Media Contact
Lauren Hibbard
Director of Communications
Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
[email protected]
ATLANTA—The School of Nursing has seen significant increases in enrollment this fall in its MSN and DNP programs.
Since fall 2023, enrollment in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program has increased 143 percent, 21 to 51 students, and 69 percent, or 121 to 205 students, in the Master of Science of Nursing (MSN) program.
Program faculty attribute the rise in enrollment to more nurses seeking to position themselves for greater career opportunities. BSN-educated nurses are looking to become advanced practice nurses, and nurses with an MSN are seeking DNPs to move into administration, said Laura DeMars, clinical assistant professor of nursing and director of the DNP program.
“We’ve seen a number of advanced practice clinical nurses from our healthcare partners around Georgia come into the DNP program, sometimes for self-fulfillment, but more often they are positioning themselves for future roles,” DeMars said. “The line of advancement for nurse practitioners usually is manager, unit director, then they may sit on a hospital or system committee, then a hospital or system position, and then chief nursing officer. They will need a DNP to be able to be considered for many of those roles.”
The MSN faculty are considering adding more post-master’s certificates to meet the needs of the nursing workforce, such as a nurse educator certificate to grow the talent and availability of nursing faculty. (There currently is a deficit in nursing faculty nationwide.)
Enrollment in the BSN program also has increased 31 percent in the past two years.
"I think a lot of high school and college students have heard from us and the media that job openings and job growth in healthcare careers are plentiful," said Nancy Kropf, interim associate dean for nursing and the Kenneth D. Lewis Distinguished Chair in Interdisciplinary Health Studies. "Nursing, in particular, has a 17 percent deficit in filled positions in the state of Georgia, and that figure is expected to remain steady through 2035. And with salaries climbing of nurses in metro Atlanta to meet the demand, now is a great time to be a nurse."