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SALT LAKE CITY — Three of the University of Utah’s Health Science programs were recently recognized for their excellence by U.S. News and World Report.
The Nursing, Research and Primary Care programs were ranked among the top schools in the nation, with the nursing school making the most significant jump from previous rankings, going from No. 36 to No. 26 in the nation, according to a press release.
The nursing school was ranked on the program’s acceptance rate, the average undergraduate GPA, the student-to-faculty ratio, the number of master’s degrees awarded, out-of-state tuition and fees, the National Institutes of Health and federal research and teaching grants and master's program enrollment, according to U.S. News.
“I’m proud because it shows our commitment to excellent education, excellent research and scholarship, and service to our community,” Patricia Morton, dean of the University of Utah College of Nursing, told KSL.com. “This ranking shows we are just outstanding in all of those areas.”
Morton hopes the program will someday increase its enrollment to accept more qualified students who would like to further their education.
“We’re able to attract superb students because we are the flagship university for the state of Utah,” Morton said. “We have a very competitive admission, which means we are able to be very selective and pick the best and brightest students.”
The faculty is also excellent, Morton said.
“(The faculty) are experts in their field,” Morton said. “They participate in nursing practice; they’re very involved in research and discovery of new knowledge. It helps us advance the health of our patients, our community and our state.”
The University of Utah’s School of Medicine jumped from last year’s No. 52 to No. 48 in research, and the Primary Care program was ranked 35th, according to the press release.
“We could not be more proud of our rise in this year's rankings in Nursing, Research and Primary Care,” Dr. Vivian S. Lee, Ph.D., MBA, senior vice president for Health Sciences, Dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of University of Utah Health Care, said in a statement. “This is evidence that our commitment to creating high value in health care and sciences is paying off on the national stage, to the benefit of our communities, patients and partners in health care transformation.”
