College of Nursing

Professional nurses provide health care services across the life span and in varied environments. Nursing is concerned with promoting, maintaining and restoring health, and committed to the goal of promoting an optimal level of functioning for all individuals, families and groups. Nursion thereby contributes to the health of the nation.

Professional nurses determine the health status of individuals, families and populations, and make clinical decisions regarding appropriate actions to be taken. They collaborate and cooperate with other members of a health team, such as physicians, social workers, physical therapists, pharmacists and occupational therapists. Nursing plays an essential role in advocating high-quality affordable health care for all members of society and in shaping health policy.

Professional nursing requires a broad background of knowledge in arts, sciences and nursing, including clinical and cognitive skills of analysis, critical thinking, therapeutic intervention and communication.

UMass Dartmouth’s College of Nursing educates students to become professionals.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the UMass Dartmouth College of Nursing is to provide visionary leadership that advances the practice of nursing in a dynamic environment. The college is committed to generating collaborative and consultative relationships with professional colleagues and consumers to enhance the health of individuals, families and communities. The college actualizes this mission by providing exemplary nursing education, meaningful service and scholarship that advances nursing knowledge and improves the health of the Commonwealth and beyond.

The college fulfills its mission by pursuit of the following goals:

To provide exemplary nursing education that offers learners opportunities to expand their knowledge and pursue advanced study
To foster creative and critical thinking that advances the discipline of nursing
To prepare nurses who demonstrate behaviors consistent with professional nursing practice
To create and sustain an environment for nursing scholarship and research within the university and beyond
To prepare leaders in the delivery of cost-effective health care which promotes positive consumer outcomes
To integrate concepts of health within the fabric of the university and the region
To create and expand partnerships that improve the health status of the population
To facilitate the exploration of political, legal, social, cultural, ethical and economic factors which influence the present and future of health care.

The College of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, and the baccalaureate and graduate programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006; phone 212 363-5555.

Programs of the College

The College of Nursing offers the only baccalaureate and graduate degree programs in nursing in southeastern Massachusetts. Students are admitted to one of two baccalaureate options. Students with no prior nursing education, and Licensed Practical Nurses, are admitted to the basic option. The second option, a flexible-access track for RNs, is offered through the university’s Professional and Continuing Education program and provides an opportunity for registered nurses who are graduates of associate degree and/or diploma schools to complete the requirements for the bachelor’s degree in nursing (RN-BS) or continue on to the master’s degree (RN-MS).

The College of Nursing offers the Masters of Science Degree (MS) for Advanced Practice Nursing, with options in

Adult Advanced Practice
Adult Nurse Practitioner
Community Nursing Advanced Practice.

The College of Nursing also offers Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Programs in

Nursing Education
Leadership/Management in Nursing.

The College of Nursing also offers a Post-Masters certificate for the

Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

Other post-masters courses are also offered. Please consult the university’s Graduate Catalog and the Nursin’s graduate program director for further information.

Details concerning admission to graduate programs and curriculum are also found in the Graduate Catalog.

Freshman Admission

Students are admitted to the basic baccalaureate nursing program through the university’s Office of Admissions. Applicants to the Nursing Program, in addition to fulfilling the requirements for all university students, must have had a secondary school program that included at least three units of mathematics and two laboratory courses of natural sciences. The three units of mathematics must include two units of algebra.

Placement Exam—Math

Freshman students admitted to the College of Nursing must take the math placement examination before they commence studies. The results of the examination may require students to receive tutoring or additional instruction. Failure to place in MTH 101 excludes a student from CHM 101.

Admission by Transfer

All students admitted to UMass Dartmouth by transfer from other colleges must meet the same entrance requirements as those for entering freshmen.

Consistent with university policy, credits earned in another college may be accepted as transfer credits after official transcripts have been evaluated.

The college has a special transfer program for students who already possess the RN license, described later in this section.

Academic Advisement

All nursing students are assigned a college faculty advisor. Students are expected to contact their advisor early each semester for program planning.

Nursing Programs for RNs — Baccalaureate and Combined BS-MS

Through the Professional and Continuing Education unit, the College of Nursing offers registered nurses the opportunity to advance their professional knowledge in two degree programs.

The RN-BSN Program offers nursing courses is an online learning program. The internet serves as the primary means of delivering course content, while all nursing courses may include face-to face class sessions, thus adding value to the student learning experience.

The RN-BSN-MS option allows a registered nurse to earn both the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science nursing degrees in one continuous program. Students who select this option will earn undergraduate credits, as well as up to 9 graduate credits, as part of their undergraduate study; and then proceed to complete the master of science in nursing program. RN students who do not select the RN-BSN-MS option, but meet progression criteria, may take graduate nursing credits as electives to complete the RN-BSN Program.

For additional information, contact the university’s Division of Professional and Continuing Education, 508 999-9202, or the college’s RN Program Director at 508 999-8891.