WGU Ranks as a Top Educator of Minorities in Nursing

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Western Governors University (WGU) was among the top producers of nursing degrees awarded to minority students, according to a recent issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. According to the magazine's "Top Health Science Degree Producers" list, WGU ranked fourth in the nation for the volume of nurses with minority backgrounds who earn their bachelor's and master's degrees from the university.

The magazine's report, published annually, lists the top 100 health science degree producers in the U.S. for African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander students. This year, WGU moved up the list from ninth largest producer of master's degrees to fourth. Since its founding, WGU's College of Health Professions has awarded 15,000 graduates with degrees. Recently, the National League for Nursing named the nursing programs offered by WGU as a 2015 Center of Excellence™ for Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development, one of only 12 nursing schools selected for this designation.

"WGU maintains a strong commitment to a diverse student body and encourages a diverse workforce of highly qualified nurses nationwide," said Dr. Jan Jones-Schenk, National Director of WGU's College of Health Professions. "Since the beginning, our goal has been to educate and prepare future nursing staff and leaders to be highly competent and well-versed in a multicultural healthcare environment."

The leader in competency-based education, WGU's learning model is ideal for working nurses as it allows them to study and learn on their own schedule and at their own pace, advancing as soon as they demonstrate that they have mastered course material. Because WGU measures learning rather than time and charges tuition at a flat rate per six-month term, regardless of the number of courses completed, healthcare professionals with knowledge and skills from work and previous college experience can often move through their programs more quickly, saving both time and money. Students receive personalized one-on-one faculty support and have 24/7 access to course materials.

For more information about WGU's nursing programs, go to wgu.edu/healthprofessions.

About WGU

Now with 65,000 students and 55,000 graduates nationwide, WGU offers more than 50 online, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs in the high-demand fields of business, K–12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. The online university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and its nursing degree programs accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)*. WGU has been named one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies" and featured on NPR's "All Things Considered" NBC Nightly News, CNN's "Schools of Thought," and in The New York Times.

WGU has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations, including AT&T, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, SunGard Higher Education, USA Funds, and Zions Bank. More information is available at wgu.edu or by calling 866.225.5948.

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