HOUSTON – (March 17, 2020) – Three programs at Cizik School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) made the 2021 list of Best Graduate Schools published today by U.S. News & World Report.

The Cizik School of Nursing doctorate program ranked No. 22 in the nation out of 171 programs, securing its position as the No. 1 doctorate in nursing program in Texas. The master’s program ranked No. 27 in the nation among 236 programs, making it the No. 2 master’s in nursing program in Texas. The Doctor of Nursing Practice - Family (DNP-FNP) program is the only program in the state listed, ranked at No. 17.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as the No. 1 school for doctoral nursing education in Texas and one of the top schools in the nation,” said Diane M. Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, dean ad interim at Cizik School of Nursing. “Our graduates are leaders in our hospital systems, community health clinics, and in health policy here in the Texas Medical Center, across the state of Texas, and throughout the nation. We are honored to be a part of our student’s journey to excellence in nursing.”

“Cizik School of Nursing has been a perennial leader in graduate nursing programs and we are proud that the school continues to be recognized for being at the forefront of educating the nurses of the future,” said Michael Blackburn, PhD, executive vice president and chief academic officer at UTHealth.

Both the doctorate of nursing program and master’s of nursing of program made a significant jump from the 2020 Best Graduate Schools list. The doctorate program made the leap from No. 40 to 22, and the master’s program rose from No. 30 to 27.

“We set a goal to be the best. Our faculty are expert clinicians and dedicated to using cutting-edge methods and technologies to support learning. It takes the best faculty and staff to reach this milestone. We did this by continuously listening to our students and academic practice partners and assuring the best learning environments in our classrooms and across all clinical experiences,” said Santa Maria.

The Best Graduate Schools rankings are calculated by both expert opinions about the program and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, and students.

The data for the rankings comes from surveys of more than 2,054 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 22,018 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2018 and early 2019.