Online master’s in nursing program at UH Mānoa earns high national marks

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene was recognized in the 2025 US News and World Report rankings of the nation’s best online programs, released on Jan. 27. UH Mānoa placed No. 62 out of the top 209 online master’s in nursing programs. UH Mānoa was the only nursing school in Hawaiʻi to be ranked for online education.

US News and World Report assessed programs in student engagement (30%), faculty credentials and training (20%), peer assessment (20%), student services and technologies (20%) and student excellence (10%).

“This ranking underscores the strength of our online nursing program,” said Clementina D. Ceria-Ulep, dean of the UH Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene. “It speaks to our focus on delivering rigorous, accessible education that equips nurses to make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond. It also reflects the dedication of our faculty and students to meeting the evolving needs of health care and higher education.”

More about the online program

The online Advanced Population Health Nursing (APHN) program is a distance-based online master’s degree for registered nurses who wish to practice in Hawaiʻi, in the continental U.S. or international setting.

The program focuses on population-level health, wellness, social determinants of health, health promotion and disease prevention. Coursework is completed online, and fieldwork is conducted in the student’s own local community.

The 30-credit program is designed to be completed in one year as a full-time student or in two years as a part-time student. Students complete a six-credit capstone project that includes 270 hours of fieldwork experience. The capstone project is designed to provide students with experience in the indirect care level of service at the aggregate population, organizational or systems level. There is an additional nine-credit thesis option.

The deadline to apply to the online APHN program is May 1. Visit this website for the application page. There is a free online info session on Feb. 18.

For information about graduate programs, visit the UH Mānoa nursing website.