The University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth has plans to expand its recently created Health Science Center College of Nursing program by offering two new degree programs beginning in the fall of 2025.
The University of North Texas System Board of Regents approved these programs, a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, on February 22. The BSN will be a 20-month program focusing on nursing with hands-on clinical experience, while the MSN will be a 47-hour graduate course for nurses who have completed their BSN and wish to pursue a path in mental health, according to a release from the school.
The two recently approved programs are in addition to the two nursing degree programs scheduled to launch in August 2024: Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) and MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation.
“The UNT System Board of Regents’ approval of the pre-licensure BSN and the MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner marks the next step in expanding the HSC College of Nursing,” said Dr. Cindy Weston, founding dean of the college, according to a release. “By adding two new degree programs to our College of Nursing, we are strengthening the nursing profession for our most critical areas of need in Texas.”
The HSC College of Nursing was approved in 2023 to help address the shortage of nurses in the state. Officials from Texas Health Resources predicted in 2022 that the number of nurses in the state would be insufficient to meet future demand, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“We want to create nurse innovators and leaders by training new nurses and building upon current nursing professionals’ education,” said Charles Taylor, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs for UNT, according to a news release. “These nurses will benefit from HSC’s interdisciplinary approach to education and will learn how to improve health care systems and solve challenges in the nursing profession.”
