The College of Nursing, Villanova University, established in 1953, has been designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing. It has bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as an American Nurses Credentialing Center accredited program in Continuing Education. The nurse anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. The ultimate goal of the College is to prepare competent professionals who are ethically oriented, and who are educated in Villanova's proud liberal arts tradition to provide leadership in serving the nursing needs of society at-large.

The College of Nursing at Villanova University, through strong, comprehensive recruitment and outstanding administrative support from the University, has maintained a reputation as a highly competitive nursing program, enrolling a significant number of students of high quality. Of particular note:

• Nursing education has been a part of Villanova University for over 50 years. Through its promotion of Catholic and Augustinian values, its emphasis on service, social justice and altruism, and its long tradition of academic integrity and excellence, it embodies the philosophy and mission of Villanova University.
• The College of Nursing programs and its graduates enjoy an excellent reputation for outstanding clinical competence and leadership skills.
• Graduates of the College are highly sought and superbly prepared for professional careers in the global community.
• A proportionately high percentage of Villanova nursing graduates assume leadership roles and management positions in local, national and international health care agencies.
• In all of its programs, the College of Nursing places emphasis on human values and ethical concerns as they relate to health and personal decision making.

• Faculty
• Students
• Academics
• Degrees Offered
• Alumni
• Employment
• Noteworthy Initiatives

Faculty

• The College has 47 full-time faculty and 32 part-time faculty. Of the full-time faculty, one is a registered nutritionist and the remaining 46 hold at least a masters degree in nursing; 80 % hold doctoral degrees.
• The Dean is a past president of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing Schools Association (PHENSA), serves on the Board of the Nurses' Educational Funds, Inc. (NYC) and is a Board member of Mercy Health System.
• The Dean and two faculty members are Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing.
• The associate dean sits on the Board of another college.
• A faculty member is a Past-President of the Eastern Nursing Research Society.
• A faculty member is a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration of the United States Public Health Service.
• A faculty member is editor of the journal Pain Management Nursing.
• A faculty member has served as the National League for Nursing's advisor to the National Student Nurses' Association.

Research/Scholarship

• The College has established a Center for Nursing Research.
• Dr. Kimberly Trout has received a National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research grant to research “Perinatal outcomes with carbohydrate restriction for gestational diabetes.”
• Dr. Mary Ann Cantrell has received a National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research grant to research "A hope intervention to influence quality of life among female survivors of childhood cancer.”
• Dr. Elizabeth Burgess Dowdell, as part of a joint research team, received an award from the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to study child Internet victimization.
• Faculty members frequently receive a university summer research grant.
• A faculty member received a grant from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing Association for pedagogical research.
• Faculty also conduct research in such areas as: intimate partner violence, health care issues faced by people with disabilities, effects of stroke on couples, education of the elderly for heart attack response, and effects of delayed prenatal care among low socioeconomic status Latinas in Texas.
• The administration and faculty of the college are well published, and provide national and international consultation. 

Students

Undergraduate

• 518 students are enrolled in the undergraduate program of which 504 are full-time.
• 20% minority enrollment in undergraduate program.
• Less than 10% attrition rate among undergraduate students.

Graduate

• 162 students are enrolled in the graduate program of which 25 are full time; the majority are part-time and employed full-time in health care agencies.
• 12% minority enrollment in graduate program.
• Five students hold assistantships in the College of Nursing and receive full tuition reimbursement and six students receive partial tuition reimbursement.
• Several students have published in journals. Others have given presentations regionally and nationally.

International

• 7% of undergraduate nursing students are international students. Countries represented include Nigeria, Korea, and the Sultanate of Oman.
• 4% of graduate nursing students are international students. Countries include Sultanate of Oman, Kenya, Jordan, Japan and Nigeria.

Academics 

Undergraduate Program

• The majority of alumni pursue graduate education.
• The program has been awarded several grants from the Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Human Services, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation.
• Undergraduate program offers opportunities for international study abroad at the University of Manchester for the Sophomore year. There are also short term international opportunities in countries such as Japan, Nicaragua, Ireland, Peru and South Africa in both required and elective courses.
• Opportunities are available to pursue minors in related academic disciplines.

