Missouri Baptist University Will Offer Pre-Nursing Major for Undergraduates

has joined forces with the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College to offer a new pre-nursing major for undergraduates at the university. Students in the program will spend two years at MBU and then transfer to Goldfarb for two years of nursing classes to finish a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

The main Goldfarb campus is located in St. Louis City, just southeast of Clayton and Richmond Heights. It operates on the grounds of Washington University Medical Center.

At a recent reception on MBU's Creve Coeur campus, admissions counselors answered prospective students’ questions about the new major. Missouri Baptist's admissions director Aaron Black said that the pre-nursing major has already received 79 applicants, more than any other major at the university.

Dr. Lydia Thebeau, associate professor of biology at MBU, worked with the admissions department to initiate the agreement with Goldfarb after realizing that many of the students in her classes were there to take prerequisites for nursing. It was originally the university’s intention to form what's called an articulation agreement with an institution such as Saint Louis University, but Thebeau found that the increase in cost to students transferring there would be significant. Goldfarb was a better option when it came to students’ expenses.

Black agreed that the program is a “way to serve the students better.” The university often gets calls from people who have the school confused with Missouri Baptist Medical Center’s student nursing program, so the admissions staff is glad to now be able to tell callers that MBU has its own nursing major.

Lamar Wilkes, admissions adviser at Goldfarb, said that the nursing college also saw the partnership as “a great opportunity.” While Goldfarb operates its main campus on the grounds of Washington University Medical Center, it just opened another branch at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. That branch held its first classes in January, and its proximity to the university made the partnership especially appealing.

Taylor Hosna, a high school senior, attended the reception with her parents, Martha and Mark. She will attend MBU on a track scholarship and is interested in the nursing program.

“I like working with kids,” Hosna said. “I’m thinking about being a pediatric nurse.”

Students accepted to MBU will still need to apply to transfer into Goldfarb’s upper-division nursing program after completing their general education requirements.  Goldfarb accepts 96 transfer students per year into its upper division and graduates more than 300 students each year.

Students who spend freshman and sophomore year on campus have a richer experience than students who take general education programs at community colleges, MBU admissions staff said. They talked up the benefits of participating in sports, being part of a small academic and social community, and experiencing the school’s Christian focus. Students will take courses in English, fine arts and the humanities—in addition to taking introductory biology and chemistry classes— before moving onto Goldfarb’s nursing curriculum and hands-on labs.

Black said MBU is still not quite sure what to expect from the program’s inaugural year, but the record number of applications is a good sign. Thebeau said that the program is developing “way faster than we ever envisioned” despite not being heavily marketed.

The admissions office estimates that between 35 and 50 students will enter the pre-nursing program this fall.