IPFW Announces New Doctorate
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIPFW is launching a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Classes will begin this fall and the school says it is the first doctoral program offered on a regional university campus in the state. May 30, 2014
News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) has approved the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, the first doctoral program offered on a regional university campus in the state.
“Given the complexity of care, the growth of information and biomedical technology, and an aging and increasingly diverse population, launching the DNP program in northeast Indiana is timely and necessary,” said Lee-Ellen Kirkhorn, professor and chair of nursing.
“This program directly addresses the community's need for advanced nursing practice,” said Vicky Carwein, chancellor of IPFW. “It will put more nurses with the highest level of clinical education on the front lines of healthcare.”
The DNP program will be offered collaboratively by Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), Purdue University West Lafayette, and Purdue University Calumet.
The three campuses will jointly coordinate the program so that students from one campus will be able to take courses offered by the other campuses. This collaborative approach will provide students with a wide array of graduate offerings, access to extensive shared resources, and exposure to faculty expertise across all three campuses.
“It is exciting to see this innovative program come to life,” said Carol Sternberger, associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs and director of graduate studies. “The DNP gives nurses the advanced scientific, leadership, and economic knowledge to plan and deliver cost-effective, evidence-based care.”
Final approval of the program by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association is anticipated later this year. After that, the program will begin admitting a small number of highly qualified students for the fall 2015 semester.
ICHE approved the program at its meeting on May 19, 2014.
Source: IPFW