News Releases
University of Maryland School of Nursing and Prince George’s Community College Sign Dual-Admission Partnership Agreement
November 30, 2017
Community college students can take UMSON courses while completing associate degree.
Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) in Largo, Maryland, recently signed an agreement of dual admission that will ensure students’ seamless transition from PGCC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program to UMSON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
Through the agreement, students can apply and be admitted to UMSON’s BSN program while in PGCC’s ADN program. Students will receive transfer credits from UMSON for completed coursework at PGCC 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.
“This dual admission agreement offers a remarkable opportunity for our nursing students to begin the pursuit of their BSN while simultaneously completing their ADN program,” said Angela D. Anderson, dean of Health, Business, and Public Service at PGCC. “We value our partnership and look forward to working with UMSON on this and future initiatives.”
An effort to increase qualified nursing candidates, the agreement is helping further the mission of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the AARP to advance comprehensive health care change. The campaign uses as its framework the landmark 2010 Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The partnership program specifically addresses one of the eight goals set forth in the report: to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020.
“Our partnership with Prince George’s Community College is exciting for the University of Maryland School of Nursing. It provides ADN students at the community college with a flexible option for obtaining their BSN degree as they work on prerequisites or take UMSON courses while still enrolled in their prelicensure program,” said Linda Murray, DNP '16, MS '84, CPNP-Ped, assistant professor and director of the RN-to-BSN program at UMSON. “The partnership will assist with increasing the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in Maryland.”
To matriculate to UMSON’s BSN program, students must graduate with an ADN from PGCC and satisfy UMSON’s progression criteria.
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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 1,900 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.