Media Contact: Debra Dennis;
DDennis@DallasCollege.edu
For immediate release: January 10, 2024
(DALLAS) — For the second time in three years, Dallas College is launching a new opportunity for students to earn a bachelor’s degree, this time in health care. Dallas College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has been approved by both the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The program will begin with 20 students and will be available online. The inaugural cohort begins this summer with a single eight-week session. Fall and spring courses will be structured into two eight-week sessions each semester.
Last year, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded Dallas College a $1 million grant to provide high-quality nursing education in underserved communities. The goal is to address the ongoing need for nurses, said Dr. Tetsuya Umebayashi, vice provost of Dallas College’s School of Health Sciences. “This grant provides important opportunity and support for nurses already in the field, as well as those looking to expand their career options.”
Dallas College is answering the call to address the shortage of bachelor’s degree-holding nurses.
The current nursing workforce is understaffed: Only 65.2 percent of registered nurses are prepared at the baccalaureate or graduate level, according to the latest workforce survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
Dallas College nursing students will benefit from quality instruction delivered by the school’s dedicated nursing faculty. All courses will be virtual except for three courses that require clinical training and must be completed both virtually and in the community, Umebayashi said.
Dallas College’s RN-BSN program offers a career pathway that significantly reduces tuition. Tuition and other costs at colleges are a burden for some and a major obstacle to addressing the health care shortage. Community colleges are known for their affordability. Dallas College will keep its tuition the same for the RN-BSN degree as it is for its associate degree programs, Umebayashi said. Total tuition with fees for Dallas College’s RN-BSN program is $2,800. Tuition for RN-BSN programs at four-year colleges typically ranges from $8,000 to $16,000.
Additionally, the Nursing program will offer students a seamless path from the beginning of their academic journey to the completion of their bachelor’s degree. Being able to enroll in one institution for the entire degree program significantly reduces barriers for students and solves common articulation issues between traditional two- and four-year colleges.
Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon said the new bachelor’s degree program is part of Dallas College’s mission to provide trained and educated nurses to meet the needs of an expanding workforce.
“The addition of this degree program opens up exciting territory for Dallas College, reaffirming our position as an institution committed to removing barriers for students on their path to professional and personal advancement,” Lonon said. “Most importantly, the impact of the program transcends our campuses, ensuring a stronger, more qualified healthcare workforce for Dallas County and beyond.”
Dallas College launched its first bachelor’s degree program, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching (BAS ECE), in 2020. The first cohort of more than 100 students graduated from that program last spring.
For more information about the RN-BSN program, please visit: Dallas College RN-BSN
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