The College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center was recently ranked 23rd in the country for its Doctor of Nursing Practice program (DNP) in the 2019 Best Graduate Schools listing by U.S. News & World Report. The Doctor of Nursing Practice program received the recognition among 552 nursing schools with master’s and doctoral programs that were surveyed.
“With close to 400 programs, this puts us in the top 8 percent of DNP Programs in the country,” Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAANP, dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center said. “This is quite an achievement for our college and is an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, students and preceptors. We are proud to educate at a high level, the largest numbers of DNP providers for our state in an effort to meet the health care needs of our communities.”
The survey was weighted on an average of 14 indicators, which included a quality assessment; a peer assessment score from nursing school deans and deans of graduate studies at nursing schools throughout the country; DNP student selectivity and DNP program size; mean undergraduate GPA; acceptance rate; student-faculty ratio; faculty credentials; percentage of faculty with important academic achievements in the nursing field as identified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; nursing practice participation or the proportion of full-time and part-time faculty who are active in nursing practice; DNP degree output productivity; and research activity, including the total research funding grants and the average research funding granted per faculty member.
With seven program concentrations and two dual-degree concentrations, the College of Nursing’s DNP Program produces the largest number of advanced practice DNPs in the country. It was also the first program in the state of Tennessee to offer the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner concentration.
Other concentrations include Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesia, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and dual concentrations in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care/Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health/Family Nurse Practitioner.
The College of Nursing has been setting the standard for educating leaders in the nursing profession since its founding in 1898.
Faculty and staff of the DNP Program work closely with students, serving as mentors and advisors in their specialties. Graduates of the program are prepared to sit for advanced practice certification in their chosen specialty area. Program length varies based on student qualifications, with the average student completing the program in three years. The program also offers a 50-mile radius for reduced out-of-state tuition.
The College of Nursing DNP program is accredited by CCNE through December 31, 2024.