The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), established in 1889, is the largest nursing school in Maryland and one of the largest in the nation. UMSON enrolls more than 1,700 students, including more than 200 students at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md. UMSON is ranked eleventh among all nursing schools nationally by U.S.News & World Report and four of its master’s specialties are ranked in the top 10.
Educational Programs
- Baccalaureate: 584 students – BSN, RN-to-BSN, RN-to-BSN Online
- Master of Science: 980 students – 9 master’s specialties; the state’s only Nurse Anesthesia master’s specialty and Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) master’s degree option
- Doctoral: 127 students – PhD (49) and DNP (78)
- 33 unique Web-based courses with 57 total sections; 75 unique Web-enhanced courses with 103 total sections
- Only nursing school in Maryland with an Institute for Educators in Nursing & Health Professions, which offers a post-graduate certificate, “Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions”
- Established the first nursing informatics master’s and PhD programs in the world
Research and Extramural Funding
- 21st in receipt of funding (for schools of nursing) from the National Institutes of Health
- Extramural research funding of $6.7 million in FY ’11; total extramural funding of $12.6 million in FY ’11.
- Center of Excellence in Work and Health Research
- Center of Excellence in Disorders of Neuroregulatory Function
- Developing centers of excellence in Palliative Care, Aging, and Health Care System Outcomes
- Research areas: Basic and translational research in chronic pain and striated muscle function; reducing fatigue and other occupational hazards in the work place; use of technology to promote health in the older adult; restorative care in older adults; nursing interventions and associated patient outcomes; impulsive traits, dopamine, and risk for drug abuse; family experience at end of life
- First nursing school in the nation to receive a grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to advance knowledge about breast cancer treatment and care
Faculty and Students
- 136 faculty members (full and part time): doctoral-prepared – 63%; master’s-prepared – 37%
- More than 300 faculty associates and clinical preceptors who oversee student clinical experiences
- 35% of the total student population are minorities; 12% are male
- Graduates comprise more than 40% of Maryland’s nurse workforce
Facilities
- 24 clinical simulation laboratories (six at the Universities at Shady Grove); named a Laerdal Center of Educational Excellence
- Multidisciplinary Clinical Education and Evaluation Labs using standardized patients for experiential student learning
Giving Back to the Community
- Operates Governor’s Wellmobile Program, providing primary health care to uninsured and underserved residents in Central Maryland
- Operates two school-based health centers in Dorchester County and two in Harford County
