Indiana University South Bend and Southwestern Michigan College have started a partnership that will help students earn an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Students at SMC who earn an associates of applied science nursing degree now have a pathway to earning a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Science at IU South Bend.

Admissions standards and course sequences have been identified to allow students to graduate in four and a half years with both an RN from SMC and a BSN from IU South Bend. Both programs are considered among the finest in the region.

“Students at both institutions benefit from this partnership,” said Thomas Fisher, dean of the Dwyer College of Health Sciences. “It provides a smooth and efficient route to a successful career in nursing.”

“One of the great things about this partnership is that it is flexible enough that an SMC graduate can start immediately in the IU South Bend BSN program or, if appropriate, can work in the field for a time and still start up at IU South Bend when the time is right to continue the BSN program,” said SMC Vice President of Instruction Dr. David Fleming.

Michigan and certain Indiana residents can pay in-state tuition rates at SMC, and SMC students can access scholarships and the Midwest Student Exchange Program when completing at IU South Bend to get a tuition discount equal to 150 percent of IU South Bend’s in-state tuition rate. More hospitals are requiring nurses to hold a BSN, which prepares graduates to take on a wider variety of roles in the health care industry and to practice in all health care settings, such as critical care, outpatient care and public health.

Details of the nursing pathway were worked out this summer with more agreements for associate to bachelor’s degrees planned between the two institutions, which are less than 30 miles apart and an easy drive from anywhere in Michiana. Student housing is available at both institutions.

For more information on the program contact Dean of Nursing and Health Services Rebecca Jellison at SMC at rjellison@swmich.edu or (269) 782-1241 or Lori White, Interim Assistant Dean, Student Success, Dwyer College of Health Sciences at IU South Bend at lorwhite@iu.edu or (574) 520-4373.

Interested students are also invited to SMC Transfer Day on Sept. 27.