Colleges join forces to expand nursing degree option

Ursinus and Villanova sign five-year agreement

Ursinus College students interested in a degree in nursing have a new opportunity available to them.

Ursinus and Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing recently signed an agreement that will allow Ursinus graduates to earn an accelerated bachelor of science degree from Villanova within 14 months.

The program, open to all qualified graduates or graduating Ursinus students, incorporates all of the standard components of Villanova’s nursing program in a concentrated timeline.

At least five students will be accepted into the program under the five-year affiliation agreement between the two schools.

“This agreement presents a wealth of new possibilities for Ursinus students seeking a career path in nursing,” said Mark Schneider, vice president of academic affairs and dean of Ursinus. “We are proud to enter this partnership with Villanova and provide a new generation of healthcare professionals the opportunity to earn a second bachelor’s degree from a renowned institution before setting out to meet the healthcare needs of the global community.”

Ursinus also has academic degree partnerships with Columbia University and Case Western Reserve University (engineering); The Simon Business School at the University of Rochester (business); and Saint Joseph’s University (MBA).

“I am a great supporter of dualdegree programs like the Villanova partnership,” Schneider added. “They allow students to enjoy all the benefits of a full liberal education and still gain the skills and credentials that are

such valuable preparation for a career.”

The two institutions began formally discussing an affiliation agreement during fall 2016, according to Edward Moorhouse, director of communication at Ursinus. He added that representatives from the Villanova

University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing have visited Ursinus each fall and spring since 2014 to share information with students about Villanova’s 14-month Accelerated Second Degree Nursing Program.

“We have been delighted with the success of Ursinus graduates in our BSN program and the impact they have in their nursing careers while caring for patients,

families and communities. We look forward to continuing this relationship with Ursinus through this new agreement,” said Lesley A. Perry, Ph.D., R.N., interim dean of Villanova’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.

The program is open to any Ursinus student seeking a career path in nursing who successfully completes a four-year undergraduate degree at Ursinus, according

to Moorhouse. The students must also complete undergraduate prerequisite courses (or equivalencies) mutually agreed upon in advance by Ursinus and Villanova; and admission requirements for the Villanova BSN program before transitioning to the second degree program.

Moorhouse added that Ursinus students may approach Villanova at any time during their sophomore,

junior or senior year.

“Interested students are reviewed at any point in their Ursinus career so the institutions may recommend the prerequisite courses they will need to complete in advance of admission to the Villanova program,” he said.

The Accelerated BSN Program for College Graduates is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and fully accredited by

the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

For more information about Ursinus College visit www.ursinus.edu . For more information about the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing visit www1.villanova. edu/villanova/nursing.html

SUBMITTED PHOTO Ursinus College and the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing have signed a five-year affiliation agreement that will allow at least five Ursinus graduates per year to earn an accelerated bachelor of science degree from Villanova...