In the newly released U.S. News & World Report’s “2024 Best Colleges” Best Bachelor of Science (BSN) Programs, the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s (UMSON) BSN program ranked No.10 in the nation (tied with five other institutions), out of the more than 650 accredited nursing schools ranked. Among public schools of nursing, UMSON is ranked No. 3 in the nation (tied with two other public nursing schools).
UMSON’s BSN program continues to be the top-ranked such program in Maryland.
“It is gratifying to be recognized as one of the top baccalaureate programs in the nation, and it is a testament to our faculty and our students,” said Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD '11, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “We are proud to play an important role within Maryland and throughout the country in increasing the number of nurses educated at the baccalaureate level, as we also work to address the critical shortage of nurses at all levels. Our graduates are well prepared to meet the needs of our health care system and to serve as a vital and trusted resource for individuals, their families, and our communities.”
UMSON’s BSN program encompasses an entry-into-nursing program and an RN-to-BSN program for already licensed practicing nurses. The program prepares students to excel in nursing careers across a broad spectrum of acute, chronic, and community-based settings. National data indicates that employers increasingly prefer and, in some cases, require, a baccalaureate degree.
This fall, UMSON admitted 220 entry BSN students, its largest class ever, between its Baltimore and Universities at Shady Grove (Rockville, Md.) locations, reflecting the school’s commitment to responding to the demands of health care at a critical time of substantial nursing shortages.
The school was among the first in the nation to launch an entirely revised BSN curriculum for incoming students last fall, in alignment with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, an updated framework for nursing education using a competency-based approach. The curriculum responds to the Essentials’ direction for curricula that respond to the changing face of health care, necessitating updates to how nurses are prepared; in that vein, the BSN curriculum includes courses focusing on evidence-based practice, public and community health, social determinants of health, disease prevention, and palliative care. Two recent clinical practice initiatives with the University of Maryland Medical System — the Practicum to Practice Partnership and the Academy of Clinical Essentials — provide students expanded and advanced clinical opportunities.
In addition to serving practicing nurses seeking a BSN degree, UMSON’s RN-to-BSN program boasts dual-admission partnerships with all 15 community colleges in Maryland that offer an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, enabling a smooth transition for ADN students into UMSON’s BSN program. To date, 270 students have transitioned from community college to UMSON’s BSN program via the school’s dual-admission partnerships.
Rankings are determined by scores received from surveys of top academics and officials at nursing schools or departments at institutions nationwide that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. In addition, the institutions must be regionally accredited and have recently awarded at least 40 BSN degrees.
The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling more than 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the school develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.