Graduate programs land 'top 30' spots in U.S. News & World Report rankings

The Medical University of South Carolina has five degree programs ranked in “top 30” spots for the U.S. News Media Group's 2017 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. 

One of the five programs ranked, the MUSC Doctor of Nursing Practice graduate program landed a 14th spot finish among 149 programs evaluated for this ranking.

Gail Stuart, Ph.D., MUSC College of Nursing dean, said the DNP program has once again distinguished itself nationally for its quality, faculty engagement and innovation. “This accomplishment is a testament to the remarkable hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff and students.

“This recognition underscores MUSC’s commitment to increasing the number of nurses holding advanced degrees and providing an innovative learning experience for our nursing students,” Stuart said. “We also continue to demonstrate our expertise with a consistent showing in one of the top two spots in the U.S. News and World Report annual rankings for online nursing programs.”

The director of the MSN/DNP program, Catherine Durham, who has a doctorate in nursing practice, said the program graduates more DNPs than any other program in the state. “We’ll have over 40 DNP graduates this May, many of whom will continue to work in the rural communities of South Carolina where they live, meeting our mission to fuel the pipeline of advanced care providers and taking nursing higher.”

The MUSC College of Health Professions received four rankings in “top 30” spots. Lisa Saladin, Ph.D., CHP dean, has predicted in years past that the health care disciplines represented in her college are assuming an even more significant role in the provision of health care. She remains committed to maintaining the high quality that people have come to expect from CHP’s programs. 

“We have seen significant gains in our national reputation over the past few years and these national rankings are directly related to the outstanding faculty, staff and students who represent these programs and their commitment to excellence in education, research, and service,” Saladin said. 

The following are all the “top 30” MUSC programs and their 2017 rankings:

• Health Professions- Health Care Management, 17^th (17/71)
• Health Professions- Nursing Anesthesia, 29^th (29/112)
• Health Professions- Occupational Therapy, 17^th (17/164)
• Health Professions- Physical Therapy, 28^th (28/217)
• Nursing- DNP, 14^th (14/149)

MUSC had additional rankings for its programs in pharmacy, masters in nursing, research, statistics, chemistry, biological sciences, clinical medicine and psychiatry. The 2017 edition of the rankings includes admissions information for those aspiring to study law, business, medicine, education, engineering and nursing. 

For the first time, U.S. News has two separate rankings of nursing schools for master's and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. For more information about the rankings methodology or to view additional MUSC rankings, visit its calculation page.