New Partnerships Offer Online Graduate Programs to BJC HealthCare and SSM Health
Corporate partnerships, or exclusive contractual agreements between SIUE and companies, exist solely to build mutually beneficial relationships that align industry needs with University resources. By providing educational opportunities to the employees, clients or other well-defined groups of stakeholders, corporate partnerships allow the University to extend its student-centered learning community outside its traditional campuses while improving the life, economy, healthcare and environment in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond.
The School of Nursing has been steadily creating corporate partnerships for the online RN to BS program since 2014. Expanding on those partnerships, nurses in the BJC HealthCare and SSM Health systems now may also pursue graduate degrees through the School’s online programs.
The partnerships enable nursing professionals to pursue Master of Science, nurse educator and Master of Science, healthcare and nursing administration degrees. Both programs are offered fully online.
Both master’s programs comprise 11 courses, with the nurse educator program including 270 hours of clinical experience, and the healthcare and nursing administration program including 315 hours of clinical experience.
In addition, BJC HealthCare nurses may also pursue an online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. This is the first time SIUE has offered any of its doctoral programs through a corporate academic partnership.
“Through these agreement, BJC and SSM leaders once again demonstrate their dedication to ensuring lifelong learning for their employees, as well as their commitment to the development of nursing leaders,” said Laura Bernaix, PhD, RN, dean of the School of Nursing.
The organizations have also collaborated to offer qualified nurses discounted tuition and a convenient payroll deduction option for tuition payments.
"It is incredibly exciting to know SSM and BJC nurses now have an opportunity to take advantage of these educational offerings," said Andrew Griffin, PhD, assistant dean for graduate programs.
