Assessment
In accordance with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s (CCNE) Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs, last revised in 2024, the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Assessment Committee conducts an annual assessment and review to evaluate program quality and effectiveness, as well as support continuous improvements in all our CCNE accredited programs, including the baccalaureate degree program, the master’s degree program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and the post-graduate APRN certificate program.
The CCNE accreditation process includes an assessment and review of our programs’ mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning practices, and assessment and achievement of program outcomes.
The College’s Assessment Committee maintains an active Systematic Evaluation Plan (SEP) to guide this review and disseminates an annual Continuous Progress Improvement Report (CIPR) to our academic program councils so that outcomes can be discussed and changes can be documented for further assessment and review.
CCNE Accreditation
The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s baccalaureate and master’s programs have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) since 2000, and our Doctor of Nursing Practice and post-graduate APRN certificate programs have been accredited since 2016.
CCNE requires that programs meet rigorous and comprehensive standards that have been designed to foster effective practice and continuous improvement within nursing education programs. CCNE’s cycle of accreditation requires a mid-cycle review at the five-year mark, as well as a self-study and site visit at the ten-year mark.
The College was reaccredited in 2020 for the maximum ten-year period allowed. You may read a copy of the College’s most recent CCNE self-study report. The most recent mid-cycle review occurred in 2025, and the College’s next CCNE self-study and site visit are scheduled to be completed in 2030.
Middle-States Accreditation
In addition to CCNE accreditation, all the College’s programs are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the University’s institutional accreditor. Find out more information about Penn State’s institutional accreditation process.
Questions about Middle States accreditation can be directed to the posted contacts in the University’s Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR).
Contacts
Please direct any questions regarding the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Assessment and Accreditation processes to the contacts below:
Alexander Towle,
Director of Assessment and Accreditation
Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
Laurie Badzek,
Dean and Professor
Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
