Looking to upgrade my Nikon d3000?

I have been taking pictures for the last 4 years on both film and digital. In the last year I have started to take my imaging a bit more seriously, being as I'm now studying Photography full time.

I'm looking to upgrade my equipment to something with a higher image resolution output and wider ISO range, faster processor etc.(the D3000 outputs about 10.2 MP)
I'm currently considering getting the D3200 but my thoughts are that if they have managed to put 1080p video recording in the camera then some must have been compromised, (build quality, shutter life etc.)
So if any one has any advice on ether the D3200 or any other Nikon models that would be a suitable upgrade I would love to hear from you.

First off I think it is so awesome that you are taking photography seriously and really studying it, that is so awesome.

While there's nothing significantly bad about the D3200, it is not much of an upgrade, and your photography would improve more with the decision to buy a better lens; as I'm sure you know the lens is a huge factor of taking a beautiful picture.

If you already have some nice glass, than I would recommend saving up a little extra money and getting a D7000 or D7100, these are classified as entery-level dslrs because of the 4 digit name of the camera body, but they are definitely in the semi-pro range in my opinion, and well worth the price tag.

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD GET THE NIKON D7100 (this is not in the order of most important):

#1.IT'S BUILD QUALITY!
It is very nicely made for the price range, partially magnesium alloy body that is weather sealed. Two command dials, dual memory slots (which means you can optionally have to memory card in the body at one time, and there are different setting you can set based on that).
Great button layout so you can quickly access main features (which is essential for doing professional studio work, or photographing fast moving subjects, like birds or sports).

#2 SHUTTER SPEED!
It's shutter speed is 1/8000 of a second, which is twice as fast as your currant camera body.
This is very useful for taking sports shots.

#3 FOCUS MOTOR:
The D3000 and D3200 do not have a focus motor so they will not auto-focus with af lens, only af-s lenses.
The D7100 has a built in focus motor so you can auto-focus with almost any Nikon lenses.

#4 MEGA PIXELS:
Personally I don't think having that many mega pixels is that important, UNLESS you are going to blow up your images in huge prints or if you are going to be viewing it from a big screen.
But sense you did say you wanted better mega pixels, the D7100 has 24.1 MP (Which more than twice as many as your currant camera).

#5 CROP MODE:
In the D7100 you can turn this 1.3X crop mode on, which uses the center of the frame where the lens is most likely sharpest. This in addition to the DX crop of the camera will double the effective length of all your lenses (except DX specific lenses, then only the 1.3X crop factor will make a difference).
This means that if you had a 200mm lens it would be equivalent to a 400mm lens! (this can potentially save you tons of money because to get a good 400mm and up lens would cost you thousands of dollars.

#6 FOCUS POINTS:
The D7100 has very fast auto focus and 51 focus points! (the same focus motor that some of the top of the line Dslrs have).In the 1.3X crop mode of the camera the focus points nearly cover the entire frame.

CONS:

#1. PRICE: It is currently $1, 200 new at most retailers, although I have seen it as low as 1, 000 new from smaller dealers.
Though that is way above the camera you are considering, it is really worth every penny and more!
This camera has so many great professional features for the price.

#2. DX sensor:
Though this is an amazing sensor still, it is not a full frame sensor (but to get a full frame sensor would easily cost twice this price, and you wouldn't have it in the D3200 either.

OTHER OPTIONS:

If you have the money or the patience to save the money I would definitely buy the D7100, but if you do not have either of those then here are the other cameras I think you should consider in the order of which I would recommend most:

#1. Nikon D5200

#2. Nikon D5100

#3 Nikon D3200

#4 Nikon D5000

SUMMERY:

The Nikon D7100 is the king of Dslrs in it's price range, and has many pro features and very few flaws, and if you have the money GET THIS DLSR!

The D3200 is still an awesome camera and if that is all you can afford then go for it!

Lenses are just as important as the camera body, so if you don't have great lenses, then forget about buying a new camera body and get good glass!

There are tons of entry level dslr cameras by Nikon that are amazing, so research which one is the best match for your needs.

Good luck buying a camera and studying photography! You sound like you know what you are talking about so I'm not gonna lecture you too much about learning about certain specs or anything.