Fitchburg State University has signed nursing-degree agreements with community colleges in Worcester, Gardner, Bedford and Fall River.
The agreements, which the university announced Monday, guarantee students a spot at Fitchburg State’s bachelor’s nursing program and is aimed at helping ensure more of the state’s nurses have bachelor’s degrees in the coming years.
Fitchburg State’s agreements will help students at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Middlesex Community College in Bedford and Bristol Community College in Fall River. The agreements, which waive application fees and essay requirements for students, were created with support from a Massachusetts Department of Higher Education nursing and allied health grant.
The project is expected to produce at least 18 additional students a year with a bachelor’s degree, Fitchburg State said.
The Massachusetts Action Coalition, an industry advocacy group, has a goal of having 80% of the state’s nurses holding a bachelor’s degree by 2020. At the most recent count in 2017, the group said the rate was 56%, up from 49% in 2010.
The group says bachelor’s degrees are critical for nurses to help them advance in their career and support the state’s growing need in the field.
