Caroll Community College has signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) this summer with three Maryland universities to open pathways for Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) students to accelerate their studies in order to obtain Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees. The first class at Carroll to participate in the new partnerships starts at the community college in fall, 2016.

The dual enrollment option is available to eligible students once they are accepted into the Carroll Nursing program. Admission to the universities is competitive. Admission is based on the applicant’s roster of completed courses and grade point average.

“Carroll’s Nursing students now have the opportunity to take courses that count towards an Associate Degree in Nursing while at the same time taking bachelor’s-level coursework at Stevenson, Towson and Frostburg State Universities,” said Interim Chief Academic Officer Dr. Nancy Perry.

Dr. Jennifer Fritzges is the Interim Nursing Program Director at Carroll who worked with the three universities to establish the MOUs.

“Pre-requisites can be taken at Carroll and the additional credits required to complete the bachelor’s degree can be completed in about one additional year at the transfer university, after finishing the Carroll associate degree,” said Perry.

Carroll courses will be held at the Washington Road campus in Westminster. Stevenson courses will be offered initially in the university’s classrooms, will progress to blended courses and then to completely online offerings. Towson courses will be taken on the Towson campus, and Frostburg State courses will be taken completely online.

“The National Academy of Medicine is recommending that 80 percent of nurses have bachelor’s degrees by 2020,” said Perry. “The ADN to BSN degree path allows students to benefit from the affordability of courses at the community college and to become credentialed with a Bachelor’s in Nursing degree.”

According to Nursing Licensure.org, “BSN programs prepare students to take on a wider variety of roles, such as teaching, consulting, research and administration.”

Already, 15 of the 79 students who have been accepted into the Carroll Nursing program for fall 2016 have also been admitted to study concurrently at Towson University this fall.

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