UTHealth Houston family nurse practitioner program ranked No. 1 in Texas
U.S. News & World Report ranks program No. 12 in nation
(Photo by UTHealth Houston)
The Family Nurse Practitioner track of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston ranked No. 1 in Texas and tied for No. 12 nationally in the latest listings by U.S. News & World Report.
The 2026 edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools, which was released today, listed only 15 FNP programs from among hundreds nationwide that were nominated by deans of nursing schools and graduate programs.
“Earning the top ranking in Texas and standing among the very best programs in the country affirms the excellence of our faculty, the dedication of our students, and the impact our graduates make in communities across our state and beyond,” said Melina R. Kibbe, MD, president of UTHealth Houston and Alkek?Williams Distinguished Chair. “We are proud of this achievement and of the vital role Cizik School of Nursing plays in advancing health through education, research, and clinical innovation.”
Cizik School of Nursing began transitioning its entry-level nurse practitioner tracks to the DNP level in 2019 to achieve goals set by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. While the school still offers an FNP track in its Master of Science in Nursing program, prospective FNP students are encouraged to consider the BSN to DNP track to prepare for their highest level of advanced practice.
“We are honored that our colleagues across the nation recognize the quality and rigor of our FNP program,” said Susan Ruppert, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, associate dean for graduate studies and PARTNERS Endowed Professor in Nursing at Cizik School of Nursing. “More importantly, we are immensely proud of our FNP alumni and students who are improving health care systems and the lives of patients and families.”
Cizik School of Nursing’s FNP program prepares students to care for individuals and families across the lifespan with a focus on primary care in outpatient settings. Scholarship and financial aid opportunities available to FNP students include traineeships from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which support selected nurse practitioner students annually who are interested in practicing in underserved rural and urban areas after graduation.
The nursing school’s FNP program can serve as a pathway to the state’s only Emergency Nurse Practitioner track and the nation’s only Emergency Medical Services Nurse Practitioner subspecialty track. The Emergency Nurse Practitioner program accepts those who are already FNPs as well as Cizik School of Nursing FNP students in their last semester, while the Emergency Medical Services Nurse Practitioner program accepts ENPs and students in the last semester of the ENP track.
Cizik School of Nursing is also ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 8 in the nation among nursing schools that receive research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
“Our faculty’s rich, varied, and well-funded research benefits students at all levels,” said Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, ACRN, PHNA-BC, dean of Cizik School of Nursing, as well as the nursing school’s Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing Education Leadership and The Jane and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair. “Our PhD students receive one-on-one mentoring from leading nurse scientists, and our DNP students have great opportunities to collaborate with faculty, their PhD peers, and health care professionals throughout UTHealth Houston and the Texas Medical Center to translate scientific discoveries into patient care.”
Overall, Cizik School of Nursing’s DNP and MSN programs were tied for 41st and 32nd in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, respectively, and the DNP program was top ranked among public universities in Texas.
U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools ranked 154 DNP programs and 147 MSN programs from schools that provided data on research activity, faculty resources, student excellence, postgraduate outcomes, and qualitative ratings derived from peer assessment surveys. Its statistical data collection survey was sent to 682 nursing schools in late 2025 and early 2026. The MSN rankings include assessment surveys from health care professionals as well as academic leaders. The FNP specialty rankings are based solely on peer assessment surveys from nursing school deans and deans of graduate studies.
