Jefferson College of Health Sciences to add two doctorate programs

                                                                                          
The Roanoke-based Jefferson College of Health Sciences has added two doctorate-level programs to its 25 existing health care-focused degree and certificate programs.

The new programs, the doctorate of nursing practice and the doctorate of health sciences, will begin next fall.

In addition to announcing the doctorate-level programs, the college has introduced its Jefferson College of Health Sciences School of Graduate & Professional Studies. The school will include its graduate-level programs, which already enroll more than 250 students.

The doctorate-level programs mark a significant milestone in the history of Jefferson College, which is part of Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic.

Founded in 1914 as the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing, the college by the 1980s had about 200 students in a handful of associate and certificate programs. Now it has almost 1,100 students.

In addition to the new doctorate programs, Jefferson College offers master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as a variety of graduate and undergraduate certificate and recertification programs.