Contact:  Office of Media Relations, Michelle Fryling, Director

January 10, 2008

The Pennsylvania State System Board of Governors approved Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s doctoral program in nursing at its Jan. 10 meeting.

“IUP’s ninth doctoral program will advance the University’s graduate nursing curriculum, while responding to the state and the nation’s shortage of licensed nurses,” said IUP President  Tony Atwater. “This important addition to our graduate program also will contribute to scholarly research in the area of teacher education in the nursing profession.”

The program was developed following a regional needs assessment indicating a strong interest in a doctoral nursing program at IUP.

“The need for qualified nurses continues to grow,” said Dr. Carleen Zoni, dean of IUP’s College of Health and Human Services. “One strategy to meet the growing demand for nurses is to increase enrollment in nursing programs, and increase the number of faculty with appropriate academic qualifications to teach in these programs. “IUP’s program will have a specialized focus on nursing education, developing nurse teacher-scholars who are experts in nursing pedagogy and are prepared to conduct advanced research.”

Members of IUP’s Council of Trustees approved the program in December 2006.

The proposed program will consist of 60 credits offered in a part-time cohort fashion, with course work completed in eight semesters. There are three components to the curriculum: a nursing core; research core and support courses allowing specialized study. The proposed program would admit approximately 18 students for each cohort.

The Department of Nursing and Allied Health at IUP includes both undergraduate and master’s programs. The Allied Health Professions programs include respiratory care, clinical laboratory service, nuclear medicine technology and a gerontology certification program.
 

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