Some of UCF’s nursing programs are among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of online programs released today .
The College of Nursing’s online graduate programs ranked 24th alongside Johns Hopkins University. Last year, UCF ranked 45th. This year, Yale and Duke universities ranked 45th and 47th. Top ranked was St. Xavier University, a small Catholic university in Chicago founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1846.
“We are pleased to see that the UCF College of Nursing online graduate tracks at the MSN and DNP level are being recognized for their quality,” said Susan Chase, the college’s associate dean for graduate affairs.
The college offers four graduate online nursing programs:
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
All four programs are geared toward working professionals who want to enhance their skills and achieve leadership positions in health care.
UCF’s programs ranked well in part because of small class sizes (an average of 16) that are taught primarily by faculty who are innovators in their field, college interim dean Mary Lou Sole said.
“Peer rankings reflect our faculty’s dedication and commitment to offering the highest quality graduate programs,” Sole said. “I’m extraordinarily proud of our growing national reputation.”
U.S. News & World Report ranked online graduate programs in an array of fields and ranked each university based on how well programs engaged with their students, the quality of the faculty, the innovative use and ease of technology used to deliver the curriculum, peer reputation and admission selectivity. A total of 103 schools submitted data for the review.