University Of Maryland School Of Nursing Ranked Among Best Overall Doctor Of Nursing Practice And Master Of Science In Nursing Programs

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner specialties ranked among top 10 in the nation.

Baltimore, Md. – In the newly released 2022 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) has remained ranked among the best schools in the nation for its overall Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, out of 597 accredited nursing schools surveyed.  

The Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner DNP specialty ranked No. 6 in the nation (No. 2 among public schools of nursing). The focus on gerontology, established at UMSON more than 45 years ago, continues to meet critical provider needs given today’s enormous strain on the physician-based primary care workforce in the United States, the lack of sufficient numbers of geriatricians, and a growing aging population. In 2019 and 2020, graduates earned a 100% pass rate on the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board exam. 

And the Family Nurse Practitioner DNP specialty ranked No. 8 in the nation (No. 2 among public schools of nursing). The specialty is offered both in Baltimore and at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland, where the first cohort of students will graduate this May after the specialty was introduced at that location in 2017 in an effort to expand FNP education to better meet the needs of underserved areas in the western, more rural portion of the state.  

“It is gratifying to continue to be recognized nationally for our Doctor of Nursing Practice program,” said Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “We continue to play a vital role in efforts within Maryland and nationally to increase the number of nurses with advanced education at the doctoral level. We believe this is essential to ensuring that our graduates are fully prepared to meet the needs of patients and their families in a health care system that is increasingly complex and which must respond to a growing percentage of older adults and a far more diverse population overall.”

Among public schools of nursing, UMSON’s DNP program ranked No. 15 (No. 33 overall), and its MSN program ranked No. 16 (No. 37 overall) in the nation. U.S. News is no longer ranking a number of categories in which UMSON’s programs have historically ranked among the best in the nation, including the MSN Clinical Nurse Leader option, which was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 for the entire period U.S. News ranked such programs; the Nursing Informatics master’s specialty, which was ranked No. 1 for the entire period U.S. News ranked such programs; and the previously top-ranked Nurse Anesthesia DNP specialty.

Rankings are based on a variety of indicators, including student selectivity and program size, faculty resources, and research activity, and on survey data from deans of schools of nursing that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.  

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,100 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.