Oakland, CA - Mills College is launching an innovative two-year pre-nursing program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Samuel Merritt College.  Designed to address the nationwide shortage of nurses, the program will give students who complete the Mills program with a 3.0 grade point average, guaranteed admission into a two-year nursing theory and clinical program at Samuel Merritt College.

The first pre-nursing students will enter Mills in Fall 2005.

The curriculum will provide aspiring nurses with an exceptional liberal arts undergraduate background combined with a superior nursing education emphasizing critical thinking and ethical decision making within a multicultural environment.

The Mills program will enable students to prepare for a career in a high-growth field, learn in a women-centered environment and benefit from small classes with faculty dedicated to teaching.  Students eligible for need-based financial aid and/or merit scholarships will receive funds from both Mills and Samuel Merritt.

Pre-nursing students at Mills will select general education courses from three categories: Creation and Criticism in the Arts, Women and Gender, and Multicultural Perspectives. The remaining curriculum at Samuel Merritt will meet all Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) requirements, and successful completion of the curriculum will enable students to take the licensure exam (NCLEX) to become a Registered Nurse.

Founded in 1852 as the first women’s college west of the Rockies, Mills offers dynamic programs designed to educate and empower women. Samuel Merritt was founded in 1909 as a hospital school of nursing that prepares students for professional, compassionate health care.

For information about the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, contact: Office of Admission, 1(800) 87-MILLS (510) 430-2135 admission@mills.edu www.mills.edu.

PRESS CONTACT:
Deborah Dalinger
Communications Consultant
(925) 788-9131