U.S. News and World Report ranked two programs, Online Bachelor’s and Online Graduate Nursing, in its top 100 lists.
U.S. News and World Report ranked two programs, Online Bachelor’s and Online Graduate Nursing, in its top 100 lists.
Liza Zulick | Staff Writer
Several of Duquesne’s online programs have received upgrades in rankings.
The 2017 U.S. News and World Report, released on Jan. 10, named Duquesne No. 81 out of 231 schools in the Best Online Bachelor’s Program category, bumping Duquesne up 62 spots since last year.
Duquesne’s nursing school also received recognition — its online graduate nursing program ranked 26 out of 107 nationally.
The U.S. News and World Report, released their annual rankings on Jan. 10, included program rankings of business, education, engineering and nursing programs. The report focuses on student engagement, faculty credentials, and student services and technology to decide their rankings, according to the report.
The bachelor’s RN-BSN Program is designed for registered nurses with an Associate’s Degree in nursing, and allows them to continue schooling to receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Since the program was created in 2014, Duquesne has made the list twice, No. 85 for Best Graduate School in 2017 and No. 18 for Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs.
Online classes include lectures, assignments, midterms and finals, which is very similar to that of traditional classes. Online students watch taped lectures to complete assignments and projects, and are also required to watch live lectures, according to Alison Colbert, associate dean for academic affairs of the School of Nursing, said.
“The major goal of all of our online programs is to help nurses continue their education and reach their professional aspirations, in a way that works with the demands of a full-time job, family obligations, and other commitments,” Colbert said.
Duquesne graduate student Monica Taylor, who participates in a Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program, believes that the online programs allow students to become more flexible with their schedule, and makes it easier to fit schooling into daily life.
“Being one of the first in online education shows how committed we are to innovation — and that we are willing to take risks on things we think will serve our students better,” Colbert said.
Taylor first heard of Duquesne’s online program through colleagues at Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital, and later decided it was the right path for her.
“I chose Duquesne because of the flexibility of the online schedule as well as the reasonable pacing of the course of study,” Taylor said. “I also knew several successful BSN prepared nurses who I worked with at the Children’s Hospital who went to Duquesne and had great things to say.”
