Bachelor of Science Four-Year Degree Approved for 2010
BOILING SPRINGS, NC - Gardner-Webb University is proud to announce that its School of Nursing will offer a new generic four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program starting in the fall of 2010. Approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing, this 130-semester hour program will enable students to achieve a BSN from GWU through the traditional undergraduate on-campus program.
The new four-year program will provide a way of offering the BSN degree that the School of Nursing believes will meet important healthcare needs in the region. This degree will allow students to acquire an undergraduate education that is grounded in the liberal arts and will also prepare students to take the National License Exam for registered nurses (RN's).
Gardner-Webb Provost and Senior Vice President, Ben Leslie, says there are numerous justifications for adding the program - which includes how it will improve recruitment of students. "We are excited about the new nursing degree. It will increase the total number of students Gardner-Webb trains for nursing by 30 per year, thus allowing us to make a contribution to the region's ongoing nursing shortage," said Leslie.
Gardner-Webb's School of Nursing currently offers the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), the Bachelors of Science in Nursing program (BSN), and the Master of Science in Nursing Program (MSN). The ADN is a two-year program leading to the Associate of Arts Degree in Nursing offered through the undergraduate on-campus program. The BSN program is a completion program that allows registered nurses with an Associate Degree or Diploma in Nursing to complete their BSN through the GOAL (Greater Opportunities for Adult Learners) Program of the College of Distance Learning and Continuing Education. The MSN Program is 30-hours of study leading to the Master of Science in Nursing through GWU's Graduate School.
Dr. Rebecca Beck-Little, dean of the Gardner-Webb School of Nursing, sees the program as an enhancement to Gardner-Webb University's diverse community of learning. "The program is comparable to the current academic programs at GWU. Students in the generic four-year BSN program will benefit from being allowed to complete their education through a curriculum plan that is considered the norm in a University setting," said Beck-Little.
Leslie adds that students should keep in mind they can still enroll for the two-year ADN degree that leads to the RN credential. "Upon completion of the ADN, students may continue, as they have for many years, with our RN to BSN program, typically while they are fully employed in nursing positions," said Leslie.
More information on the School of Nursing is available at 704-406-4360.
Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is home to students from 23 different countries and 37 states (and the District of Columbia) enrolled for the Fall 2009 semester
