TCC's BSN Program Back on Track, Approved by Florida Board of Education

The Florida state Board of Education announced on Wednesday that Tallahassee Community College (TCC) was approved for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program. This is the first bachelors degree offered by TCC. 

TCC’s District Board of Trustees approved the BSN program in 2013 but the Legislature voted to stop new bachelors programs in Florida State College System schools in 2014. After much urging from the community, including from state Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, and local health-care leaders, TCC was approved to offer the BSN degree. Pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), TCC will start the program in early 2016. 

“This program will help meet a critical need in our community,” said TCC President Jim Murdaugh on Wednesday. “Our community partners have made it clear to us that they need more nurses with this higher level of education.”
 
Alice Nied, TCC’s dean of healthcare professions, said this would be a RN to BSN program. 

“We planned the curriculum with the professional nurse in mind,” said Nied. “We understand that nursing is a 24/7/365 profession.

“We want this program to help working nurses move forward in their career path, so the goal was not to create barriers but to make it as nurse-friendly as possible,” Nied added. “And we intend for this program to build the same fine reputation that our associate degree program already has.”