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ASU Nursing Program Gets National Ranking

January 17, 2013

Angelo State University’s nursing program has been ranked in the top 100 nationally for its online graduate degree offerings by U.S. News and World Report for its 2013 edition of Best Online Programs.

Ranked No. 64 overall, ASU was one of eight Texas institutions to make the top 100 list.  The rankings were compiled from the 471 colleges and universities that U.S. News and World Report identified as offering master’s degree nursing programs.

Dr. Susan Wilkinson, chair of ASU’s Department of Nursing and Rehabilitation Sciences, said, “ASU has offered the Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program online for approximately eight years, and this is nice recognition from independent evaluators that we offer a quality program that meets the needs of the online student.”

The criteria used to configure the rankings included weighted scores in the categories of student engagement (35 percent of score), faculty credentials and training (25 percent), admission selectivity (20 percent), and student services and technology (20 percent).

 “Online or distance education is seen as a solution to increase the education level of the nursing workforce,” Wilkinson said.  “Online classes make education accessible and convenient for a workforce whose weekly schedule typically involves working a variety of days and shifts.  Offering classes online at ASU also allows us to reach out to nurses in our rural West Texas region who are not able to travel to attend classes in a traditional face-to-face setting.”

The other Texas schools on the list include Lamar University, University of Texas at Tyler, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, University of Texas at El Paso and University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The full rankings can be found on the U.S. News and World Report website at www.usnews.com/education/online-education/nursing.