UCF’s College of Nursing’s online graduate programs were again named among the best in the nation, according to the 2015 U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings released this week.
UCF was the only Florida program ranked in the top 25, coming in at 25 out of 133 schools nationwide.
“That makes two years in a row,” said Susan Chase, associate dean for graduate affairs in the College of Nursing. “We are especially proud that our online programs are the highest rated in the state of Florida.”
The college offers four graduate online nursing programs:
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
All four programs are geared toward working professionals who want to enhance their skills and achieve leadership positions in health care.
“We received particularly high scores for faculty credentials and training which reflects, in part, on UCF’s investment in training and support for faculty,” Chase said.
The College of Nursing doesn’t have separate “online” faculty. Faculty teaching online courses are regular faculty who meet frequently and share teaching ideas to keep courses and programs on the cutting edge.
“Our programs were also highly rated for student engagement, which can be a challenge when classes are all online,” Chase said. “That’s why we offer online resources for things like clinical planning and have a mandatory onsite orientation so every student knows how to get the most of their courses right from the beginning.”
U.S. News & World Report ranked online graduate programs in an array of fields and ranked each university based on how well programs engaged with their students, the quality of the faculty, the innovative use and ease of technology used to deliver the curriculum, peer reputation and admission selectivity.