PNW’s online nursing programs recognized by U.S. News & World Report

January 26, 2021

The 2021 Best Online Programs rankings from U.S. News & World Report once again named Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) online nursing programs among the best in the country.

PNW’s nationally recognized online RN-to-BSN program placed among the top 50 online bachelor’s degree programs in the nation again this year, ranking 48 in the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs category. The RN-to-BSN degree provides busy nursing professionals an affordable and convenient option to gain the skills, knowledge and credentials needed to advance their careers.

The PNW online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program once again made the list of Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs and ranked 112 in the nation. The MSN program allows participants to customize their path and pace to fit their schedules with the ability to complete practicum hours where they work.

“We are proud to once again be named one of the top online bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs in the country,” stated Lisa Hopp, dean of the College of Nursing. “These rankings are a testament to our programs which are responsive and flexible to the needs of our students, and to the hard work of a dedicated faculty committed to providing the highest quality of education to those in the nursing field.”

U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 1,600 online degree programs for its 2021 Best Online Programs rankings. To be considered, a large majority of the required coursework must be completed through distance learning. The methodology used to rank the programs was based on a combination of self-reporting and peer review and used a 100-point scale.

2021 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs

The online undergraduate programs were ranked on four factors: engagement, services and technologies, faculty credentials and an expert opinion survey or peer review. The RN-to-BSN program at PNW ranked 48 with an overall score of 81.

The following table shows PNW listed alongside some other comparably-rated online bachelor’s degree programs. (Please note these are not the complete listings. The full list can be found at usnews.com/online.)

NameRankScore
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee3784
Ball State University3983
Purdue University Northwest4881
University of Louisville4881
Bowling Green State University5380

2021 Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs

The online master’s degree programs in nursing were scored using the same factors as the online undergraduate degrees with an additional factor added, student excellence. PNW’s Master of Science in Nursing online program was one of only five Indiana nursing programs to make the list, ranking 112 with a score of 65.

The following table shows PNW listed alongside some other comparably-rated online master’s degree programs. (Please note these are not the complete listings. The full list can be found at usnews.com/online.)

NameRankScore
Western Michigan University9269
Ferris State University (MI)10866
Illinois State University10866
Montana State University11265
Purdue University Northwest11265
University of Detroit Mercy11564
University of Missouri11564

Learn more about the Purdue Northwest College of Nursing and its online as well as on-campus programs at www.pnw.edu/nursing.