For the first time in the spring of 2013, graduates in nursing will have the opportunity to enroll in the master’s program offered by the College of Nursing and Allied Health.  
Tanya Schreiber, graduate coordinator of the new master’s program, said Nicholls has worked to offer the program for several years based on the needs and demands to better serve the community.  
“Healthcare is changing and there is an increased demand for this level of education,” Schreiber said.  
Nicholls is the fourth university to become a partner with the Intercollegiate Consortium for a master’s of science in nursing along with McNeese State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Southeastern Louisiana University.  
The consortium provides a basis for the universities involved to have a comprehensive curriculum with shared faculty and resources.  As a result, the course objectives and syllabi are the same throughout the consortium.  
Schreiber said, upon entering the program, students designate one of the four universities as their base school.  If there is an instance where Nicholls cannot offer one of the classes, students have the opportunity to enroll in the same class at another university.  
Students interested in the master’s program have the opportunity to major in one of four concentrations, which include family nurse practitioner, family psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner, nursing educator and nursing executive.  
Among the concentrations offered, Schreiber said she expects family nurse practitioner to be one of the most sought-after concentrations.  
“That’s really one of the biggest needs and interests,” she said.  “It’s been that way throughout most of the consortium.”  
Nicholls professors who have received their doctorate would teach courses for the new program.  One of the setbacks of the master’s program arrival at Nicholls was the lack of faculty who were qualified to teach the master’s program, but Schreiber said that has now changed.   
“Close to 50 percent of our nursing faculty are now doctoral prepared and able to teach graduate level courses,” she said.
The coursework will be delivered online in order to accommodate nurses who already have jobs.  
Elizabeth McPherson, 2010 nursing graduate from Thibodaux, said she has always been interested in furthering her education and thinks it is a great idea that the master’s program is designed to educate nurses who already practice in the nursing field.   
 “I have always been interested in furthering my education and pursuing a master’s degree,” McPherson said.  “I would want to continue working at the same time and it seems like the program makes it possible.”  
Schreiber said this is a historic time for the nursing program since more than 50 percent of their graduates have expressed interest in pursing their master’s degree.
“We anticipate that the largest majority of our students will be our alumni,” she said.  
The college of nursing will begin accepting applications sometime in October.  As of now, specific admission requirements are being discussed and students can find that information on the Nicholls website within the next few weeks.  Any students interested in the program can also stop by Ayo Hall in suite 247 to learn more information.