is most likely to be worth it for nurses who already have leadership traction and need the credential, scholarly preparation, or executive credibility to move higher. It may not be the best next step for nurses who need clinical specialization, basic teaching experience, management exposure, or a clearer career direction first.
What Executive Careers Can You Pursue With an Online Nurse Education Doctorate?
An online nurse education doctorate can support executive and leadership careers in academic institutions, healthcare systems, professional associations, consulting firms, workforce development teams, and education technology organizations. The degree is most valuable when paired with experience in teaching, management, clinical operations, accreditation, research, or quality improvement.
The table below connects common leadership roles with the doctorate type and experience that usually fits best. Requirements vary by employer, so treat these as career-planning patterns rather than universal rules.
| Career path | Typical responsibilities | Best-fitting doctorate | Important experience |
| Dean or associate dean of nursing | Lead academic programs, faculty, accreditation, budgets, and strategic planning | PhD or EdD | Faculty leadership, accreditation work, scholarship, budgeting, curriculum oversight |
| Director of nursing education | Oversee clinical education, staff development, onboarding, and continuing education | EdD or DNP | Clinical education leadership, project management, workforce development |
| Chief nursing officer or senior nursing executive | Lead nursing strategy, quality, staffing, patient care systems, and executive operations | DNP, PhD, or EdD depending on role | Management, operations, finance, quality improvement, executive communication |
| Graduate nursing faculty or program director | Teach, mentor faculty, lead curriculum, assess outcomes, and support accreditation | PhD or EdD | Teaching, scholarship, curriculum design, assessment, faculty governance |
| Nursing education consultant | Advise schools, hospitals, vendors, or agencies on curriculum, compliance, and learning strategy | EdD, PhD, or DNP | Specialized expertise, measurable project outcomes, professional network |
| Healthcare workforce development executive | Design system-wide learning strategy, leadership pipelines, and competency programs | EdD or DNP | Organizational learning, analytics, stakeholder management, change leadership |
For executive advancement, the doctorate should be part of a broader career strategy. Hiring committees often look for a combination of graduate education, leadership scope, measurable results, communication ability, financial judgment, and credibility with clinicians, faculty, or administrators. The degree can strengthen your profile, but it does not replace leadership experience.
To make the doctorate more career-relevant, use your coursework and final project to build a portfolio of executive evidence. That might include a curriculum redesign, accreditation report, faculty-development model, simulation evaluation, leadership dashboard, retention initiative, or workforce learning strategy with measurable outcomes.
Common mistakes include assuming the doctorate will automatically lead to a C-suite role, ignoring whether the degree type matches the target role, and choosing a program without considering the professional network. A better approach is to identify three target jobs, review their preferred qualifications, interview leaders already in those roles, and then choose the doctorate that closes the most important gaps.
Other Things You Should Know About Nurse Education
Yes, if the university is properly accredited, the nursing school has appropriate quality assurance, and the program includes rigorous doctoral work. Employers usually care more about accreditation, degree relevance, leadership experience, and outcomes than whether coursework was online.
Both can support dean-level roles. A PhD is often stronger for research-intensive universities and tenure-track academic leadership, while an EdD may fit applied curriculum, faculty development, and education administration. Review the hiring patterns of the institutions where you want to work.
Usually, yes. Post-MSN pathways are generally shorter than BSN-to-doctorate routes, but the final timeline depends on transfer credits, enrollment pace, dissertation or project progress, and residency requirements.
You may want a different path if your main goal is advanced clinical practice, immediate nurse practitioner licensure, or a management role that does not require doctoral preparation. The degree is best for nurses with clear education, leadership, research, or systems-change goals.
- Best Online PhD in Nursing Programs: The Top Student Options https://www.phds.me/online-programs/phd-in-nursing/
- Online EdD Programs in Healthcare Professions & Nursing Education (Health Administration) https://www.onlineeddprograms.com/specializations/healthcare-professions
- Online Master’s in Nursing Administration & Nurse Executive Leadership Programs https://www.onlineeducation.com/nursing/nursing-administration-executive-leadership-programs
- Top 10 Online PhD Programs for Working Professionals in 2025 - Maverick Business Academy London https://mbalondon.org.uk/top-10-online-phd-programs-for-working-professionals-in-2025/
- How to Pay for Nursing School | Complete Guide https://www.rntomsn.org/student-center/how-to-pay-for-nursing-school/
- Search The World’s Best Online Doctorate Programs https://onlinedoctorate.org/
- Best Ed.D. Nursing Education Programs (2026 Rankings) https://www.nurseeducator.com/degrees/edd/
- Top 15 Best Online Master’s in Nursing (MSN) Leadership Degree https://www.bestmasterofscienceinnursing.com/best/online-leadership/
- PhD Education https://www.aacnnursing.org/students/nursing-education-pathways/phd-education
- Paying for NP School - Scholarships, Tuition Reimbursement, Etc. https://www.npschools.com/blog/how-to-make-np-school-more-affordable
