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The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s College of Nursing recently received final approvals from the Texas Board of Nursing for its new traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs.

Board members unanimously voted to approve the two new programs. The traditional BSN program is slated to begin in January while students in the new MSN program will start in August 2025. Applications for the traditional BSN are open.

“This approval by the Texas Board of Nursing is a huge milestone for our two new programs,” said Cindy Weston, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE, FAANP, FAAN, founding dean of the College of Nursing. “Students have already expressed interest in both the traditional BSN and the MSN, and communities in Texas are in desperate need for additional nurses and mental health practitioners. We are grateful that the board recognizes this urgency and are honored to do our part to improve health care access across the state with highly skilled, practice-ready nurses.”

The BSN will be a 20-month undergraduate program. Students will complete two years of pre-requisite courses at a university or community college prior to admission to the HSC program. Once enrolled in HSC’s College of Nursing, students will take focused courses along with hands-on clinical experiences to earn their BSN.

The MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will be a 47-credit-hour, graduate-level program for nurses with a BSN who want to become a mental health nurse practitioner. Students may opt for a full-time program, completing the program in six semesters. A part-time option also will be available, extending the program to eight semesters.

Applications for the MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs will open Nov. 1.

In 2023, the UNT System Board of Regents approved the creation of the HSC College of Nursing and in February greenlighted the traditional BSN and the MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges also have approved the programs.

In addition, the College of Nursing’s first degree program will start this month for students enrolled in the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation. The College of Nursing also will offer a Registered Nurse to BSN program starting in January, and students may now apply. The next cohort of all College of Nursing degree programs will start in August 2025 with applications opening Nov. 1.

The Texas Board of Nursing regulates the safe practice of nursing in Texas, providing approval for more than 200 nursing education programs and issuing licenses to more than 27,000 nurses a year by examination to new nursing school graduates.

To learn more about HSC’s College of Nursing, visit www.unthsc.edu/nursing.

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