University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Nursing

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Elaine N. Marieb College of Nursing
Public nursing college
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Skinner Hall
Logo
Location651 N Pleasant St, Amherst, Massachusetts
Named forElaine N. Marieb Foundation[1][2]
Colors     [3][4]
GenderCo-educational
DeanAllison Vorderstrasse[5]
Websitehttp://www.umass.edu/nursing/

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Elaine N. Marieb College of Nursing is a nursing college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

History

Founded in 1953, the college offered the first baccalaureate nursing program in public higher education in Massachusetts. It launched its first Master of Science degree program four years later and, in 1994, established its PhD program[6], the commonwealth’s first publicly supported PhD program in nursing, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.[7]

In 2012, the College opened its first Office of Nursing Research.[6]

In 2021, the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation donated $21.5 million to the UMass Amherst, the university's largest to date[8][9][10]. As a result, the college was named after her and officially dedicated in September 2022.[11][12][13][14]

Elaine Nicpon Marieb was a two-time alumna of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an educator.[1] UMass Amherst said the gift would support the college’s nursing-engineering center, student scholarships, an endowed professorship, mentorship and research initiatives, graduate fellowships, pilot-project seed funding, an annual symposium, and expansion of nursing simulation laboratories.[15][8][9]

In 2024, UMass partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), to launch a new initiative supporting local public health nurses statewide.[16][17] The initiative was funded by an initial $3.5 million from the state of Massachusetts.[17]

In 2025, the university received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support engineering and nursing technology collaboration.[18]

The College of Nursing is also a Climate Champion school, part of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE).[6]

Degree programs

The college offers undergraduate programs including a traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. The accelerated program is designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree.

Graduate programs include an online Doctor of Nursing Practice, a PhD in nursing, a Baystate Midwifery Education Program with an optional concurrent master’s degree, and an online Master of Science in Nursing with concentrations in Nursing Education and Public Health Nursing. The college also offers graduate certificates in nursing education, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner preparation, and population health for health professionals.[19]

Accreditation

The baccalaureate[20],master’s[21] and Doctor of Nursing Practice[22]programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education[23][24]. The baccalaureate degree program is also fully approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.[23][24]

Research

The college’s research project areas include health care quality, health-equity interventions, technology-enabled care, nutrition, health behavior, aging, and nursing education.[25] Its faculty also work through interdisciplinary collaboration across nursing, engineering, public health, epidemiology, computer science, and other fields.[26]

References

  1. "About Elaine Marieb". umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  2. "Elaine Marieb College of Nursing". umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  3. "Color". UMass Brand Guide. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  4. "Brand Identity".
  5. "Provost Announces Reappointment of Deans Mari Castañeda, Jacqueline Urla and Allison Vorderstrasse". umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  6. "University of Massachusetts Amherst's nursing PhD program Equity-centered community design of a new curriculum to transform the discipline, achieve health justice, and sustain planetary health". sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  7. "Our History : Elaine Marieb College of Nursing : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  8. "Massachusetts nursing school gets record-breaking $21.5M donation". beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  9. "UMass Amherst's Nursing College Gets $21 Million Gift From Foundation Of Bestselling Textbook Author - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  10. Genovese, Alex. "UMass School of Nursing receives $21.5 million gift, largest cash gift in UMass Amherst history". Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  11. "College of Nursing at UMass Amherst Receives Transformative $21.5 Million Gift from Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation". UMass. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  12. "UMass Amherst Officially Dedicates the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, Celebrating Life of Distinguished Alumna and Educator : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  13. "UMass Amherst celebrates Elaine Marieb College of Nursing". WWLP. 2022-09-12. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  14. Merzbach, Scott (2022-09-12). "UMass dedicates College of Nursing". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  15. "College of Nursing at UMass Amherst Receives $21.5 Million Gift from Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  16. HealthLeaders. "UMass launches state-wide program to support local public health nurses". www.healthleadersmedia.com. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  17. Lewis, Alexa (2024-11-14). "UMass, state ramping up support for public health nurses with $3.5M mentoring, training program". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  18. Ferland, Sam (2025-09-08). "Healing meets hardware: UMass wins $3M grant for nursing-engineering collaboration". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  19. "Academics : Elaine Marieb College of Nursing : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  20. "CCNE-Accredited Baccalaureate Nursing Degree Programs". directory.ccnecommunity.org. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  21. "CCNE-Accredited Masters Nursing Degree Programs". directory.ccnecommunity.org. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  22. "CCNE-Accredited Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Programs". directory.ccnecommunity.org. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  23. "Accreditation : Elaine Marieb College of Nursing : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  24. markuser (2013-04-16). "University of Massachusetts Amherst Nursing School Review". Nursing Schools Guide. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  25. "Projects : Elaine Marieb College of Nursing : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  26. "Research : Elaine Marieb College of Nursing : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-24.

42°23′29.5″N 72°31′29.2″W / 42.391528°N 72.524778°W / 42.391528; -72.524778