The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program offered by the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School was ranked as the No. 1 DNP program in Massachusetts in 2026 by AllNurses.com. The UMass Chan program, which empowers nurses to excel as nurse practitioners, executives and mentors, features guaranteed clinical placements and a campus that’s shared with clinical partner UMass Memorial Health.
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as the top DNP program in Massachusetts,” said Joan Vitello-Cicciu, PhD, RN, the , dean of the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and professor of nursing. “This ranking reflects the dedication of our outstanding faculty and staff, the caliber and expertise of our students, and the strength of our partnership with UMass Memorial Health. Being embedded in a world-class clinical environment allows our students to lead with confidence and deliver evidence-based care to the patients who need it most. This honor belongs to the entire UMass Chan community.”
AllNurses.com is an online resource dedicated to supporting nursing professionals. For the DNP rankings, programs were evaluated based on licensure pass rates, graduation rates, tuition and the overall quality of education.
In the AllNurses.com write-up, it was noted that because of the clinical partnership with UMass Memorial Health, clinical placements are “significantly easier” to navigate at UMass Chan than at standalone universities, and that Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing students have “unparalleled access to top-tier clinical environments.” Student support was also deemed a plus, as was affordability.
The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing offers four tracks for DNP students with bachelor’s degrees, giving working nurses the opportunity to tailor their advanced practice education to align with their career goals and interests in specific patient-care areas:
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP: acute and critically ill adult patients
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP: adolescents (age 13) through older adults
- Family NP: individuals and their families across the lifespan, including primary care of pregnant people (prenatal) and pediatrics
- Psychiatric Mental Health NP: patients across the lifespan with mental health needs
The Post Master’s DNP program is for certified nurse practitioners or nurse administrators who have master’s degrees and are seeking terminal degrees.
The fall 2026 application deadline for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to DNP program is April 30. The deadline for the Post Master’s DNP program is May 3. Admission criteria is posted online.
