‘GOOD TO BE NOTICED’
ECU programs included in U.S. News list of best graduate schools
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and the ECU Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies have been ranked among the best graduate programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report magazine.
The Brody School of Medicine is ranked 19th overall among primary care schools this year, up from a tie for 31st last year. ECU also sent the fifth-highest percentage of its graduates, 54.4 percent, into primary care residencies between 2010 and 2012. U.S. News defines primary care as family medicine, pediatrics and internal medicine.
Dr. Paul Cunningham
“It is clear that our school has what it takes to rank with many well established schools from across the nation,” said Dr. Paul Cunningham, dean of the Brody School
of Medicine. “What is even more remarkable is that we are still the best value in the United States. Our tuition and fees are still the most affordable. As long as we remain true to our mission of service to the citizens of North Carolina, very little else really matters. But it’s good to be noticed.”
In addition, the rehabilitation counseling program in the ECU College of Allied Health Sciences is ranked 13th among such programs by U.S. News.
“I am not surprised that our program continues to be ranked among the best,” said Dr. Paul Toriello, chair of doctoral and graduate programs in the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies. “Our faculty, students and graduates are of the highest caliber, and I am glad the U.S. News & World Report recognizes the quality of our program.”
ECU’s master’s in rehabilitation and career counseling teaches theory, applied counseling approaches and the clinical skills necessary for professionals to help individuals with disabilities achieve their maximum level of physical, psychological, social, educational, vocational and economic potential. The doctoral program in rehabilitation counseling allows students to specialize in substance and clinical counseling, vocational evaluation or rehabilitation research.
Nationally-recognized faculty and an innovative curriculum give rehabilitation counseling students a variety of skills that make them highly marketable. The program has a long history of seizing opportunities to advance practice in high needs areas such as a new military and trauma counseling course, the first in a postgraduate certificate program that will begin this fall, said Dr. Stephen Thomas, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences.
The ECU College of Nursing is also included in the most recent publications, ranked 10th among online graduate nursing programs. This was previously announced in an online-only listing posted by U.S. News on Jan. 15.
Online degrees have been growing in popularity the past 10 years driven in part by a competitive job market and stagnant economy, according to U.S. News. ECU’s College of Nursing has been consistently named as one of the largest distance education programs in the country since 2004. The current rankings assess quality categories over size.
The College of Nursing offers seven online options in the master of science nursing program: adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, family nurse practitioner, neonatal nurse practitioner, nursing education, nursing leadership and nurse midwifery. Of 704 total students enrolled in the MSN program, 606 – or 86 percent – are distance education students.
Full lists and rankings can be viewed online beginning March 12 at http://www.usnews.com. The “Best Graduate Schools 2014” guidebook will be available in print April 9.