Duke Graduate Programs Ranked Highly

The Duke University School of Nursing was ranked as the No. 2 program in the nation for its Master of Science of Nursing program, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2020 rankings released this week.

The nursing school's Doctor of Nursing Practice degree was also ranked among the best, tied for No. 2 out of 146 master's programs rated by the magazine. 

“Here at the Duke University School of Nursing, we have created a community of scholars that foster and support innovative nursing leaders.” said Marion E. Broome, Ph.D., Ruby Wilson Professor of Nursing and dean of the Duke University School of Nursing. “We could not maintain the high-level of performance that is recognized by these exceptional rankings without the hard work, commitment and personal support of our world-class faculty and staff, gifted students and committed alumni.”

Several nursing specialty areas were also included among the magazine's top 10: Nurse Practitioner-Family (1st); Nurse Practitioner-Adult/Gerontology, Primary Care (1st); Nurse Practitioner-Adult Gerontology, Acute Care (1st); Nurse Practitioner-Pediatric (2nd); Nursing Administration (3rd); Nursing Informatics (5th).

Here’s where the magazine ranked other graduate and professional programs at Duke:

Medicine

U.S. News also assessed 120 medical schools and ranked Duke's School of Medicine in a tie for 13th. The medical school’s Physician Assistant program was again ranked No. 1, tied with the University of Iowa, among 169 programs evaluated -- a top spot it has held for several years.

• Surgery (2nd)
• Internal Medicine (4th)
• Anesthesiology (5th)
• Radiology (6th)
• Psychiatry (tied for 6th)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (tied for 8th)
• Pediatrics (tied for 10th)
• Family Medicine (10th)

Business

The Fuqua School of Business ranked 10th. Among the specialty programs:

• Marketing (tied for 2nd)
• Executive MBA (6th)
• Non-Profit (6th)
• Management (9th)
• International (10th)
• Finance (13th)
• Production/Operations (16th)
• Accounting (47th)

Engineering

The Pratt School of Engineering ranked 24th, its highest score ever.  Among the subfields:

• Biomedical Engineering/Bioengineering (tied for 3rd)
• Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (tied for 10th)
• Computer Engineering (tied for 21st)
• Electrical Engineering (tied for 23rd)
• Mechanical Engineering (tied for 24th)
• Civil Engineering (tied for 26th)
• Materials Engineering (tied for 37th)

Law

The School of Law tied for 10th. The law school also achieved Top 20 rankings in the following specialty categories:

• International Law (8th)
• Intellectual Property Law (tied for 8th)
• Environmental (tied for 13th)
• Tax (tied for 14th)
• Health Care (tied for 16th)

Public Policy

The Sanford School of Public Policy ranked 5th in Public Policy Analysis, which is widely viewed as the key indicator among schools of public policy.

In the specialty rankings, the Sanford School ranked 3rd in Environmental Policy and Management -- a reflection of the graduate programs offered by and with Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment -- 6th in health policy and management, and 7th in social policy.