Western Carolina University

These degrees will enable you to qualify for licensure as a registered nurse or advance your nursing career in a number of specialized fields. Explore these programs and choose the best one for you.

Graduate Doctoral Degrees

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): Program Website 
The Doctor of Nursing Practice is the terminal practice degree in Nursing. This degree builds upon the student's current knowledge of clinical practice. The DNP will prepare students to practice at the highest clinical level and provide leadership in our dynamic healthcare systems.

Graduate Master’s Degrees

Nurse Anesthesia MS(N): Fact Sheet | Program Website
The Nurse Anesthesia Program is a 28-month course of Graduate study that integrates research, physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and anesthesia principles in didactic and clinical training. Foundational skill development and crisis management occurs in the state-of-the-art, high-fidelity human patient Simulation Center. Students also receive advanced clinical training in administration of all anesthetic and insertion of central venous and arterial lines.

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP): Fact Sheet | Program Website         
The MS(N) Family Nurse Practitioner program is a graduate-level course of study that combines academic and field-based experiences.  In this program, students develop competencies in family health promotion and the clinical management of common health conditions.  

Undergraduate Bachelor's Degree

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN): Program Website 
This accelerated undergraduate program is designed for individuals who already have obtained undergraduate degrees in another field and want to earn the bachelor's degree in nursing with one more year of full-time study.  Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible to sit for the national exam required for licensure as a registered nurse.

WNC Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurse (RIBN): Program Website 
WNC Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses Program will dually admit and enroll students at Western Carolina University and a local community college. The RIBN Program provides students with a four year, seamless associate to baccalaureate nursing education.

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