U.S. News: Master’s Degree Programs Tops Again

Master’s degree programs at the School of Nursing are once again the best in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of graduate schools.

The school’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Master of Nursing (MN) programs claimed the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive year, and its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program retained its No. 6 standing from 2023. Last September, U.S. News ranked the school’s undergraduate programs No. 3 nationwide.

“It takes a team to achieve this level of excellence in consecutive years, and I’m grateful to our school community for the work that has brought us to this place,” says Dean Linda McCauley 79MN, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN. “While the rankings are gratifying, what they represent in terms of student preparation, research excellence, and clinical expertise is the most rewarding. We intend to keep raising the bar for the sake of our students, the nursing profession, and the patients and communities who benefit from our efforts.”

U.S. News calculates rankings with multiple measurements of a school’s research activity, student excellence, faculty resources, and qualitative ratings from experts. The magazine released the rankings on April 9.

Multiple graduate specialties at the School of Nursing were also ranked nationally:

• No. 3 - DNP GerontologyPrimary Care

• No. 3 - MSN Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

• No. 4 - DNP GerontologyAcute Care

• No. 4 - MSN Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

• No. 4 - MSN Family Nurse Practitioner

• No. 5 - DNP Family Nurse Practitioner