Birmingham-Southern College and UAB join forces for nursing program

Birmingham-Southern College and UAB have created a new partnership to help nursing students earn their graduate degree faster.

A memorandum was signed by BSC and UAB’s School of Nursing in order to bridge the baccalaureate degree at BSC with the master’s degree at UAB. Here’s how it work: BSC students who have completed three and a half years of work toward their bachelor’s degree can go ahead and begin earning their master’s degree in nursing from UAB. By doing this, students are able to get a head start on their nursing careers.

Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith, President of Birmingham-Southern College, said,

“This partnership provides a wonderful opportunity for BSC students to attain undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees in a shorter timeframe from two well-respected academic institutions. This collaboration will benefit two institutions that hold large pieces of my heart, so I could not be happier!”

The memorandum of understanding between the two schools also states that BSC seniors may begin UAB’s accelerated master’s in nursing pathways program once they have completed 116 credit hours toward their undergraduate academic coursework.

For the spring term of their senior year, students will be enrolled in both BSC and UAB. During this time they will conduct their first semester of nursing coursework at UAB. When the term ends, they will have enough credits to be transferred back to BSC so they can graduate from Birmingham-Southern.

According to UAB, accelerated programs like these have become increasingly popular. However, they are rarely available at small, nationally-ranked residential liberal arts colleges like BSC.

What are the pros of having a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) verses a Registered Nursing (RN) degree? According to Nurse Journal, students who take the extra steps to earn their MSN degree typically have better job opportunities, receive higher pay, and are more likely to take on management roles, earn a Ph.D. Or go into teaching.

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