MANSFIELD — Students interested in a career in nursing don’t have to travel far to get their college education thanks to an agreement between Ashland University and The Ohio State University at Mansfield.
Officials from the two universities signed an updated nursing articulation agreement on Monday that provides an opportunity for students to enroll and complete degree requirements at Ohio State Mansfield and then transfer directly to Ashland University’s Dwight Schar College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Â
The 2+2 articulation agreement enables students to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Dr. Norman Jones, interim dean and director of Ohio State Mansfield, spoke positively of the partnership with Ashland University.
“That’s been a fantastic partnership and resource, and as we can see, healthcare is one of our fastest growing industries in the area, so this is especially important for us to support,” he said.
He said there are several students at Ohio State Mansfield interested in healthcare careers.
“We want to offer them a variety of pathways, and for those students who want to stay in the area and really be rooted here and be part of what I see as an economic renaissance that’s going on in the area, this is a great opportunity to partner with Ashland University right nearby,” he said.
The agreement allows OSU-Mansfield students to obtain a minimum of 50 credit hours of core coursework at state college tuition rates, then with a 3.0 GPA or higher, transfer to Ashland University at junior status to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
“It increases the opportunity to get a nursing degree in Richland County,” said Lyndsey Anderson, academic advisor at Ohio State Mansfield, who played an integral part in drafting the agreement.
Anderson is hopeful that more students will become aware of this opportunity and take advantage of it.
“What I think is so important is that the students in this articulation agreement are clearly at the center,” said AU Provost Dr. Eun-Woo Chang. “This is an exemplary partnership between a public institution and a private institution with the exact same goal — to provide the best educational opportunities for the students in the region.”
He said the programs at the Dwight Schar College of Nursing & Health Sciences are expanding.
“We want to reach out to more people in the community and this is a great partnership in that sense,” he said.
Ohio State Mansfield students will be able to transfer to Ashland University via two different programs:
- A Traditional Nursing program that will guarantee 12 seats per academic year for OSU-Mansfield students. The requirements for transfer are available in the Ashland University catalog.
- The Advanced Entry Nursing program that will guarantee eight seats for qualified OSU-Mansfield students per fall semester. This is a rigorous program with specific admission criteria allowing students to progress beginning in the fall semester and complete the program in four semesters.
“We’re just delighted to be renewing this agreement and moving forward in this direction with the Ohio State University Mansfield Campus,” said Dr. Faye Grund, AU dean of the Dwight Schar College of Nursing & Health Sciences. “We have state-of-the-art facilities and we are looking forward to bringing more students into the program.”
