GROW IN COMMUNITY
Nursing and Health Professions
Welcome to the Valparaiso University College of Nursing and Health Professions!
As you explore what we have to offer, we anticipate you may have many questions. We welcome you to ask these questions, visit our campus, and make yourself at home as you get acquainted with Valpo’s nursing and healthcare programs.
You are here because you seek a career in healthcare. You see yourself helping people preserve and enhance their health, well-being, and quality of life.
Healthcare is not limited to hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Health professionals work in a variety of settings as practitioners, educators, managers, researchers, consultants, policy-makers, entrepreneurs, inventors, politicians, and social advocates. At Valpo, we prepare health professionals with a wide range of skills that make them employable for whatever direction their career may take.
A career in healthcare demands an incredible knowledge base. Valparaiso University offers an academically rigorous program that integrates cuttingedge nursing and healthcare research, theory, and techniques with knowledge from the humanities and physical and social sciences. The nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the physician assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, and the entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program has been granted candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
QUESTIONS?
Contact us at 219.464.5011 or undergrad.admission@valpo.edu.
FACULTY SUPPORT & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Our proficient faculty, innovative facilities, and limitless student experiences further bolster our program. We are fortunate to have a faculty with both the clinical experience and academic credentials to augment the passion they exhibit about teaching promising students like you. We are proud of our newly renovated Center for Experiential Learning, classrooms, and inviting common areas where students can socialize and study. In addition, in Valpo’s programs, our students are given many opportunities for clinical experience, to travel the world through a variety of overseas study opportunities, and to conduct research.
The College of Nursing and Health Professions has been an important part of the life and mission of Valparaiso University for five decades, and the college continues to grow to meet the needs of our students and their future employers.
CONTACT INFORMATION
We appreciate the opportunity to introduce you to our healthcare programs through this informational sheet. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the College of Nursing and Health Professions at conhp@valpo.edu.
To learn more about the College of Nursing and Health Professions, scan the QR code.
Undergraduate Programs
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN EXERCISE SCIENCE
Exercise science is the study of behavioral, nutritional, physiological, psychological, and functional adaptations to movement, physical activity, exercise, sport, and athletic performance. Students will gain a detailed understanding of the body’s physiological response to exercise.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP
The bachelor of science in healthcare leadership program appeals to students who want to gain knowledge in the fastgrowing field of healthcare and assume a leadership position within a healthcare organization. It is designed to prepare students for mid-level management positions.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH SCIENCE
The bachelor of science in health science program prepares students with a foundation of interdisciplinary knowledge that allows for a career in a health profession or the pursuit of further graduate student and/or professional degree.
ACCELERATED PROGRAM
The accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program is designed for transfer students who have over 75 credits of general education and science coursework and for individuals seeking a second degree. This degree can be completed in just 15 months.
RN TO BSN
An online program designed for licensed registered nurses who graduated from a ACEN or CCNE accredited nursing program and who now seek a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited program.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INTEGRATED PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING
The bachelor of science in nursing program is a four-year program that includes a wide variety of foundation courses in the natural and social sciences and the liberal arts, as well as courses related to the principles and practice of nursing.
Graduate Programs
Our dynamic bachelor of science in integrated public health and healthcare leadership is designed to be completed in just three years, saving students an entire year compared to the traditional undergraduate timeline. This innovative program combines core public health principles – such as health behavior, health services administration, environmental health, epidemiology, and biostatistics – with a strong emphasis on leadership skills essential for driving change in diverse healthcare settings. Additionally, students can complete both the bachelor of science in integrated public health and healthcare leadership and the master of science in public health in just five years.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH SCIENCE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES
Earn a bachelor of science and master in science in just five years through our physician assistant program. This program is designed to help students develop essential skills in critical thinking, diagnosis, communication, leadership, and patient care to prepare for a rewarding career improving the quality of life of individuals and community.
POST-MSN DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE
The post-MSN doctor of nursing practice program is designed for those who hold a master of science in nursing degree from an accredited university and certification as advanced practice registered nurse.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES (MSPA)
MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION (MHCA)
The master of healthcare administration program is an interdisciplinary program of study designed to prepare students and professionals for careers and advancement in healthcare administration.
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)
The master of public health (MPH) program, with a strong focus on epidemiology, is designed to build expertise in assessing and addressing health patterns and risks within diverse populations. Through ecological approaches and an integrated focus on multiple determinants of health, the program equips students to promote health, prevent disease, and respond to complex public health challenges effectively.
DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE (DNP)
The doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program’s curriculum builds on the baccalaureate program by providing education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems thinking among other key areas while it prepares graduates to become family nurse practitioners.
The master of science in physician assistant studies (MSPA) pathway accepts undergraduate Valpo students and alumni with any major into the graduate program where they will be prepared to think critically and work collaboratively to provide excellent evidence-based patient care in a rewarding career delivering healthcare to where it’s most needed.
ENTRY-LEVEL OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DOCTORATE (OTD)
The occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program is a 109-credit hour program that can be completed in less than three years. Valpo’s OTD program prepares future occupational therapists for leadership and scholarship in academic communities and/or healthcare organizations.
POST-PROFESSIONAL DOCTOR OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (D r OT)
The post-professional doctor of occupational therapy (DrOT) program totals 30 credit hours and is 100% online, designed to prepare graduates as innovators in occupational therapy through advanced skills in mentorship, education, evidence-based practice using knowledge translation, advocacy, and policymaking in the broader world of healthcare.