FSU Nursing admits largest class in college's history

The Florida State University College of Nursing has accepted its largest undergraduate cohort in the college’s history with 150 students scheduled to begin the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the Fall 2023 semester.

This move is a direct reflection of the college’s work to boost enrollment and address the nursing workforce shortage facing the country, especially in Florida.

“Nursing, the largest group of health care professionals worldwide, remains the most trusted profession by the public,” said FSU Dean of Nursing Jing Wang. “But the shortage facing the profession is a serious concern because it directly impacts the level of care that individuals receive. At FSU, we are working diligently on this issue by increasing our enrollment and providing high-quality education to more students, helping build a well-trained nursing workforce.”

Previous classes hovered around 70-80 students per semester and were only admitted for the fall semester. By increasing enrollment to three times per year and increasing the number of students admitted during each of the semesters, Florida State University is poised to directly impact the nursing workforce in the state of Florida.

Students generally apply to the nursing program during the end of their sophomore year when they have completed all prerequisites and 60 credit hours of general education credits. The students admitted for Fall 2023 will complete four consecutive semesters and will graduate in December 2024. This change allows students to finish the upper nursing division courses in as little as 15 months with a BSN.

Health care professionals and advocates have worked to draw attention to the nursing shortage in recent years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 275,000 additional nurses will be needed this decade and employment opportunities are expected to grow at a faster rate than all other occupations.

This need in Florida is compounded by the number of nurses expected to retire in the next few years.

“With the changes in enrollment, the college will not only be offering students the opportunity to enroll more often but will also be increasing the number of students accepted each semester,” said Marsha Hartline, associate dean for student affairs for the College of Nursing. “This impact is the direct result of additional funding from the State of Florida, along with the support of the university, and through the assistance of our local health care partners, like Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, HCA Florida Capital Hospital and Archbold Medical Center. Because of their support, we are able to offer more opportunities for students to be educated in the College of Nursing at Florida State University thus increasing the nursing workforce in the state.”

In addition to increasing capacity at the undergraduate level, the FSU College of Nursing has increased its graduate program to include five Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees — Adult Gerontology Acute Care, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health, Lifestyle Medicine and Executive Health Systems Leadership.

Beginning Fall 2023, The College of Nursing will launch its new Ph.D. program which is the first ever research-based doctoral degree in the college. The FSU College of Nursing has also significantly enhanced its research portfolio over the past several years, which gives students the chance to work on the cutting-edge science that informs patient care while also receiving the clinical training necessary to earn their degree.

The Florida State University College of Nursing is ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida — and No. 8 in the country — among all nursing programs that received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2022. Since then, the college received more than $80 million in new NIH funding this fiscal year in the Center of Population Sciences for Health Equity, the Brain Science and Symptom Management Center and the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation.

“Nurses are saving lives on a daily basis,” Wang said. “FSU-trained nurses are the perfect people to bring the power of human touch and world-class science together for the benefit of patients.”

To learn more about how to apply to the BSN program, visit the College of Nursing website.