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Nurse Practitioner Program Nationally Ranked

February 24, 2016

Angelo State University’s online Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner program has been ranked among the “Top 50 Online Nurse Practitioner Programs” in the U.S. by RN to BSN Online Programs, an education resource guide for professional and prospective nurses.

ASU’s program ranked No. 29 in the nation and is one of only four programs at Texas schools to make the rankings list. Only accredited nursing programs were considered for the list, and other criteria included tuition cost, acceptance rates, and quality of online course delivery, technology and support. 

The ASU Department of Nursing initiated its online M.S.N/FNP program in the fall of 2010 with 10 students in the first class. It has expanded significantly since then with 64 students currently enrolled. The department also offers a collaborative M.S.N. program with Texas Tech University that leads to certification as either an adult care nurse practitioner or pediatric primary care nurse practitioner. 

Nurse practitioners can provide many of the same basic services as primary care physicians, including immunizations, prescriptions, referrals and minor surgical procedures. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for nurse practitioners is expected to grow at a rate of 31 percent by 2022. The demand for nurse practitioners has increased, particularly in more rural areas, due to a shortage of primary care physicians and federal legislation that has extended medical insurance coverage to millions of previously uninsured citizens. 

The only other Texas schools to make the RN to BSN Online Programs rankings were University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas A&M University and Texas Woman’s University.  

This marks the fourth top national ranking for ASU online graduate nursing programs in 2016. The previous rankings were compiled by U.S. News and World Report, CollegeChoice.net and TopMastersInHealthcare.com.