ASU’s growing nursing program ranks in top 5% nationally

The nursing programs at Arizona State University’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation continue to receive national recognition as top programs for those who want to become nurses or advance their scope of practice.

In the newly released U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, Edson College’s undergraduate nursing program tied for the No. 40 spot, placing it in the top 5% of all programs nationwide. Among public universities, the BSN program is tied for No. 25, ahead of Purdue and Texas A&M.

Edson College is a leader in creating new and innovative options to make high-quality nursing education more accessible for students. Since the fall of 2019, the college has more than doubled enrollment in the prelicensure Bachelor of Science in nursing program, and in that same time period, more than 4,200 students have graduated across all BSN programs.

This growth is both in response to and in anticipation of nursing workforce needs in Arizona and beyond. Right now, the state needs to add an estimated 14,000 more nurses just to reach the national average.

“Graduating more highly trained and ready-to-work nurses into the field is our aim,” said Judith Karshmer, dean of Edson College. “When people go to the hospital or to their primary care or preventative appointment, anywhere in Arizona, we want it to be a Sun Devil nurse there taking care of them because we know they’ll be well looked after.”

The college’s newest initiative, set to begin with two cohorts in the spring of 2026 — one in the Parker region and one in Tucson — is Learn Where You Live. It’s a 12-month accelerated program that makes it possible for students in Arizona to earn their degrees and become registered nurses without moving to an ASU campus.

“Through partnerships with local health care organizations, we’re expanding access and creating opportunities for students to stay where they’re needed most and serve their own communities,” Karshmer said.

Partners are a key part of the college’s ability to grow. Closer to home, the Edson College Phoenix Children’s cohort began in 2019 as a dedicated experience for students interested in pediatrics. The first students graduated in 2021, and as of Aug. 1 of this year, 205 students have completed the program, and 81% of those grads were hired by Phoenix Children’s.

Arlene Lamas was one of them.

Lamas is currently a clinical nurse at Phoenix Children’s and is also back at ASU to advance her nursing education in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

“I am the nurse that I am because I was able to participate in that program, and I was able to work with the people that were my teachers but are now my peers, and together we’ve made a really great team that I’m proud to be a part of,” she said.