History

Throughout our history, we have been a school that educates nurses to heal with science and soul, remembering that every patient has dignity as a child of God.

• 1932: The Conway School of Nursing traces its beginning to the summer of 1932 when The Catholic University of America offered a group of professional courses in nursing education for the first time.
• 1933: Due to the demand for nursing education courses, they continued during the following academic year and in April 1933 the Board of Trustees authorized a curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education degree. 
• 1934: The first Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education degree was conferred in 1934. 
• June 1935: The Division of Nursing Education, which offered the BS in Nursing Education program, was approved for active membership in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Nursing.
• September 1935:  The Division of Public Health Nursing, offering a curriculum leading to the baccalaureate degree, was initiated in September 1935. 
• November 1935: The Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation of Bishop James Hugh Ryan that the two divisions be organized as one of the professional schools of the university. The programs of study leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education and Bachelor of Science in Public Health Nursing were approved. The school was subsequently expanded to include basic professional nursing in addition to the program for registered nurses.
• 1939: The Providence Hospital School of Nursing, Washington, D.C., became the Providence Division of the School of Nursing Education and during the next decade gradually moved toward complete identification with the university.
• 1949: The University assumed full responsibility for the undergraduate nursing program.
• 1951: The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree was introduced. It was one of the first of its kind in the country and graduates hold major leadership positions in education, health care administration, and research.
• Spring 2006: The D.N.Sc. program was transitioned to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program. The focus of the Ph.D. program remains on clinical investigation and development of expert clinicians as nurse scientists. 
• 2007: The school added a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P) program that prepares expert clinicians and nursing leaders. Most recently, the school has added programs for Complex Healthcare Systems Administration, D.N.P., or Ph.D.
• 2024: In May 2024, The Conway School of Nursing Building opened and became our new home. The  first class in our new building was held in August 2024. The state-of-the-art Conway School of Nursing building boasts cutting-edge features such as simulation labs for acute care and clinical examination as well as 6 primary care examination rooms. These features improve the training student nurses are able to receive right on our campus.