The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing continues its strong showing among Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs nationwide with a No. 25 ranking by U.S. News & World Report for its DNP program on the magazine’s Best Graduate Schools list for 2024.
The college’s DNP program has been ranked in the top 27 nationwide by U.S. News & World Report for the past several years. UT Health Science Center has the most highly-ranked DNP program of any public university in Tennessee. It was tied for No. 23 last year.
The latest ranking places the college in the top 7% of all DNP programs ranked nationwide, and in the top 17% of DNP programs, ranked and unranked, in the U.S. Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the Best Graduate Schools rankings evaluate programs in a variety of disciplines, including business, education, medicine, law, and nursing.
“In a time when nurses and nursing are more important than ever, our College of Nursing continues to strive to prepare the next generation of excellent and well-prepared advanced practitioners. Our ranking continues to be a reflection of our faculty’s pursuit of this excellence,” said Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP.
The ranking of 169 DNP programs was based on 14 indicators including the following: peer assessment, nursing practice participation, DNP degree output productivity, faculty credentials, student-faculty ratio, DNP student selectivity, DNP enrollment, DNP student grade point average, research activity, and total grants.
Other Tennessee colleges whose DNP programs made the list include the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, which was ranked 15th; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which was ranked No. 34; Belmont University, which was ranked at No. 130; and Union University, which was ranked 134th. In the Mid-South, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock was ranked No. 45 on the list of DNP programs, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center was ranked 95th.
Professor Bobby Bellflower, DNSc, NNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, director of the DNP Program, said, “We are so proud of our DNP program ranking. The faculty are experts in their specialty and provide excellence in teaching and practice. The diverse students are great and so excited about their education and practice. The top 7% ranking reflects excellent students and faculty to provide the best care for our community, state, and nation.”
The UT Health Science Center College of Nursing offers eight DNP concentrations including Nurse-Midwifery, Nurse-Anesthesiology, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care, Pediatric Primary Care, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care. There are also three dual DNP program offerings: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care/Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care/Pediatric Acute Care, and Psychiatric Mental Health/Family Nurse Practitioner. Detailed information is available at uthsc.edu/dnp.