UTA expanding five graduate nursing degrees online to help working nurses enhance careers
The University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation will offer five of its graduate nursing degrees online beginning in spring 2017, a move that is expected to significantly heighten opportunities for registered nurses to enhance their careers.
The degrees include four master’s and one doctorate degree, the Doctor of Nursing Practice or DNP. The four master’s of science in nursing degrees have nurse practitioner specialties in pediatric primary care, pediatric acute care, adult gerontology acute care and adult gerontology primary care. The college also will continue to offer these degrees in traditional classroom settings.
The MSN nurse practitioner programs are designed to prepare advanced practice nurses to become expert providers and healthcare leaders in high demand areas such as pediatrics, adult care and gerontology. The online DNP is geared toward nursing practice application. It prepares graduates for nursing leadership and health care consulting opportunities as well as careers in higher education. The DNP is one of three doctoral degrees offered by the college. The others are a PhD in nursing, which has a strong research orientation, and a PhD in kinesiology, which was introduced in fall 2016.
“Making these degrees available online will give expanded access to experienced nurses looking to enhance their careers with a quality, flexible and affordable education from one of the nation’s leading nursing programs,” said Anne Bavier, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
The online graduate programs offer students accelerated 100 percent online coursework, multiple start dates per year and mentoring opportunities by nursing faculty. At least two-thirds of the college’s nearly 20,000 nursing students take all their classes online.
Bavier said expanding these programs online also will benefit the state by helping address primary and acute care provider shortages in Texas. Improving health and the human condition is one of the four main themes of UTA’s Strategic Plan | 2020.
“Our goal is to ensure that nurses not only advance in their professional practice but also serve as clinical instructors in the industry and in the classroom,” Bavier said. “Highly qualified nurses are critical to the success of our evolving health care system. They play an increasingly vital role in achieving the best possible patient outcomes and improving health and wellness. The expansion of these nursing programs is a re-affirmation of our commitment to improving health and the human condition throughout the state and the entire country.”
About the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation
UTA’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation is a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence and encompasses one of the nation’s largest and most successful nursing schools and a renowned kinesiology program offering degrees in exercise science, kinesiology, athletic training and an undergraduate track in public health. The College is the largest producer of registered nurses in Texas and a leader in the use of online platforms and simulation technology to help more students achieve nursing degrees. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Master of Science in Nursing program and the online Master of Science in Nursing degree among the best in the country. The College’s highly regarded faculty is dedicated to advancing health and the human condition and investigates a wide range of topics in basic science, human performance and clinical conditions.
About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie Research-1 “highest research activity” institution. With a projected global enrollment of close to 57,000 in AY 2016-17, UTA is the largest institution in The University of Texas System. Guided by its Strategic Plan Bold Solutions | Global Impact, UTA fosters interdisciplinary research within four broad themes: health and the human condition, sustainable urban communities, global environmental impact, and data-driven discovery. UTA was recently cited by U.S. News & World Report as having the second lowest average student debt among U.S. universities. U.S. News & World Report also ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times’ 2017 Best for Vets list.