After decades of educating students in pre-professional programs including dentistry, medicine, medical technology, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy and veterinary medicine, Judson College for the first time in her history will offer an associate’s degree in nursing.

The decision was made by the Board of Trustees in their meeting on Oct. 7 after recommendations from the faculty and administration.

The college anticipates adding new courses and faculty in the spring semester in order to offer classes in the fall of 2011, pending approval of accreditors.

“I’m very, very excited about this,” said trustee chair Charles Dunkin of Birmingham.

“The board has talked about this seriously for two years or more. There’s a real shortage of nurses in the country and the nursing program here fits like a glove. It’s a natural outgrowth of our science program and it gives Judson another opportunity to serve the community.”

The college first considered a nursing degree program in the early ‘70s and has revisited the issue several times over the years.

“Nursing is the most sought after major by prospective students that Judson heretofore did not offer,” said Vice President for Admissions Charlotte Clements. “We believe it’s an opportune time to proceed with a quality program.”

Judson President David Potts noted there are more than two dozen other institutions in the state that offer nursing studies, but many qualified applicants are rejected due to enrollment limits. Some reports suggest that up to 140,000 students were turned away from nursing programs in the U.S. last year.

According to health care professionals, the country continues to experience a shortage and the need for trained nurses is critical.

Potts noted that the nursing studies program at Judson will offer a number of advantages over programs in other schools.