In support of Indiana University’s effort to streamline statewide access to nursing education, the nursing program at IUPUC will become part of a core campus structure, joining IUPUI (Indianapolis), IU Bloomington and IU Fort Wayne. The complete transition is targeted to finalize by 2025.

The change will unify curriculum across all four campuses as well as expand student access to degree programs and faculty professional development opportunities across campuses.

“IUPUC and IU School of Nursing leadership recognizes the opportunity to formalize our relationship to advance academic excellence and student success through a unified academic approach. We welcome IUPUC faculty, staff, students and friends to engage in our faculty and students’ research efforts toward educational excellence and clinical interventions that improve the health of people of the state,” said Robin Newhouse, dean of the IU School of Nursing. “We expect this transition to create new connections and expand educational offerings across these core campuses.”

The Division of Health Sciences at IUPUC currently offers an IU Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) and an IU master’s degree. The BSN includes traditional and accelerated degree tracks. The master’s degree program focuses on preparing graduates for family practice as nurse practitioners (FNP) and qualifies degree recipients to sit for certification as an FNP.

IU School of Nursing graduate programs offer a master’s degree with nine different tracks as well as two doctoral programs: the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD).

The transition of nursing programs at IUPUC into the core school will provide a clearer path for nursing students at IUPUC to benefit from the robust graduate programs currently offered at the core school campuses of the IU School of Nursing.

The transition will also benefit nursing faculty at IUPUC through closer connections with their colleagues in Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Fort Wayne, according to school leaders. This is because the integration of the nursing programs at IUPUC will facilitate greater collaboration and sharing of faculty expertise across campuses on curriculum development.

“The core school is strongly focused on the generation of new research and scholarship,” said Rebecca Bartlett Ellis, executive associate dean for academic affairs at the IU School of Nursing. “We are excited about the opportunity to expand opportunities for research and scholarship and support our nurse colleagues at IUPUC who will join us in this mission, further strengthening our collective efforts to advance nursing.”

The transition will also occur as the IU School of Nursing is undergoing an effort to revise their curriculum based upon a guiding framework from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Ellis said. This will provide IUPUC faculty the opportunity to have greater involvement in these efforts – as well as provide the campus’ students the opportunity to benefit from the more up-to-date educational experience.

Lastly, she noted, the transition is taking place as the School of Nursing embarks upon an ambitious goal of increasing undergraduate enrollment by 50 percent on the Indianapolis campus over the next three years. Although the changes at IUPUC will not directly affect enrollment at IUPUI, Ellis said greater integration will provide stronger brand identity and consistency for prospective students across the state.

“We’re truly excited about the transition of our campuses’ nursing programs to the IU School of Nursing,” said Reinhold Hill, vice chancellor and dean of IUPUC. “These changes represent a powerful opportunity for our students and faculty members to grow professionally and academically through access to a broader range of high-impact research, scholarship and service activity.”