The University of North Dakota has launched four new degree programs spanning aerospace, law and nursing, all designed to address workforce shortages in North Dakota while expanding opportunities for students.
The newest addition to UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is a dedicated Bachelor of Science in Helicopter Operations, separating helicopter flight training from the broader Commercial Aviation program for the first time in the school’s four-decade history of rotorcraft education. The program combines flight training with a liberal arts curriculum and specialized instruction in the unique challenges of piloting helicopters, including access to the school’s spatial disorientation flight training device and state-of-the-art R44 Cadet helicopters.
UND’s School of Law has partnered with the Criminal Justice Studies department to offer a new four-year accelerated joint M.S./J.D. program, allowing students to earn both a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice simultaneously. The program is designed to be more economical than pursuing the two degrees separately, with several courses counting as credits toward both. Faculty and administrators said they hope the joint degree will help address a persistent shortage of attorneys in rural North Dakota.
The College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines added two new programs in gerontology care — a master’s and a doctorate of Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner — designed to train nurses to care for older adults facing complex, critical and life-threatening conditions. Both programs are available online, allowing currently practicing nurses to continue working while earning their degrees. College Dean Maridee Shogren said the programs are particularly important given North Dakota’s growing aging population and existing nursing shortages, especially in rural areas.