Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) and Auburn University announce a new partnership between NACC’s Nursing Department and Auburn’s College of Nursing (AUCON) to offer a Concurrent BSN Degree Program.
Through the Concurrent Nursing Program, eligible students will have the opportunity to enroll at both NACC’s Nursing Program and Auburn simultaneously, earning an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN). Students completing the Dual Degree Nursing Program will be awarded both degrees by NACC and Auburn.
“We are very excited about this partnership,” stated NACC President Dr. David Campbell. “I commend our Nursing Division Director, Dr. Myrna Williamson, and staff for working it out. For those wanting the four-year degree, Auburn is a perfect fit with our outstanding health and nursing program.”
The Concurrent BSN program with Auburn University is designed for prerequisite-complete students accepted into Northeast’s ADN program to complete their BSN studies simultaneously. Students must be officially admitted to the NACC ADN program to be eligible for the Concurrent BSN with Auburn University. Students may enter the Concurrent BSN program in the 1st semester or the 4th semester of the ADN program.
Students entering the concurrent program in the first semester of the nursing program will take classes at both institutions (face-to-face at NACC & online with Auburn), for five semesters and will take the final two Auburn classes in their sixth semester. Beginning in the 4th semester is designed for those students who had outstanding prerequisites when they began their ADN program. The 4th semester start allows for students to complete those remaining general education classes over the first three semesters in their ADN program and will take the final Auburn classes in two additional semesters following the completion of the ADN program with NACC.
Concurrent students must comply with all academic and clinical requirements of the ADN program to remain enrolled in the concurrent program NACC nursing courses are taught on the NACC campus with labs and clinical experiences while the Auburn coursework is offered asynchronous and 100% online through their BSN program.
NACC Nursing has seen great success with this type of program, specifically through the Dual Nursing Degree partnership with the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The program began in 2022, and four students graduated from NACC and UAH in May 2024. Five students are on track to graduate with dual degrees in May 2025 and twelve in May 2026. The program has many advantages and was created to help eliminate some of the barriers to achieving a BSN.
Many students who enter the NACC Nursing Program are planning to continue their education in the future, and this concurrent program allows them to save money while completing both programs sooner. Students also have more flexibility to maintain a job and care for a family while completing this joint program. Students are taking many more dual enrollment courses prior to graduating high school and are positioning themselves to enter a program, such as this, where they can earn an ADN and BSN in nursing much quicker than in the past.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the highly motivated student desiring to work on both degrees simultaneously. NACC has a long history of providing high quality nursing education. With the addition of the dual nursing degree program this will provide an additional avenue for our students to seamlessly earn a BSN while earning an ADN. The NACC faculty and I are very excited for this wonderful opportunity for our students and are looking forward to working closely with Auburn to offer this valuable benefit for our qualified students,” stated Dr. Myrna Williamson, NACC Nursing Program Director.
The creation of this partnership will be especially beneficial to the local healthcare agencies who are still battling a shortage of skilled nurses. The mission of NACC’s Nursing Department, as well as all Alabama Community College System (ACCS) nursing programs, is to prepare graduates to practice safe, competent, patient-centered care in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing health care system. With the addition of the dual degree nursing program, graduates will be on track to meet these healthcare challenges head on.
To learn more about NACC’s Nursing Program, visit nacc.edu/programs-of-study/health-science-divisionnursing.Alumni & Giving
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