U.S. News & World Report has released its 2022 rankings for the best online nursing master’s programs in the country, and UConn School of Nursing is tied for No. 8.
It is also the No. 1 online nursing master’s program in New England. Last year, it was ranked No. 2 in New England, but moved into the top spot this year.
The School has risen dramatically in the rankings over the past few years. In 2021, UConn School of Nursing was tied for No. 14 among the country’s online nursing master’s programs. In 2020, it tied for No. 82.
“This honor really belongs to our master’s students and faculty,” Dean Deborah Chyun says. “It reflects students’ hard work in a competitive program and faculty’s dedication to their students’ success. As nurses around the world battle the ongoing pandemic and a workforce shortage, it is inspiring to see these students working toward an advanced degree in the profession so they can become nurse practitioners.”
Up until this academic year, only the neonatal nurse practitioner concentration for the School of Nursing’s master’s program was delivered fully online. Now, all of the program’s other concentrations are as well: family nurse practitioner, adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and nurse leader.
“Rankings are the measure of the quality, reputation, and impact of a nursing program,” says Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Annette Jakubisin Konicki. “The UConn School of Nursing master’s program supports students in becoming leaders and science-driven practitioners who can meet the evolving and diverse health care needs of their communities. It is exciting to see the rankings continue to climb, despite the challenges and demands encountered during the pandemic, a true testament to the fortitude and dedication of faculty and students.”
“It is exciting to see the rankings continue to climb, despite the challenges and demands encountered during the pandemic …” — Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Annette Jakubisin Konicki
U.S. News also ranks online nursing master’s programs based on nursing specialty. Among schools that offer a concentration in nursing education, UConn ranked No. 9. Among those that offer the nursing administration – or nurse leadership – specialty, UConn is ranked No. 17. Both of those concentrations at UConn School of Nursing are led by assistant clinical professor Denise Bourassa.
“The nurse leader and nurse educator tracks are the newest concentrations offered within our master’s program,” Chyun says. “I congratulate Dr. Bourassa on her program’s phenomenal success in just a short period of time.”
In creating its rankings, U.S. News focuses on five categories: student engagement with classmates and instructors; faculty credentials and training; opinions from academic officials in nursing; services and technologies offered; and student excellence.
For the 2022 online nursing master’s rankings, 194 programs across the country were evaluated. To be considered, the programs had to meet U.S. News’ definition of a distance education nursing program, which requires “the vast majority of required nonclinical coursework for program completion is able to be completed via distance education courses that incorporate internet-based learning technologies.”
Find the complete list of the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs rankings online. Complete information regarding methodologies for the 2022 rankings can be accessed here.
To learn more about the UConn School of Nursing, visit nursing.uconn.edu and follow the School on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
