The Robert M. Rogers building is home to TJC’s nursing program.
This fall, Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas at Tyler created a joint nursing program called the concurrent enrollment program. This program offers nursing students the option to enroll in TJC and UT Tyler classes, simultaneously.
In the past, students had to complete their associate degree in nursing at TJC then move on to UT Tyler in order to graduate with their Bachelor of Science in Nursing. However, this new program allows students to graduate with both certifications in two years.
“The concurrent program is an exciting, innovative program that allows highly qualified students admitted to the TJC ADN [Associate Degree in Nursing] program to complete their courses at TJC while simultaneously completing the extra hours needed to complete their BSN [Bachelor of Nursing] at UT Tyler,” said Dr. Colleen Marzilli, an associate professor of nursing at UT Tyler.
According to Marzilli, the program is the brainchild of Dr. Barbara Haas. Haas has many roles at UT Tyler: a professor of nursing, an associate dean for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the executive director for the School of Nursing.
“To be eligible, students must be accepted into the TJC ADN program and meet all prerequisite requirements at UT Tyler, including core completion with microbiology, nutrition, chemistry, and human growth and development. Students should also have completed or be enrolled in pathophysiology,” Marzilli said.
The concurrent enrollment program is designed so students will not be overwhelmed by taking classes at two separate colleges and is structured so they do not have to take too many courses at once.
“A lot of the classes overlap, that way we don’t have to be full-time students at both colleges at the same time,” said Jaela Wideman, a student in the concurrent enrollment program. “I love how I’m still a TJC student, and the UT Tyler classes are online. They made it easy, so we don’t have to drive back and forth.”
Likewise, Aristotle Montgomery, a concurrent student at TJC, enjoys the opportunities this program offers.
“I firmly believe that the concurrent program offered by the University of Texas – Tyler has opened doors for me that were not previously given to me,” Montgomery said. “Time management has been the biggest contribution to my success thus far. Knowing how to prioritize studying and avoiding procrastination will help concurrently enrolled students be successful in both programs.”
For more information about the concurrent enrollment program, visit the Rogers Student Center, Room 0.020. To enroll in the program, apply to the ADN program at TJC. Students will be asked if they would like to participate in the concurrent enrollment program.
