For the 15th consecutive term, the University of North Alabama has experienced record enrollment with a more than 20 percent increase in Spring 2023 as compared to Spring 2023.

Spring 2023 Brings 15th Consecutive Term of Record Enrollment, Launch of Workforce-focused Academic Programs

Jan. 19, 2023



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – Although official figures are weeks away from being finalized, the Spring 2023 term at the University of North Alabama is already breaking enrollment records with a greater than 20 percent increase compared to Spring 2022. 

In addition to the 15th consecutive term of record-breaking enrollment, the University has also launched several new degree programs, including:

  • Doctor of Nursing Practice, or DNP, which is the third doctoral program at UNA and the first fully online doctoral program, in the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions;
  • The Mental Health Practitioner track in the online Master of Science in Nursing, or MSN, which is also in the ACONHP;
  • The online Master of Health Administration, or MHA, in the Sanders College of Business and Technology;
  • The Joel R. Anderson BBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, also in the COBT; and
  • The fully online version of the B.S. in Sport and Recreation Management in the College of Education and Human Sciences. 

“The launch of these in-demand, workforce-focused graduate and undergraduate programs, coupled with another consecutive term of record University enrollment, exemplifies UNA’s positive momentum and trajectory,” said Dr. Ross Alexander, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. 

Dr. Tera Kirkman, Dean of the ACONHP, said these innovative academic offerings continue to contribute to the increases in enrollment she said she is seeing in the College, and they have a further appeal for adult learners. 

“The Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions is experiencing record enrollment with the launch of the third doctoral program offered at UNA,” she said. “Students complete both academic offerings online and only come to campus two to three times over their program 

of study, which is convenient for working adults. We offer undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs that meet the unique scheduling needs of traditional and nontraditional students.” 

The same is true in the COBT, according to Dr. Greg Carnes, Dean of that College. 

“Our enrollments continue to grow in the Sanders College of Business and Technology because we offer both face-to-face and online programs that meet the needs of traditional students as well as working adults,” he said. “Our MBA program continues to be the largest in Alabama; we have launched our new Master in Health Administration this semester, and we welcomed our third cohort in out Executive Doctor of Business Administration degree in January. We have programs that fit the needs of a wide variety of learners that provide a great return on investment.” 

The new programs add additional excitement to an already bustling online and on campus environment, said Julie Taylor, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management.

“The University of North Alabama is up in all student types: freshmen, transfer, graduate, online, and international,” she said. “We have a lot of momentum with our career-focused degrees, and the UNA brand is expanding across the region and country. UNA appeals to all student types thanks to our flexible, innovative, and workforce-centered degree offerings at all levels.”

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.