People and Environment
Promote a vibrant, respectful, and caring environment that recruits, retains, and fosters an inclusive and talented community of students and employees while optimizing infrastructure
The University of South Carolina, College of Nursing prepares future nurse leaders and scientists while addressing the evolving healthcare needs of South Carolina and beyond. Its mission is to educate graduates who care, inspire, and lead in advancing science, practice, and policy to improve health for all. The College aspires to be a preeminent leader in nursing education and research, recognized for innovation, inclusive excellence, and service with local, national, and global impact, and is guided by core values of inclusivity, integrity, professionalism, respect, commitment, and caring.
Strategic Priorities
Education and Student Success
Inspire graduates with clinical competence and cultural humility through student-centered learning to lead, transform, and deliver exemplary evidence-based nursing care, conduct research and scholarship, and improve healthcare delivery systems
Research and Scholarship
Lead and boldly transform research and scholarship that encompasses discovery to translation, consistent with USC Nursing’s values
Practice, Service, and Partnerships
Cultivate and expand regional, national, and global initiatives with innovative practice, service, and partnerships
Faculty, Staff, and Students
The College’s 147 talented faculty members include 28 tenure and tenure-track, 54 professional track, and 91 adjunct faculty. Approximately one third of full-time faculty have been recognized with national fellowships that include the American Academy of Nursing, American Academy of Nurse Midwives, American College of Cardiology, and Society of Behavioral Medicine, among others. Eight faculty hold endowed professorships.
The College is supported by a talented group of 38 full-time and 29 part-time and temporary staff.
In Fall 2025, over 2,257 students enrolled across three campuses – Columbia, West Columbia, and Lancaster: 1,703 in the undergraduate Bachelor of Science (BSN) program, 423 in the master’s program, 19 in the certificate of graduate study program, 76 in the DNP program, and 36 in the PhD program.
College faculty are organized within three departments: Biobehavioral Health and Nursing Science, Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership, and Professional Nursing Practice, all led by Department Chairs. There are three Associate Deans: Research, Academics, and Access and Community Engagement.
The Williams-Brice Building has been home of the College of Nursing since 1974 and is situated on the main USC Columbia campus. This site is used primarily for freshman and sophomore BSN students, graduate programs, research centers, and the Center for Nursing Leadership.
The 52,000 square foot Clinical Education Building, opened in 2024, is located approximately ten minutes from the downtown Columbia main campus site and across the street from Lexington Health. In partnership, Lexington Health funded the new facility and provides clinical instructors. This site is used primarily for clinical training of the College’s third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students as well as master entry into practice nursing (MEPN) students. Cutting-edge technology and flexible spaces offer USC’s growing nursing student population an elevated educational experience and better prepare them to transition into practice.
The Clinical Education Building also houses the state-of-the-art Center for Simulation and Experiential Learning (SAEL). SAEL’s multi-purpose design includes a large area for skills training, rooms for debriefing/multi-use, patient simulator rooms and clinical exam rooms. All patient simulator and clinical exam rooms have video and audio-capture capabilities with web streaming delivery. Spanning the entire second level of the facility, it features several key training areas:
- Acute Care Suite - mimics hospital rooms and intensive care units
- Community Apartment - simulates a home environment for home health scenarios
- Primary Care Suite - where students practice patient care and communication
- Skills Suite - where students develop and refine clinical skills
The Society for Simulation in Healthcare reaffirmed SAEL’s position among the nation’s top simulation centers granting reaccreditation in Teaching and Education and earning an additional Multi-Site Program accreditation. The College has a partnership with the USC Palmetto College Campus at Lancaster to provide the BSN program for junior and senior students at that site. This partnership is approximately 15 years strong and has graduated over 300 registered nurses in this region, with the majority remaining in the surrounding counties.
The College offers four nationally ranked and accredited degree programs – Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science (PhD). The BSN entry pathways include Traditional BSN and RN-BSN. The College’s undergraduate program produces the largest number of pre-licensure graduates in the state. The BSN program is ranked number one in the state. Graduates from the College of Nursing achieved a 98.93 percent first-time pass rate on the 2025 National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN), placing the College in the top one percent in the country in terms of NCLEX pass rates.
The graduate programs include specialty tracks and post-master’s graduate certificates, allowing students to customize their education in advanced practice, leadership, or academic roles:
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Midwifery
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing Education
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing Informatics
- Master’s Entry to Practice Nursing (MEPN)
- Healthcare Leadership
The MSN program is number one in the state and ranks number two for online master’s programs according to the 2026 U.S. News and World Report. New nurse practitioner graduates earn 95-100 percent pass rates on the ANCC Board Certification.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice has six concentrations:
- Executive Healthcare Leadership
- BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing Education
- BSN-DNP Nurse-Midwifery
- BSN-DNP Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- BSN-DNP Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing Science program prepares students for a nursing research career in academic, clinical, or health system settings. Generous tuition support for students in the first two years of the program and executive-style weekend course delivery create flexibility for students to earn a doctoral degree.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), the master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), and the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) are accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in 2021, for a 10-year term, extending through 2031.
The University of South Carolina College of Nursing is fully approved by the South Carolina Board of Nursing.
The Center for Simulation and Experiential Learning (SAEL) was accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare in 2020 and reaccredited in 2026, recognized as a leader in delivering educational excellence through simulation.
The state’s first accredited nurse-midwifery program started in 2025 and is up for full accreditation when its first cohort graduates in 2027.
The College’s portfolio of research and scholarship has significantly grown over the last decade. In fiscal year 2025, the College secured $10.2 million in research funding—a 19 percent increase—ranking 31st nationally in NIH funding and first in the state for the second consecutive year. The College’s research centers have generated more than $20 million in new grant funding since 2019. Research strengths include cancer survivorship, chronic disease management and prevention, and maternal and child health, all grounded in a strong commitment to health equity. These efforts are supported by the College’s Office of Research.
Construction has started for a new Biobehavioral Research Center housed within the College that will be completed in Fall 2026 on the Columbia Campus. Approximately 1,600 square feet of experimental laboratory space will occupy the former simulation center. The experimental laboratory facilities will be fully equipped for College faculty and their research teams to perform assessments and process samples on-site. The laboratory will support a wide variety of molecular biology, cell culture, biomarker analyses, microscopy, immunostaining and human physiology research, all aimed at understanding complex diseases to improve patient care outcomes.
Spanning over 4,000 square feet, the Center will include a spacious patient intake area and a clinical exam suite. This space will host a community collaboratory, areas for physical activity and exercise research and focus groups, as well as offices for visiting researchers. Plans also include a dedicated space for pediatric, adolescent and young adult-focused research.
The College supports five Centers of Excellence that provide nurse leaders with knowledge, tools and experience they can use to advance care.
The Dean oversees a $45 million unrestricted annual operating budget and a $17.4 million endowment. Annual restricted revenues from sponsored awards are five to ten million along with $550 thousand of annual endowed spendable. The College derives unrestricted revenue from tuition, fees, state appropriations, sponsored award indirect cost, and other miscellaneous revenue. USC uses a Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget model.
The College’s primary associated academic health partners are Prisma Health and Lexington Health, with other robust clinical affiliations to meet students’ learning needs.