For the second time in recent weeks, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing has received recognition from a national organization.
EduMed.org, an online source providing resource materials and guidebooks to help students find scholarships, financial aid and top degree programs in nursing, healthcare administration, public health and dozens of other key medical and health disciplines, ranked UTC as the fifth-best school in Tennessee for online healthcare degrees and certificates for 2023.
The UTC online nursing program was highlighted for its overall quality, affordability and commitment to student success.
A school must hold active regional accreditation and have at least one partially online program in the ranking subject to be eligible. EduMed.org noted that only 8% of U.S. postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position.
“The School of Nursing has been a leader in online nursing education for well over 15 years,” said Dr. Chris Smith, director of the UTC School of Nursing and the University’s Chief Health Affairs Officer. “Our RN-BSN Gateway program began with a hybrid format and quickly transitioned to 100% online learning as students began to choose that option over part-time face-to-face instruction. Our Doctor of Nursing Practice: Post Master’s Program has been 100% online since 2010. The DNP Nursing Administrations Systems began 10 years ago; in partnership the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, a graduate of our DNP may also earn an MBA—which is an excellent option for working nursing administrators who wish to earn a terminal degree in nursing and an MBA at the same time.
“Online education may not be appropriate for all students in all areas of nursing, but we feel we offer the right balance for our programs. This honor confirms we have the right mix.”
According to its website, EduMed.org researched and analyzed more than 7,700 accredited schools using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the schools themselves.
The website’s data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools for each healthcare discipline. Primary data points included academic counseling services, career placement services, student-to-faculty ratio, tuition, percent of students receiving school-based financial aid, and amount of school-based aid per student.
To view the complete rankings of the best online nursing programs in Tennessee, visit the EduMed.org site.
“Our rankings showcase the schools giving future nurses and allied health professionals the best chance to succeed from day one in the classroom to day one on the job,” said Wes Harris, outreach coordinator for EduMed.org. “This starts with low-cost tuition but also includes academic counseling, career placement and other key resources that students need to graduate and get hired.”
Last week, RegisteredNursing.org—a national nursing advocacy organization—ranked the UTC School of Nursing Registered Nurse program as the best in Tennessee for 2023.
