Coastal Carolina University will launch a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in Fall 2024. The new four-year undergraduate degree recently earned approval from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and the South Carolina Board of Nursing, finalizing an in-depth, yearlong application process. Development of the BSN program within the Conway Medical Center College of Health and Human Performance reinforces CCU’s longstanding commitment to addressing local workforce needs and the region’s critical nursing shortage.

“For over a decade, CCU has provided several pathways for registered nurses to continue their education and earn a BSN degree,” said Wanda Dooley, DNP, CCU’s director of nursing. “The addition of a four-year degree program in nursing to the CMC College of Health and Human Performance recognizes the need for bachelor’s-prepared registered nurses to support the growing needs of the community. This program will prepare our students to become leaders in the ever-changing healthcare environment.”

The BSN program will welcome up to 32 students in its first cohort this fall, with an anticipated graduation date of May 2027. The immersive, hands-on program will allow students to gain key understanding in areas of patient care technology, research, safety, health promotion, and health care system quality. At the conclusion of the program, students will also be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

The regional shortage of nurses is projected to worsen as aging South Carolinians require additional health care and many nurses reach retirement age, according to Colleen McGlone, Ph.D., dean of the CMC College of Health and Human Performance. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists nursing among the top-growing occupations through 2029.

“The addition of this program illustrates our college’s mission to create a multigenerational impact in the areas of health and human performance,” said McGlone. “One of the most exciting aspects of this particular program is that it showcases the University’s commitment to preparing students for the workforce, which will have an immediate impact on our community. I am very proud of our nursing faculty, who worked tirelessly for the last year to create what will become a signature program for our college and University.”

Enrollment information will be forthcoming on coastal.edu in late February 2024. The new BSN program will complement the University’s longstanding RN to BSN program, which will continue to be offered. Visit coastal.edu/nursing to learn more.