Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is ranked No. 3 among the nation’s best graduate nursing schools according to US News and World Report's 2019 America's Best Graduate Schools guide. A long-standing leader in nursing education and research, the School of Nursing has risen in rankings every year since 2015 – climbing from No. 21 in 2015 to No. 4 last year. The school is also ranked No. 5 for its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and is highly rated in four specialty areas.
The school’s specialty areas ranked:
No. 7 in Family Nurse Practitioner (up from No. 8)
No. 9 in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (up from No. 16)
No. 11 in Health Systems Leadership
No 14 in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
"It is truly an honor to be ranked among the best nursing schools in the country and to receive this external validation of the quality of our academic programs,” says Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. “Our new rankings are a reflection of the outstanding leadership, dedication and achievements of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Their hard work and commitment to excellence has enabled us to continue to reach new heights and distinguish our program in an increasingly competitive process.”
The announcement marks another high point in what has already been a momentous year for the School of Nursing. In 2017, the school garnered nearly $15 million in external research funding and managed the fourth largest portfolio of National Institutes of Health research among nursing schools. The school has been a Top 5 nursing school in National Institutes of Health research funding for the last three years. Recent graduates also demonstrated excellence in clinical preparation by attaining exceptionally high pass rates on board certification exams. The School of Nursing’s overall NCLEX pass rate was 97% last year. The School’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) and Accelerated Masters of Science in Nursing (AMSN) programs each earned perfect 100% pass rates in 2017.
The US News & World Report rankings, conducted annually, are a weighted average of 14 indicators including research activity, faculty credentials, achievements, student grade point average, acceptance rates, peer assessment, and others. This year’s survey included 296 schools offering master’s degrees and 152 offering the DNP.