Shenandoah Programs Receive Top Rankings
BEST Physician Assistant Program
Shenandoah’s Physician Assistant Studies program is ranked tops in Virginia and 21st in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2025.
BEST Nurse-Midwifery Program
Shenandoah’s Nurse-Midwifery program is first in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report.
#2 Physical Therapy Program
Shenandoah’s Physical Therapy program is second in Virginia and 65th nationwide according to rankings by U.S. News & World Report for 2025.
Understanding the methodology
Among the metrics used by U.S. News & Report for their college rankings are graduation rates, first-year retention rates, graduation rate performance, Pell graduation rates, Pell graduation performance, first-generation graduation rates, first-generation graduation rate performance, college grads earning more than a high school grad, borrower debt, peer assessment, financial resources per student, faculty salaries, full-time faculty, student-faculty ratio, standardized tests, citations per publication, fiield-weighted citation impact, publication share in the Top 5% of journals by CiteScore, publication share in the Top 25% of journals by CiteScore.
For more information about U.S. News & World Report ratings calculations as updated for 2025, visit their ratings calculations page.
#1 Music College in Virginia
Shenandoah Conservatory’s Music programs are ranked first in Virginia and 37th in the nation by Niche.com for 2024.
I LOVE their conservatory and their amazing music program. It is a private school, so when it comes to music, they will definitely give you that one-on-one experience.”
– From reviews on Niche.com
Understanding the methodology
“The Best Colleges for Music ranking is based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education. The ranking compares the top music schools and performing arts colleges in the U.S.”
#1 Nursing program in Virginia
Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at a private university in Virginia is #1, according to RNCareers.org.
Nursing has challenged me to change the way I think about daily tasks and I have become passionate about helping people in any way I can.”
– Mackenzie Dierberg ’23
Understanding the methodology
rncareers.org collects institution, program and NCLEX testing data and compiles essential ADN and BSN nursing data as part of their ranking process.
Visit their ranking methodology page for a comprehensive view of their ranking strategy.
#1 For Musical Theater in Virgina
Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre is ranked tops for visual and performing arts at a private university in Virginia by CollegeFactual.com.
Shenandoah University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor’s degree in musical theater.”
Understanding the methodology
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus – How much a school focuses on musical theater students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand – How many other musical theater students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
- Educational Resources – The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Accreditation – Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized musical theater related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for musical theater students working on their bachelor’s degree.
#1 For Sport Management in Virginia
Shenandoah School of Business Sport Management program ranks first in Virginia in 2025.
My favorite part of my major is learning about the different aspects of the sports world that I could only dream of. Also, all of the sport management and business professors have been of great help in my journey.”
– Aymar Bisseck ’24″
Understanding the methodology
“The Best Colleges for Music ranking is based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education. The ranking compares the top music schools and performing arts colleges in the U.S.”
#1 Dance School in Virginia
Shenandoah Conservatory has the top dance program in Virginia, according to College Factual.
At Shenandoah, I’ve been able to dive deeper into my artistry and discover parts of myself that I didn’t even know existed. ”
– Rachel “Rey” Harris, ’23
#2 Nursing B.S. Degrees in the Southeast
Shenandoah’s undergraduate nursing programs ranked as the second highest in private universities in Virginia in College Factual’s listing of the 2025 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
At Shenandoah has a great reputation for its health care degrees, so I knew I would get a top-notch education.”
– Johanna “Joey” Vazzana ’23
Shenandoah University is a College of Distinction
Shenandoah University is a 2024-25 College of Distinction, with additional recognitions in the areas of Business, Education, Nursing, Career Development, Equity & Inclusion, and Military Support.
College Gazette ranks Shenandoah’s Music Therapy programs among the top 10 in the U.S.!
At Shenandoah, music therapy students receive a multidisciplinary, dynamic education that has the potential to take them across the world.
Options abound. Students can take classes in a virtual reality lab; work in teams of nursing, pharmacy, and occupational therapy students in the interprofessional education program; complete a clinical placement at INOVA hospital; or travel abroad to the World Congress of Music Therapy.
Shenandoah made the list of OnlineU.com’s 2025 Best Pharmacy Degrees Online !
(SU’s) programs are tailored to students who are beginning their pharmacy careers or licensed pharmacists who want to advance their expertise.”
Shenandoah’s Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing was ranked #7 by Nursing Schools Almanac in their list of top Virginia nursing schools!
The university offers a breadth of nursing pathways including a traditional BSN, an accelerated BSN, a Veteran-to-BSN bridge program, four MSN specializations, the corresponding post-graduate certificates, and a DNP curriculum with both BSN and MSN entry points. Across its two campuses in Winchester and Ashburn, Shenandoah University produces 100-150 prelicensure BSN graduates annually.
Shenandoah’s Kinesiology and Physical Therapy programs are tops in Virginia as ranked by niche.com!
Shenandoah University’s Division of Physical Therapy prepares students as doctorally educated physical therapists who are reflective, collaborative practitioners that provide evidence‐based, compassionate and ethical care for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of movement dysfunction across the global community.
Shenandoah ranked #2 on the 2023 Best Value Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list!
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Shenandoah University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value rehabilitation and therapeutic professions schools in the Southeast Region.”
Shenandoah ranked #4 in the Best Physical Therapy/Therapist Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region.
The physical therapy program at Shenandoah University fosters a supportive learning environment that challenges students and molds us into top-tier clinicians. We are not a number, and we have the opportunity to form strong relationships with peers and faculty.
Natalie Nichols ’24 | Doctor of Physical Therapy
National Top 10: DIII Student-Athlete Volunteer Hours
According to Helper Helper, Shenandoah University student-athletes have the 6th-highest number of volunteer hours of any DIII college or university in the nation.
From volunteering at local schools to organizing fundraising events for charities, student-athletes have demonstrated their commitment to making a positive impact beyond the field of play.
– helperhelper.com
Shenandoah ranked #4 as the Best Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region.
Therapeutic doctoral degrees at SU include Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.
#4 Best Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region as ranked by Collegefactual.com
Gold-Level Campus
Shenandoah is recognized by Exercise is Medicine as a Gold campus in 2024 for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.
Understanding the methodology
Programs such as the Exercise is Medicine On Campus (EIM-OC ) Month Challenge, Vital Signs Assessment and Referral, and SUFiT training all helped Shenandoah earn Gold-level designation. Shenandoah also earned EIM’s COVID Conqueror badge, a new honor given to campuses that demonstrated creative adaptations to physical activity programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shenandoah’s Nontraditional Doctor Of Pharmacy Online Program is ranked 4th in the nation by CollegeAffordabilityGuide.org.
Understanding the methodology
We look at the fundamentals first: not-for-profit status, at least 500 total students, Associate or higher degrees, and at least one non-standard way for students to earn college credits, such as AP or ROTC credit. We also require that at least 20% of students be Pell Grant recipients.”
Read more at collegeaffordabilityguide.org
Shenandoah’s online Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy program is ranked #5 in Intelligent.com’s list of the nation’s best online programs for a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.