JSU Announces Two New Degree Programs

07/24/2017

Jacksonville State University is pleased to announce the addition of two new degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Investigation and Master of Science in Nursing. The programs were recently approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. 

The BS in Forensic Investigation is the first of its kind in Alabama. It expands on an already thriving concentration in forensic investigation within the university’s bachelor’s program in criminal justice, which has been attracting students since the mid-1980s. It will draw on the strengths of JSU’s nationally recognized Center for Applied Forensics, whose forensics scientists will serve as instructors in the new degree program.

Traditional and online courses will be offered and students will have the option to choose one of two tracks: Criminal Investigations or Forensic Laboratory/Technician. The Criminal Investigations track will serve those who are interested in becoming an investigator or detective in law enforcement, while the Forensic Laboratory/Technician track will be geared towards students wanting to pursue a career as either a laboratory technician or forensic scientist.

The Master of Science in Nursing is a step-out master’s degree housed within the new Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program at JSU. This option is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to DNP track. This program will make JSU the only university in North Alabama to offer a step-out MSN degree along the academic trajectory of a BSN to DNP degree.

With the DNP program, students can select one of two pathways: Family Nurse Practitioner or Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. This step-out option will equip students with the coursework necessary to sit for the national certification exam for nurse practitioner, which will allow students to then function as a nurse practitioner while completing their doctorate. All coursework for this program will be delivered via distance education.

The JSU Nursing Department has undergone many new and exciting transformations in the past few years regarding their degree options. This fall, three cohorts of students will be among the first to begin the newest nursing degree programs: the two tracks of BSN to DNP and the post-master’s DNP leadership track.

JSU will also begin offering a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy through the School of Health Professions and Wellness this fall. The traditional respiratory therapy program will begin in August with the first cohort of 24 students. The program recently earned provisional accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. Students will be eligible to participate in their national credentialing exams upon successful graduation from the program.  

For more information on the BS in Forensic Investigation, contact the Department of Criminal Justice at 256-782-5335. For more information about the MS in Nursing, call 256-782-5423. For information on the Respiratory Therapy program, call 256-782-8404.