UMHB nurses new doc(torate) degree

BELTON – Faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country are limiting student capacity as the need for professional registered nurses continues.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) is addressing the issue with its addition of a Leadership in Nursing Education track in its doctorate of education degree program.

It is expected that the number of employed nurses will grow from 2.74 million in 2010 to 3.45 million in 2020, an increase of 712,000 or 26 percent.

UMHB’s doctorate of education degree program now offers two separate tracks of study for students pursuing the doctoral degree — a track for educators focused on pre-K through grade 12 education, and a track for higher-education professionals.

The addition of a third track in Leadership in Nursing Education will open the degree program up to nursing educators who wish to earn a terminal degree in their field of study.

During the first year of study in the doctorate program, all students take classes in research, statistics and leadership; in the second year, group members move into a specialized set of courses geared toward the track they have chosen.

A survey of vacant faculty positions released by the American Association of College Nursing in 2012 reported a total of 1,181 faculty vacancies across the U.S., with most of the vacancies being positions that required or preferred a doctoral degree.

Read more at the Temple Daily Telegram.