UF College of Nursing receives accreditation and commendation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

The University of Florida College of Nursing has received its full ten-year accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education for both its baccalaureate and master’s degree programs. The college’s programs met all four accreditation standards with no compliance concerns or recommendations—the best possible outcome.

For a year prior to the commission’s evaluation visit, which took place this past March, the College of Nursing underwent an intensive self-study of its baccalaureate and master’s education programs. The standards by which the commission assesses programs are mission and governance; institutional commitment and resources; curriculum and teaching; and student performance and faculty accomplishments. Within each standard, colleges are given examples of key elements that can be analyzed to determine effectiveness. In the self-study, UF nursing faculty reviewed these elements and assessed the ways in which the college met each standard. At the conclusion of the self-study, college faculty prepared a final report that was given to the site evaluation team and the Accreditation Review Committee.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is the only national accrediting agency that focuses exclusively on advancing baccalaureate and master’s degree programs as a distinct subset of nursing education. It is an autonomous body that has been officially recognized by the United States Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency. The commission is devoted to the unique and specific requirements of baccalaureate and master’s degree programs and ensures the quality and integrity of these programs in preparing effective nurses.

“This accreditation outcome reflects the continued excellence of our faculty, students, staff and alumni,” said Kathleen Ann Long, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., College of Nursing dean. “We are appreciative of the support we receive from our UF and Health Science Center administration and from the nurses who partner with us in our affiliated clinical settings. All of these factors have contributed to our achievement of this national recognition.”