Nursing, Pharmacy Graduate Programs Ranked

Graduate programs in nursing and pharmacy have been recognized by two new national rankings.

The School of Nursing has been ranked No. 8 by BestNursingMasters.com in its 2015 list of the Top 20 MSN Online Programs in the nation. The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences is ranked No. 4 by Graduate Programs in its 2015 Pharmacy Grad Rankings.

The School of Nursing’s online Master of Science in Nursing program offers three areas of specialization:

  • Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner
  • Forensic Nursing
  • Nursing Education and Faculty Role.

According to BestNursingMasters.com, the Top 20 MSN Online Programs were selected based on a school’s “ability to provide a flexible online option for students, overall reputation through rankings and accreditation, and specializations offered.”

For its methodology, the website awarded points to programs based on the number of specializations offered; tuition per credit hour; and for being named a Center for Excellence by the National League for Nursing (NLN). Duquesne has twice been named a Center for Excellence by the NLN, most recently in 2011—with just seven other nursing schools across the United States.

“The faculty offer new, innovative online teaching pedagogies such as online simulation and Vlogs (video logs) to engage our students and provide a high-quality online academic experience,” said Nursing Dean Dr. Mary Ellen Glasgow. “We are always adopting the newest best practices in online education.”

Graduate Programs works to provide helpful information to prospective graduate students through peer-written ratings and reviews. Its rankings are based solely on ratings and reviews from current or recent graduate students posted on the organization’s website. The current ranking encompasses reviews posted between September 2012 and March 2015 by more than 70,000 students participating in more than 1,600 graduate programs across the United States.

For its methodology, Graduate Programs considers 15 categories, including academic competitiveness, career support, education quality, financial aid and graduate program value, among others. Rankings are then determined by calculating the average score for a program based on its 15 ranking categories.

Duquesne offers graduate programs in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacology and pharmacy administration.