The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) campuses in both Essex and Catonsville, Md., have launched an agreement of dual admission that will enable a smooth transition from CCBC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program to UMSON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

As part of UMSON’s continued effort to increase the number of collaborative pathways to earning a BSN in Maryland, CCBC becomes the 13th community college in the state where students can apply to, be admitted to, and begin taking classes in UMSON’s BSN program while still working toward their ADN, saving them time in completing both degrees. CCBC students will also receive transfer credits from UMSON for completed coursework at the community college.

In addition, UMSON is currently covering the cost of its BSN courses for students participating in the dual-admission partnership while they are still enrolled in the ADN program, an opportunity made possible with funds from a gift from Bill and Joanne Conway through their Bedford Falls Foundation. 

CCBC is one of the largest community colleges in Maryland, serving a wide geographic area, and has an established ADN program on the Essex and Catonsville campuses. The dual-admission agreement with UMSON provides CCBC ADN students the opportunity to begin their BSN coursework without having to take courses toward both degrees concurrently from their first day in college, allowing them to ease into their nursing coursework.

Aimed at increasing qualified nursing candidates, the agreement is helping to further the mission of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the AARP to transform health care through nursing. The campaign, based on the goals set forth by the Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report, aims to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020. 

“As UMSON continues to expand the available opportunities for nursing academic progression, we are proud to launch an agreement with CCBC. This partnership allows for additional ways ADN students in Maryland can prepare for and complete their BSN,” said Linda Murray, DNP ’16, MS ’84, CPNP-Ped, assistant professor and director, RN-to-BSN program, UMSON. 

To matriculate to UMSON’s BSN program, students must graduate with an ADN from CCBC and satisfy UMSON’s progression criteria.