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Oklahoma State University announces new, four-year nursing degree program

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma State University is adding a bachelor’s of nursing program to its Stillwater campus this fall. The addition will help combat the state’s nursing shortage.

Oklahoma has been in a nursing shortage for decades, and the pandemic worsened it. The state ranks 46th for nurses per capita. One of many contributing factors: nursing school barriers. Nursing programs are expensive for students and colleges, and nursing faculty are hard to find, so colleges offer a finite number of slots every year.

But there will be more in Oklahoma this year, thanks in part to thenew nursing program at OSU. The program’s 50 new slots have already been filled, and the school aims to offer 100 slots in the coming years.

"The shortage of qualified health care providers in Oklahoma is only going to intensify without a focused effort to provide pathways of opportunity for aspiring nurses," OSU President Kayse Shrum said.

Last year, the University of Oklahoma expanded its nursing program and created about 100 new slots, including partnership slots in Norman and Duncan.

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Catherine Sweeney was StateImpact Oklahoma's health reporter from 2020 to 2023.
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