May 2, 2024 (Beloit and Madison, Wisconsin) — Addressing a significant statewide and national nursing shortage, Beloit College’s School of Health Sciences and the Henry Predolin School of Nursing at Edgewood College are partnering on a dual-degree program housed on the Beloit College campus to create more registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees. The nursing program begins on Beloit College’s campus in May 2025.

Beloit College students will complete coursework for their bachelor of arts or science in three or four years, and then spend a year completing the bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) while continuing to live on Beloit’s campus. Edgewood faculty, recruited from the Stateline area, will deliver the BSN curriculum.

“Our region is home to large hospital systems, specialty hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, public and community health organizations, and long-term care facilities that are ready to hire locally educated nurses with bachelor’s degrees,” said Beloit President Eric Boynton. “These organizations and the diverse populations they serve will benefit greatly from nurses who are prized for their critical thinking, leadership, and their ability to practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. We are proud to partner with Edgewood College in this effort.”

Edgewood College President Andrew Manion cited the ability to fulfill the college’s mission and serve a region in need of more healthcare services and staffing as a motivating factor in pursuing the partnership. “These students will be educated in a dynamic, interactive environment to be knowledgeable, accountable, responsible, ethical and culturally sensitive graduates,” Manion said. “Our participation will help us strengthen clinical relationships with high-quality healthcare partners, and expand our nursing programs and mission.”

Current Beloit College students who meet GPA and prerequisite requirements may apply for admission to the program at any point in their Beloit career, including the fall semester before starting the BSN program. Students will receive personalized advising about their individual pathways into the BSN program from both Beloit’s School of Health Sciences and Edgewood advisors on campus, starting as early as the summer before they begin at Beloit.

“Beyond promoting high-quality healthcare and safe patient outcomes by producing BSN-prepared nurses, the Beloit-Edgewood Nursing partnership will have significant secondary impacts on the city of Beloit and greater Beloit area,” Boynton said. “A local BSN program offers the Beloit region’s graduating high school students a cost-effective opportunity to earn a BSN close to home, contributes to the economic well-being of the community by preparing local students for high-paying careers, and offers current and prospective Beloit College students yet another opportunity to earn a degree in a high-demand field.”

Rachel Bergstrom, director of Beloit’s School of Health Sciences, said that Beloit College has been preparing stellar students for careers in healthcare, including nursing, for decades. “Bringing Edgewood’s BSN program to our campus means that more Beloit College students can pursue nursing degrees without having to leave the area, which will be a huge lift for both healthcare providers and the patients they serve.”

The Beloit-Edgewood Nursing partnership is the latest in a series of programs Beloit College offers to help students align their majors and coursework throughout their four years with professional opportunities. In addition to Health Sciences, the college has created three other schools: Business, Media & the Arts, and Environment & Sustainability. The schools connect classroom learning with specialized skills development, certifications, internships and job experiences to prepare students for successful and meaningful futures.

For more information on the program, please visit beloit.edu/nursing.

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About Edgewood College

Located in Madison, Wis., Edgewood College is a liberal arts Catholic college in the Dominican tradition. We serve approximately 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students. The College offers more than 40 academic and professional programs, including master’s degrees in business, education, and nursing, and doctoral degrees in educational leadership, nursing practice, and business administration. For more information about Edgewood College, please visit www.edgewood.edu, or call Ed Taylor at 608-663-2333.

About Beloit College

Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, recognized for its longstanding commitment to curricular innovation, as well as hands-on, active-learning, and international education programs that prepare students for successful and meaningful lives. The Beloit College community is diverse and noted for its passionate engagement with ideas and the world; its students are from nearly every state as well as 44 nations. Beloit College offers 50+ majors, 30 minors, dual-degree and pre-professional programs, 100 study abroad programs, and several domestic study programs. For more information, visit www.beloit.edu.