UT Arlington College of Nursing reaccredited, increases state licensure passing rates

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education has awarded a 10-year accreditation to two key UT Arlington College of Nursing degree programs, reaffirming the vital role the nursing program plays in the Texas healthcare community.

UT Arlington’s bachelor of science in nursing and its master of science in nursing programs were reaccredited. The College of Nursing’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice program also has received a five-year accreditation from the commission; the longest available because it is the first time the program was evaluated.

The commission accredits higher education institutions and health care providers across the country by assessing the quality and integrity of their educational programs. The new designation follows a three-day visit by evaluators in 2011.

“This is a major accomplishment,” said Elizabeth Poster, dean of The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing. “The accreditation process was rigorous, and the results we achieved attest to the unsurpassed quality of our campus-based and online programs.”

In recent years, the UT Arlington College of Nursing has become one of the largest and most successful programs in the United States. Enrollment in the UT Arlington College of Nursing has soared from 1,912 students in Fall 2008 to 7,562 students for Spring 2012.

For the past five years, initial licensure passing rates for UT Arlington BSN program graduates have exceeded state and national averages. In the first quarter of 2012, 96.3 percent of UT Arlington graduates passed initial state licensure nursing exams on their first attempt, up from 93.2 percent in 2011.

Ronald Elsenbaumer, UT Arlington provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the accreditation signals to potential students the quality of UT Arlington’s College of Nursing.

“This accomplishment is a result of faculty, staff and administrators in the College of Nursing working diligently to maintain excellent programs during a period of enormous growth,” Elsenbaumer said.

To learn more about the College of Nursing, visit www.uta.edu/nursing/.

The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of nearly 33,500 students in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.

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Media contact: Traci Peterson, tpeterso@uta.edu, 817-272-9208

The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu

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