Dr. Vicki Bingham
CLEVELAND, Miss. — U.S. News & World Reports has ranked Delta State University’s Nursing Program, non-MBA (Master’s) and iMBA program as some of the best in the United States, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Master of Commercial Aviation (MCA) and Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAC) non-MBA Master’s programs are ranked 110. The iMBA program was ranked as #202. A total of 373 schools were included in the rankings.
Vicki Bingham PhD, RN and Dean of Nursing & Associate Professor of DSU’s Robert E. Smith School of Nursing explained, “The DSU MSN program ranked #89 out of 174 schools in the ranking for U.S. World News Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs.”
“Being ranked by U.S. News and World Reports shows how well our Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is compared with those offered at other institutions, in terms of student engagement, faculty credentials, services, and technology,” she continued. “It demonstrates to students who are looking to advance their education in nursing that we can provide them with a quality education.”
Dr. Lisa Cooley
While the ranking does not allow for more federal funding to an institution currently, it does, according to the U.S. News and World Report, “empower consumers, business leaders, and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities.”
Assistant Professor of Marketing and MBA, iMBA Coordinator Lisa Cooley sees the ranking as a boost to the university’s already high standard of education.
“This list is the gold standard in terms of marketing for higher education programs,” Cooley said. “To make the list, universities submit an exhaustive list that includes data that deals with graduation rates, retention, job placement, quality standards, ratings from others in higher ed, etc. Universities answer hundreds of questions to even be considered. This year we are ranked 202 (nine spots up from last year) and our score increased by eight points.”
Dr. Tomeka Harbin
Winning the award is not an easy task, as DSU is competing against colleges and universities across the nation.
“When you consider who we are up against and the tuition associated with those programs, you’ll see it’s an incredibly impressive feat. A lot of universities didn’t even obtain a ranking. We are really pleased to have been selected again this year and plan to continue to improve our standards so that we move up the list each year,” Cooley added.
Dr. Tomeka Harbin, Chair of the Management, Marketing and Business Administration and Associate Professor agreed.
“It’s wonderful to be recognized again in the U.S. News and World Reports listings,” Harbin said. “I believe the best marketing tool for any higher education program are the students. To have Delta State University ranked even higher than last year means that we are taking the necessary steps to improve and make our MBA program one of the best in the country!”
