The Department offers a bachelors degree with a major in nursing and a master of science degree in nursing. Two tracks are available for the bachelors degree: a basic program for students who are not yet licensed to practice as an RN, and an RN completion program for registered nurses who are graduates of either community colleges or hospital diploma programs.

The University's Nursing Program is approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing, accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Department of Nursing holds memberships in the following organizations:

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• Council of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs of the National League for Nursing
• Council on Collegiate Education in Nursing of the Southern Regional Education Board

Mission Statement (Taken from Nursing Student handbook.):

As a department in the College of Health Professions, nursing offers a professional, accredited program within the context of a scientific foundation and breadth of a liberal education. As a means to fulfilling its part in the University's mission, faculty in the Department of Nursing have identified three specific purposes.

• First, the Department will educate students at the baccalaureate level for careers in professional nursing.
• Second, the Department will prepare graduates as generalists in nursing who can assume a broad spectrum of nursing roles in the health field.
• Third, the Department will establish a foundation for graduate study in nursing and patterns that can serve as a model for lifelong, self-directed learning.

Conceptual Framework (Taken from Nursing Student handbook.):

The knowledge and skills needed to practice professional nursing in today's environment and for the future requires a comprehensive, articulated approach to nursing education. To assure adequacy of breadth and depth in curriculum organization, faculty have selected four major concepts to serve as guidelines for sequencing and decision making, as well as, consistency and unification of the Program. These concepts are developed from beliefs expressed in the Department's philosophy about Education, Human, Health, and Nursing. Within this framework, other specific concepts will be integrated in the teaching and learning of the content and process of professional nursing practice.