By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 4-21-08
GREENSBORO, NC – Two graduate programs at UNCG – Counselor Education and Nurse Anesthesia – have received top national rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
The Department of Counseling and Educational Development (CED) ranks fourth in the nation, according to the magazine’s just-released “Best Graduate Schools 2009.” The Nurse Anesthesia program, a partnership between UNCG and two other institutions – Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia – ranks 11th and 16th.
U.S. News ranked CED number four in Student Counseling and Personnel Services, up from seventh in last year’s report. The University of Maryland at College Park ranked first, followed by the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of Florida. Ohio State University tied with UNCG for the fourth spot.
This year, the magazine ranked graduate programs at 278 schools granting doctoral degrees in education. Of those schools, 242 provided the data requested to calculate rankings.
Specialty rankings are based solely on reputation, and programs are nominated by education school deans and deans of graduate studies. U.S. News lists the top ten schools in each area.
“I am pleased that the efforts of our faculty, students and alumni have been recognized,” said Dr. L. DiAnne Borders, department chairperson, “especially in terms of their research and service in national professional service organizations.”
UNCG’s counseling program, housed within the School of Education, has been consistently ranked in the magazine’s top 10 over the past decade. The program offers master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degrees in community mental health, couple and family, gerontological, college and school counseling. Several post-master’s certificates also are offered.
Approximately 30 doctoral students and 75 master’s degree students are currently enrolled in the program. More than 400 counselor education programs currently exist nationwide.
“Having the Department of Counseling and Educational Development rank fourth in the nation is very exciting,” said Dr. Dale Schunk, dean of the School of Education. “The CED department continues to be a top-tier program, which is a testimony to its outstanding faculty and students.”
The Nurse Anesthesia concentration leading to the MSN degree is housed within the UNCG School of Nursing. UNCG graduate nursing faculty teach the core courses; nurse anesthesia classes are taught by adjunct graduate faculty from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia.
The magazine ranks the UNCG-Wake Forest program 11th and the UNCG-Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia program 16th.
Dr. Eileen Kohlenberg, associate dean for graduate programs in the nursing school, said 135 students were admitted to the UNCG graduate program last year with a mean undergraduate GPA of 3.41. Sixty-four of these students were then admitted to the schools of Nurse Anesthesia. Ninety-six percent of program graduates passed the certification exam last year, and the five-year graduation rate for 2002-07 was 98.31 percent.
“We have an outstanding program with excellent students and faculty,” Kohlenberg said. “And there is a great need. We probably need to be producing about a third more nurse anesthetists just to keep up with needs from the state.”
U.S. News ranks the School of Nursing 72nd and the School of Education 73rd in the nation.
