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USF graduate nursing degree ranked among best by U.S. News & World Report

Nov. 30, 2011 FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The family nurse practitioner (FNP) track in the Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Saint Francis has been ranked among the best graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, a recognized leader in college, graduate school, hospital, mutual fund and car rankings.

The nursing program ranking was based on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools. Respondents rated the academic quality of programs on a five-point scale: outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1). Only fully accredited programs in good standing during the survey period are ranked. Schools with the highest average scores appear.

USF’s FNP program ranked 99th, the same ranking as that assigned to University of Indianapolis and Valparaiso University. USF ranked substantially higher than peer private institutions Goshen College, Anderson University, Bethel College and Indiana Wesleyan, and state institutions Ball State, Purdue Calumet and University of Southern Indiana.

In fall 2010, surveys were conducted for 2011 rankings of schools with various graduate programs and accreditations in healthcare, including master’s programs in nursing accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the USF program’s category.

The USF nursing program’s quality and desirability reflects in its enrollment, pass rate and high employment rates, said Amy Knepp, assistant professor and chair of the USF Department of Nursing. “We are over capacity this year in enrollment,” she said. “Our pass rate in the past five years tops 95 percent, and 98 percent of our graduates seeking jobs are employed.”

“We are pleased with this ranking for our excellent FNP graduate program,” said university President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF. “That peer nursing education administrators rate our university’s program among the nation’s best indicates the high quality of our faculty and facilities, and our dedication to graduating nurses of skill and compassion.”

The University of Saint Francis, founded in 1890 as a comprehensive university in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, offers more than 60 undergraduate and 14 graduate programs in five schools: The School of Health Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, School of Professional Studies and School of Creative Arts. More than 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF for its academic excellence. The university has a regional campus in Crown Point, Ind.