Celebrating the First Class of Nursing and Allied Health Students
In 2024, Saint Joseph’s completed its merger with PA College in Lancaster, acquiring a plethora of impressive healthcare programs and partnerships. In May, SJU commenced its first class of School of Nursing and Allied Health students.
In January 2024, Saint Joseph’s University officially completed its merger with Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences in Lancaster. Along with the acquisition of PA College’s 20,000 square feet of lab and simulation spaces came a plethora of academic programs and provider partnerships that launched SJU’s School of Nursing and Allied Health (SNAH).
SNAH is led by Dean Melissa J. Snyder, EdD, FNP, CNE, and serves over 1,800 students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s, associate, certificate and post-baccalaureate programs in healthcare. This past spring, 475 SNAH students crossed Saint Joseph’s Commencement stage, marking the first cohort to graduate from the new school.
“Graduation is always a time of celebration but our 2024 graduates have the special honor of being the first class to graduate from the new School of Nursing and Allied Health at SJU,” remarks Snyder. “We are so proud of this class’s accomplishments. Their base demographics show that SNAH is providing educational opportunities for the important and growing student population of first-generation and adult-learner students. It is this commitment to providing accessible educational opportunities and local workforce development that distinguishes our school from its peer institutions.”
SNAH Class of 2024
By the Numbers
562 Graduates
7 Degree Types Awarded
19 Majors Represented
31% First-Generation College Students
67% Adult Learners
Select Employers and Residencies
- ChristianaCare
- DaVita Kidney Care
- Doylestown Health
- Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Masonic Villages
- Patient First Primary and Urgent Care
- Penn Medicine: Lancaster General Health
- Penn State Health: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- UPMC
- WellSpan Health