For the third year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of Washington Bothell’s Master of Nursing program No. 1 among public schools that offer a master’s degree. The program also moved up from No. 5 in 2023 to the No. 4 position in the nation on the 2024 Best Nursing Schools: Master’s list that includes private schools as well.
“We are deeply gratified to be recognized for the exceptional quality of the learning environment we afford to students, particularly at a time when nurses, health care workers, public health professionals and nurse educators are in such high demand,” said Linda Watts, interim dean of the School of Nursing & Health Studies.
Text saying number one public school that offers a Master of Nursing Degree U.S. New & World Report 2024 Best Nursing Schools: Master’sLaunched in 1992, the MN program currently offers three curriculum options: a general track, a nurse education track and an administrative-leadership track, which started in 2016. The leadership track is offered in partnership with UW Bothell’s School of Business and provides nurses with policy-related, analytical and organizational acumen.
The business-infused MN gave Tamara Uson (MN ’15) and her cohort what they needed to move forward in their careers, to take their places “confidently at the negotiating table, to be able to have inspiring conversations, to understand finance and budgets, to take what you have to work with and create something successful with it,” Uson said.
Beginning in autumn 2023, a new master’s program that aims to reform community health care will be offered alongside the MN program. The Master of Science in Community Health & Social Justice program seeks to support the urgent need for health professionals who understand the root causes of inequities and have the education to address them.
“It is our privilege to afford pathways to learners with the courage and conviction to devote their careers to making a lasting difference. Our graduates consistently contribute to the health, well-being and vitality of communities throughout our region — as well as nationally and globally,” Watts said.
The new program has been several years in the making and partly responds to the desire of undergraduates in the school’s fast-growing Health Studies undergraduate program who wish to continue their studies at the master’s level, according to Dr. Grace Lasker, teaching professor in the School of Nursing & Health Studies.
The CHSJ program will be offered in a hybrid model, combining a weekly in-class meeting with both synchronous and asynchronous course work online. This approach aims to make the program more accessible for students — in particular, those who might already be employed in health care roles.
“As we stand poised to admit the first cohort of students to our new Master of Science in Community Health & Social Justice, we find it exhilarating to envision the ever more vibrant atmosphere for graduate learning on the UW Bothell campus as this new degree joins the Master of Nursing,” Watts said.
The Master of Nursing program has ranked among the top public schools that offer a master’s in nursing for several years — ranked at No. 4 in 2020 and No. 2 in 2021. It has since held the top spot at No. 1 for three consecutive years.
In the list that also includes private universities, the school moved from No. 12 in 2020 to No. 6 in 2021 and 2022. The ranking is based on data from all three UW campuses, including indicators of excellence in the programs at UW Bothell’s School of Nursing & Health Studies and UW Tacoma’s School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership.
Read a recent story about the new Master of Science in Community Health & Social Justice program to learn more about that program’s aim to reform community health care. Read more about this year’s top ranked programs at the University of Washington.
