The University of Colorado College of Nursing enrolls over 800 undergraduate and graduate students.
The college was founded in 1898, and the bachelor’s program was established in 1920. The college instituted the first nurse practitioner and school nurse programs in the United States in 1965. The college has one of the oldest (established 1978) research doctoral programs in the West, and in 2005, the College of Nursing introduced the new doctor of nursing practice (DNP)program.
In the 2011 rankings of graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report, the College of Nursing ranked:
- 15th in the U.S. for the overall master’s program
- 5th in the nation for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) specialty option
Several programs are involved with Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and provide in-state tuition for students from qualified states.
Nursing students are working toward the following degrees: bachelor of science, master of science, doctor of nursing practice and doctor of philosophy. Continuing education post master's certificate programs and postdoctoral studies are also available.
Master’s specialties include adult clinical nurse specialist, adult nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, health care informatics, nurse midwifery, pediatric nursing leadership and special needs, pediatric nurse practitioner, special studies, and women’s health care nurse practitioner.
The college has a 30-year history of distance education, especially serving citizens of Colorado, and many courses may be taken online. The RN to BS and two master’s options can be completed totally online.
The college features active faculty practices at more than 12 primary care, case management, consultative and nurse midwifery sites.
The College of Nursing has four endowed chairs and two endowed professorships. Seventeen faculty are fellows of the American Academy of Nursing, and 11 are fellows in specialty and practical societies.
Two national centers are housed within the school: The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and the National Center for Children, Families and Communities.
For years, the college was located on the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center campus at 9th Avenue and Colorado Blvd. in Denver. The college moved to the new University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado., in December 2007.