Rogers State University, along with more than half a dozen other Oklahoma universities, has entered into an articulation agreement with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education (CareerTech) to address the ongoing nursing shortage in the state.
On Nov. 6, 2024, the State Regents and CareerTech signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish guidelines for four-year universities such as RSU to award students credit for prior learning in practical nursing programs at technology centers across the state.
According to, Dr. Carla Lynch, associate dean, School of Nursing and Health Professions at RSU, the agreement will help remove barriers to students, making it easier for LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses) to advance in their educational journeys.
An articulation agreement is a formal partnership between two or more colleges or universities that outlines how credits earned at one institution will be accepted at another.
Through the agreement, RSU will award at least 22 college credit hours to CareerTech students who pass the LPN NCLEX exam.
“This agreement effectively gives incoming nursing students a minimum of 22 credit hours – arguably saving them a semester and a half – towards their education, once they pass their LPN licensure exams,” Lynch said. “This will be a huge help to our students to move upwards in their nursing careers, while receiving some of the best instruction and support services available here at Rogers State University.”
According to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, the agreement “reflects the strong alignment between our higher ed and career technology centers, and that’s going to help every nursing student achieve their goals” through the creation of a “seamless process for students completing their nursing degree.”
Applicants must have a valid, unencumbered practical nursing license to practice within the state and meet all respective university or program admission requirements.
This new agreement supersedes previous memorandums of understanding developed between individual institutions and technology center partners. In total, 28 technology centers offering practical nursing programs – including Northeast Technology Center’s campuses in Claremore and Pryor – are participating in the new agreement.
This agreement goes into effect July 1, 2025.
For more information about Rogers’s State University’s nursing program, visit www.rsu.edu/nursing.