UMSL DNP program named No. 9 in US by EduMed

by Jessica Rogen | Jun 18, 2020

EduMed is the latest of many rankings institutions to note the quality of the UMSL DNP program, which graduated its first class in the summer of 2018.

EduMed examined cost, online program availability, academic counseling, career placement and institutional aid in order to place the UMSL DNP No. 9 in the U.S. (Photo by August Jennewein)

Being recognized among the top 10 programs in the United States is an impressive acknowledgment at any age.

For a young program, the honor is even more striking.

Last week, the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Nursing’s doctor of nursing practice program – which graduated its first class in the summer of 2018 – accomplished just that when EduMed ranked the DNP No. 9 on its “Best Online Nurse Practitioner Programs 2020” list. The UMSL DNP is also the top ranked school in Missouri.

In recognizing the program’s strength, EduMed joined a host of ranking agencies that have praised the DNP as of late. In May, Learn.org named it top 25, and in March, U.S. News & World Report rated the program No. 78 on the “Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice” ranking – jumping it 20 spots over the previous year.

“I am thrilled to be consistently climbing in the ranks for online DNP programs,” said Laura Kuensting, DNP program director and associate teaching professor. “Because of the quality of faculty, staff, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Learning Resource Lab at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, we have systematically built a premier program.”

EduMed used both self-reported data and information from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to analyze the DNP offerings in the United States. Programs had to be accredited and at least partially online. The rankings institution then examined cost, online program availability, academic counseling, career placement and institutional aid to determine ratings.

The UMSL DNP is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, a subsidiary of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The program prepares nurses to become advanced clinicians and builds expertise in areas of health policy, organizational leadership and management, evidence-based practice and more.

“Our goal was to become the nurse practitioner program everyone wants to attend in the state of Missouri,” Kuensting said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with our progress. We still have some work to do, but I am proud our program has become recognized as one of the best.”