John A. Ware School of Nursing

Go farther with a nursing degree from the University of La Verne.

We understand the critical role nurses play in optimal health and well-being and offer a differentiated approach to nursing education. Whether you are already an RN wishing to advance your career with new knowledge and leadership skills or a future undergraduate student with a desire to become a registered nurse, we offer meaningful degrees with skills that help nurses go farther and make a greater impact.

Working nurses may now apply for the RN to BSN degree designed for licensed registered nurses seeking their BS in Nursing. Beginning next year, students will be able to apply for the pre-nursing program, which begins in Fall 2023, and will prepare students to transfer into a traditional bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) at University of La Verne or elsewhere.

Quality, Accessible Private Nursing Education

The John A. Ware School of Nursing at the University of La Verne will offer traditional undergraduate, post-licensure degree completion, masters and doctorate-level degrees in nursing, as well as concentrated post-graduate certificate programs.

The university has a long history of offering health-related degrees and has developed an impressive roster of alumni who have risen to significant leadership positions in hospitals, healthcare systems and insurer/provider networks. For more than 100 years, we have been recognized for providing a quality, private education. We’ve also been a pioneer in adult education, offering degree programs to working adults for 50 years with convenient online and on-campus programs at night and on weekends.

Our Differentiation is Your Competitive Edge

We teach our nursing students distinctive skills not offered in all other nursing programs:

• A holistic approach to patient care that treats physical and mental health with parity
• Ways in which health inequities and social determinants can impact access to care and patient outcomes
• How to use informatics to improve care
• A whole-patient philosophy to nursing care that integrates family history, socio-economic factors, cultural influences, and more

These are highly marketable skills employers seek and knowledge that enables our graduates to perform at a more holistic and beneficial level with their patients, employers, and communities.

Our Students are Well-Suited to Serve a Diverse Population

As a Hispanic-serving institution with a highly diverse student community, our students and graduates are uniquely suited to apply knowledge in cultural agility, health advocacy and leadership to their clinical work with an increasingly diverse patient mix. Not only do we teach the impact of social determinants on health, but many of our faculty and students understand firsthand these nuances and how providing personalized, culturally attuned nursing care can favorably impact outcomes.

An Array of Degrees, Certificates and Dual-Enrollment Programs

Rapid changes in healthcare, including the global pandemic, have created a shortage of qualified nurses at all levels. This is compounded by the fact that many hospitals seeking to achieve Magnet status now require nurses to have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

In addition to the RN to BSN degree offered now, and the pre-nursing program that will begin in Fall 2023, we will offer certificates in six or more areas of concentration starting summer 2023. Certificate areas include: Medical-Surgical Nursing, Acute/Critical Care Nursing – Pediatrics, Acute/Critical Care Nursing – Adults, Critical Care Nursing, Progressive Care Nursing, Cardiac Medicine, and Oncology.

Additionally, some of our degrees enable students to dual enroll in undergraduate and master’s level degree programs to apply undergraduate courses to the master’s degree coursework to save time and money. An example of this is our RN to BSN degree, for which three courses can work toward the Master in Health Administration if the student is enrolled in both programs.