History As South Florida's first baccalaureate nursing program in 1948, and the second in Florida to offer the doctorate in nursing in 1985, the School of Nursing and Health Studies has a history of leading the way in nursing education. The School was one of the first in the country to offer the nurse practitioner program in 1973. Two years after introducing the master's in nursing in 1976, the School added nurse midwifery and psychiatric-mental health nursing options.