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University of Maryland School of Nursing and Anne Arundel Community College Sign Dual-Admission Partnership Agreement

February 27, 2017

Students will be able to apply to both schools simultaneously and satisfy the requirements of both schools.

Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) in Arnold, Maryland, recently signed an agreement of dual admission that will ensure students’ seamless transition from AACC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program to UMSON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The program will be available to nursing students this fall.

Through the agreement, students will be simultaneously admitted into AACC’s ADN program and UMSON’s BSN program while satisfying the requirements of both schools. Students enrolled in the program will receive transfer credits from UMSON for completed coursework at AACC and will be granted special student status, allowing them to take UMSON courses while still working on their associate degree, thereby saving them time and money in completing their BSN degree.

"The goal of the dual enrollment is to increase the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the community," said Beth Batturs Martin, MS, RN, director, Nursing and Health Initiatives, AACC. "Through the partnership between the University of Maryland School of Nursing and Anne Arundel Community College, students can begin their journey early in their academic career, which encourages degree completion."

An effort to increase qualified nursing candidates, the agreement will also help further the mission of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Future of Nursing Campaign for Action to advance comprehensive health care change. Specifically, it will address one of the eight goals set forth in the IOM report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health: to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020.

"This agreement is the result of a joint commitment between both schools to offer choices to students who wish to take RN-to-BSN courses while in their ADN program," said Nina Trocky, DNP, RN, NE-BC, CNE, assistant professor and associate dean for the baccalaureate program. "The deans and directors within the state of Maryland understand the need to partner with many institutions, thus allowing students in their respective programs to select the best pathway to take to achieve their BSN."

To matriculate to UMSON’s BSN program, students must graduate with an ADN from AACC and satisfy UMSON’s progression criteria.

AACC is an award-winning, fully accredited public two-year institution serving approximately 50,000 students each year through classes offered at more than 100 sites in Anne Arundel County or online. It offers national and regional studies leading to a degree, certificate, industry credential, transfer to a four-year institution or career enhancement, personal enrichment and lifelong learning. For more information, visit www.aacc.edu.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top 10 nursing schools in the United States. Enrolling more than 1,800 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.