Saint Mary's College-Indiana

Saint Mary's College offers a comprehensive nursing education that integrates the liberal arts with high-level clinical science. The primary undergraduate offering is the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which features a Direct Entry option for incoming first-year students with a 3.6+ GPA. The four-year, 125-133 credit curriculum is structured so that students begin foundational sciences immediately and enter the professional nursing sequence in the second semester of their sophomore year. For those seeking doctoral-level expertise, Saint Mary’s provides a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with tracks for Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AG-ACNP), and a unique BSN-to-DNP pathway that incorporates social entrepreneurship and data analytics.

The program is anchored by the Center for Integrated Healthcare Education (CIHE), a sprawling training facility that opened in 2021. This center features multiple simulation labs equipped with high-fidelity manikins that can simulate cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, and live birth. A standout of the curriculum is the Senior Nursing Simulation Day, a large-scale disaster drill involving the chemistry and theatre departments to create "moulage" (mock injuries) for ultra-realistic triage training. Clinical rotations are conducted in small groups of eight at premier local institutions, including Memorial Hospital and Saint Joseph Health System, as well as community-based sites like the Center for the Homeless.

Outcomes for Saint Mary’s graduates are among the highest in the Midwest. The 2024 cohort achieved a 97.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, with 100% of graduates passing within six months. Furthermore, 91% of graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within one year of completion. Compared to larger state programs, Saint Mary’s is distinguished by its 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, its status as an NLN Center of Excellence, and its Global Health initiatives, which include faculty-led clinical service trips to countries like Brazil and Peru.