Graduate Program

• The Graduate Nursing Program has been ranked among the top 45 graduate nursing programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
• Prior to establishment of our own doctoral program, the Graduate Program had been one of the largest private religious schools without doctoral programs in the USA.
• The MSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.  The Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.  All nurse practitioner programs are approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
• The Program has been awarded several advanced training grants by the Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Public Health Service: a) Graduate Program initial development (5 years); b) Community Home/Health Care Administration (5 years); c) Clinical Case Management (3 years); d) Nurse Anesthesia (3 years).
• Approximately 15% of our graduates have completed doctoral study, including several international graduates.
• Opportunities are available to study abroad through Independent Study.
• Many graduates have contributed to nursing literature with publications. Others have given professional presentations on a regional and national level.
• Highly qualified, doctorally prepared faculty, recognized nationally and internationally for their expertise, scholarship and leadership, teach our graduate courses. All clinical faculty are certified nurse practitioners or nurse anesthetists.

Continuing Education Program

• Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Commission on Accreditation.
  In 2007 the program received a maximum six year accreditation.
• Role Excellence Post-Masters certificate has been offered to nurse administrators for more than 25 years.
• In 2009 online courses were added to the learning opportunities offered in continuing education.
• Onsite courses and programs have been provided to healthcare institutions and programs throughout the tri-state area.

Degrees Offered 

BSN for:

• High School graduates
• RN-BSN completion
• Adult/Transfer opportunities
• Second Degree Options

MSN with the following concentrations:

• Health Care Administration
• Nursing Education
• Nurse Practitioner:
      Adult
      Geriatric
      Pediatric
• Nurse Anesthesia
• Post-Master's concentrations available:
      Nurse Practitioner
      Nurse Anesthesia
      Nursing Education

PhD

• Doctoral program prepares teacher-scholars for academic careers using a mostly distance learning format

Alumni

• Rosalie Mirenda, EdD, RN, President, Neumann University
• Brigadier General Hazel Johnson, PhD, RN, Chief, U.S. Army Nurse Corp. (Retired)
• Rear Admiral Christine Bruzek-Kohler, EdD, RN, FACHE, Commander, Navy Medicine West and Navel Medical Center, San Diego, Director, Navy Nurse Corps
• Dorrie Fontaine, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Past-President, American Association of Critical Care Nurses and S.H. Cabaniss Professor of Nursing and Dean, School of Nursing, University of Virginia
• Joanne Hambleton, MSN, RN, Vice President, Nursing, Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Mohammed Al-Riyami, Dean, Muscat Nursing Institute, Sultanate of Oman
• Helen B. Connors, PhD, RN, Jean M. Hill Professor and Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Kansas (University of) Center for Health Informatics University of Kansas School of Nursing
• Mary Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, Marian S. Ware Professor in Gerontology; Director of the Center for Health Transitions, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
• Madeline McCarthy Bell, BSN, RN, Chief Operating Officer, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Gloria Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University

Employment

Villanova graduates are actively sought by employers of nurses in all parts of the country.

Undergraduate

• 90 % choose acute care settings for first employment.
• Significant number of graduates choose employment in Greater Philadelphia area.

Graduate

• Graduates of the Nursing Education concentration are teaching in schools such as Villanova University, Thomas Jefferson University, Drexel University, Temple University, West Chester University, LaSalle University, Widener University, University of Scranton and abroad in the Sultanate of Oman.
• Graduates of the Health Care Administration concentration are employed as administrators in mid- and upper-level positions in such local institutions as The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Lehigh Valley Medical Center, Presbyterian Medical Center, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Center, The Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Lankenau Hospital.
• Graduates of our nurse anesthesia concentration are employed as nurse anesthetists around the country.  Their passing rate on the certification examination far exceeds the national norm.
• Graduates of our practitioner concentrations are nationally certified as nurse practitioners, and are employed in ambulatory clinics, physicians offices, school health centers and other primary health care settings.
• Several graduates have pursued entrepreneurial avenues and direct successful health care related businesses.

Noteworthy Initiatives

• For the sixteenth year, the Health and Human Values Lecture Series, supported by a grant from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, offered a highly successful program to both the University and community at large.
• The College assisted the Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (ADROP) to open Unity Clinic in South Philadelphia, a free clinic for the uninsured, in June 2006, and faculty serve as volunteer clinicians. The Unity Clinic is a practice site for graduate and undergraduate students.
• The College offers a concentration in Health and Wellness for non-nursing undergraduate students.
• The College offers an accelerated program for the BSN degree for students who already possess undergraduate or graduate degrees in other disciplines.