U.S. News & World Report ranks UNMC No. 5 in primary care

The primary care program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is the fifth best in the country, placing it in the top five for the second consecutive year, according to the 2017 ranking of the nation’s top graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report.

In other new rankings, the UNMC College of Pharmacy was ranked 25th in the nation, and the College of Allied Health Professions’ physical therapy program was ranked 28th. The last time U.S. News ranked the College of Pharmacy, in 2012, it was 32nd in the country. The physical therapy program also improved in the new rankings, moving from 34th in 2012 to 28th this year.

The UNMC College of Nursing had three programs ranked – the master’s of nursing program was ranked 46th in the country, while the doctor of nurse practitioner (DNP) program was ranked 54th. UNMC was ranked 73rd in online graduate nursing programs.

U.S. News also ranked UNMC 63rd in research.

U.S. News sent surveys to 170 medical schools to compile its primary care and research lists. It ranked 259 schools for master of nursing, 149 for DNP, 125 for pharmacy and 217 for physical therapy.

“I'm pleased to see in the latest U.S. News rankings that UNMC retains a position among the top primary care programs in the country,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “In addition, the new national rankings for the College of Pharmacy and the physical therapy program, as well as our nursing programs, reflect the dedication and hard work of their faculty and students. These rankings should provide us a point of pride, but we also will continue in our efforts to ensure that UNMC delivers world-class education in every aspect of its medical, health care and nursing programs.”

U.S. News does not re-rank every program every year. In rankings compiled in 2015 and 2014, UNMC’s physician assistant program was ranked 9th, public health was ranked 39th and the university was ranked 93rd in biological sciences.

“The continued ranking of our primary care and physician assistant programs among the best in the country, as well as the improved rankings of our pharmacy and physical therapy programs, is a strong indication of the ongoing commitment and dedication of our faculty and staff to providing the best training opportunities to our students,” said Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs. “We are constantly striving to innovate in educational and clinical opportunities that enable us to help meet the health needs of all segments of the population.”

For information on the ranking methodology, click here.

Ranking reactions

“The rise in the ranking of the UNMC College of Pharmacy from 32nd to 25th, among the 125 colleges of pharmacy in the United States, is a result of the commitment of our faculty, staff and students to excellence. We have the smallest number of faculty among the top 25 colleges of pharmacy. This ranking reflects what can be achieved by a focused dedication to everything we do – teaching, research, patient care and service.”
Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy

“I am delighted by the national recognition for the physical therapy program. The advancement in the U.S. News ranking from the most previous report is reflective of the outstanding work of our faculty and students.”
Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., dean of the College of Allied Health Professions

“We are delighted that our MSN and DNP programs are recognized by the U.S. News and World Report as among the top tier of such programs in the nation. Our talented students become leaders as alumni, and our faculty members are nationally and internationally renowned for their expertise in improving health and health care. We could not have successful programs without stellar staff members, and we are grateful to them. Together we work toward achieving the UNMC mission to ‘transform lives to create a healthy future.’”
Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing

We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.

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