Corrections: Errors appeared in the March 20 article, “Pepperdine Announces New College of Health Science.” The name of the college has been corrected. The term accreditor is the correct term for organizations that will evaluate the new college for accreditation.
Correction has been made to reflect that the Entry Level Master’s (ELM) Degree in Nursing will be offered to anyone with a baccalaureate degree outside of nursing and who is looking to become a licensed registered nurse. The BSN program offers a transfer pathway for students who have completed all prerequisites
Clarification: Additional clarity was provided regarding the university administrators who have researched and planned for the new college. Administrators are planning for three additional major programs and several secondary programs after the opening of the college.
Pepperdine University is launching a College of Health Science, the first new college in 25 years, said Jay Brewster, the provost and chief academic officer of Pepperdine University.
The College of Health Science will include multiple programs by 2031. The college’s additions will be an incremental process, beginning in the fall of 2025, with the School of Nursing and a School of Speech and Language Pathology, Brewster said. The college will officially open in the fall of 2025.
“I think this [care for the community] resonates deeply with our Christian mission: the ability to train young professionals that will go out and do incredible work in the allied health disciplines,” Brewster said.
Brewster, also a professor of Biology, began leading the research for the new college two years after the idea was first proposed, he said. The vice provost, associate provost and administrative leaders were all involved in this conversation. President Jim Gash, Brewster, then-Seaver Dean Michael Feltner and Gary Hanson, University Senior Vice President, led the initiative from the university side and partnered with health education industry experts.
Feltner, dean of Academic Initiatives and professor of Sports Medicine, has been named the inaugural dean for the College of Health Science. He previously served as the dean of Seaver College for nine years.
“My vision is that we develop healthcare programs that are world-class in quality — that contribute richly to our healthcare systems, both locally and nationally,” Feltner said.
Administration members are developing partnerships with world-class healthcare systems and local partners, Feltner said. These healthcare relationships will provide clinical learning that will differentiate Pepperdine’s College of Health Science from other schools, Feltner said.
There is a real need for nurses, especially in California and across the U.S., following COVID-19, Brewster said. Pepperdine is looking to address that need.
A Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) will be the primary undergraduate program. The Entry Level Master’s (ELM) Degree in Nursing will be offered to anyone with a baccalaureate degree outside of nursing and who is looking to become a licensed registered nurse. The BSN program offers a transfer pathway for students who have completed all prerequisites, Feltner said.
Pepperdine is exploring the possibility of adding additional programs to the College of Health Science by 2031, Brewster said.
Location and admission for the College of Health Science
The first two years of the Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program are planned to be on Malibu’s campus. The following two years are planned to be offered at the Pepperdine Calabasas campus, Brewster said.
However, this is still very much in the developmental phase in terms of what all of this will look like, Brewster said.
“We have to be really clear that we’re working with the accreditors,” Brewster said. “And so, the accreditation process is underway with a proposed start in the fall of 2025.”
All new programs will be evaluated and approved through external accrediting agencies. The California Board of Registered Nursing will provide the required licensing for the program once the application process is complete, Feltner said.
As of now, administrators have proposed 56 students to be admitted into the four-year BSN program pathway, Feltner said.
Conversations are happening around what this will mean for on-campus housing, Brewster said.
“We’re certainly looking for ways to build out that infrastructure, but that takes time,” Brewster said. He said is confident there will be adequate housing to accommodate these students.
Brewster said they will begin hiring professors for the College of Health Science this year.
“We’re very interested in having high-quality graduates that will become leaders in the health science,” Brewster said.
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Contact Rachel Flynn via email: rachel.flynn@pepperdine.edu
