SUNY Delhi One Step Closer to Offering Online Master of Science in Nursing

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DELHI, NY (01/22/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Delhi is one step closer to offering its first master's degree, an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), following recent action by the SUNY Board of Trustees. The college is now seeking approval from The Board of Regents, the State Education Department Division of the Budget and the Governor.

When approved, the MSN will add to the college's success as a leader in nursing education for over 75 years and to the success of its RN to BSN, which was recently named the number one online bachelor's degree program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The proposed master's degree will have a nursing education focus and will be delivered entirely online, bringing affordable, accessible, high-quality graduate education to nurses within the State University system, New York State and throughout the nation.

"This represents a major milestone in SUNY Delhi's history," said SUNY Delhi President Candace S. Vancko. "The college has consistently been recognized as a Best Baccalaureate College in the nation and our online BSN was recently named the 'best in the U.S.' Those successes have laid the groundwork to take the next step and offer our first master's degree."

According to President Vancko, the MSN also follows Delhi's "smart growth" strategy, an innovative approach that calls for building on the college's academic strengths. "Delhi's smart growth programs are designed to help New Yorkers pursue their educational goals by providing maximum flexibility and accessibility." The program is also consistent with SUNY's strategic plan of Open SUNY, an educational pipeline for New York State residents.

Delhi's MSN program will help address a shortage of nurse educators that affects New York State and the nation. "The case for the master's program is compelling," said Dr. Mary Pat Lewis, Dean of the School of Nursing at SUNY Delhi. "According to a 2011-2012 report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away nearly 80,000 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints and nearly 5,000 were turned away in New York State. The program will help fill that void and Delhi's longstanding history of delivering exceptional nursing education makes us uniquely qualified to deliver the MSN."

The 42 credit program curriculum will include core courses in pathophysiology, physical assessment and pharmacology, followed by a more generic curriculum in research, health policy, quality improvement, and then concluding with specialty education courses and a 150-hour practicum in nursing education. The curriculum follows standards set by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing with the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education in Nursing and the National League for Nursing's Core Competencies of Nursing Educators.

SUNY Delhi began offering a nursing associate degree in the 1940's in response to a need created by World War II. The college launched an RN to BSN online program in 2008, which now enrolls nearly 750 students. A dual degree, launched in Fall 2013, jointly enrolls students in the associate and baccalaureate programs.

In addition to nursing, the college's online options include a baccalaureate degree program in Criminal Justice, the first online Criminal Justice Bachelor of Science degree to be introduced within the State University of New York, and summer school courses that serve over 1,000 students annually.

SUNY Delhi is a member of the State University of New York, the largest comprehensive university system in the U.S. Delhi's seamless approach to education includes over 60 academic programs leading to baccalaureate degrees in specialized program areas, including Hospitality Management, Business and Professional Golf Management, Golf and Sports Turf Management, Information Technology Management, Architectural Design and Building, Construction Technology and Management, Business and Technology Management and Criminal Justice.