The University of Central Florida College of Nursing is an academic

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

of the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

located in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. The

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of the college is Mary Lou Sole, PhD, RN, CCNS, CNL, FAAN, FCCM. According to ''U.S. News & World Report,'' UCF is among the most innovative college programs, with one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the state of Florida and among the top 25 programs for Veterans.

History

The Nursing Program at UCF was established in 1978, with the first class of undergraduate students enrolling in the fall of 1979. The inaugural class graduated in 1981 with their BSN degree. In 1982, the Nursing program received the designation, Department of Nursing. A satellite campus was opened at Cocoa in 1983. In 1986, the Department of Nursing moved to a larger space, including a larger laboratory, in the Health and Physics Building. The program's designation was changed to School of Nursing, within the College of Health and Public Affairs, in 1995. The same year, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program began in the fall. In 1998, UCF created the state's fully online RN to BSN program. The year 2003 saw the launch of the nursing PhD program. On July 1, 2007, the School of Nursing became the College of Nursing, UCF's twelfth college, to recognize its growth and stature. The following year, UCF Foundation established the Knightingale Society for alumni and friends of the college who provide annual contributions of $1,000 or more. In 2010, the College of Nursing moved to its current location in th
University Tower
building within

Central Florida Research Park The Central Florida Research Park (CFRP) is a research park abutting the main campus of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, United States. CFRP is the largest research park in Florida, the fourth largest in the United Stat ...

, adjacent to the main campus of UCF. Starting in 2014, the program was recognized by ''U.S. News & World Report'' as one of the nation's best online graduate programs, being ranked No. 24. In 2015, the College of Nursing launched the state's first online PhD program for nurse scientists.

Future

The college plans to move to a new building on the UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona by the end of the decade, enabling a closer partnership with the College of Medicine.

Nursing program

About 3,000 students are enrolled in the UCF College of Nursing. The GPA of admitted students ranges from 3.42 to 4.0. Many students complete their nursing education through a partnership between UCF, Seminole State, and Valencia. Students earn an ASN degree from either Seminole or Valencia after 5 semesters, which also contributes five semesters' worth of coursework to a BSN through UCF. The NCLEX licensing exam is taken upon earning the ASN degree, in order to obtain an RN license. Students then transfer to UCF for two more semesters to complete the BSN degree.

References

External links

University of Central Florida College of NursingFlorida Board of Nursing Licensing Requirements
{{University of Central Florida

Nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

Nursing schools in Florida Educational institutions established in 1979 1979 establishments in Florida