Although nursing was a part of the Cedar Crest College curriculum for decades, it wasn’t until 1974 that Cedar Crest College first offered a bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing. The first chair of the new program was Dr. Anne O. Winkler, who had a distinguished career in nursing in eastern Pennsylvania, and foresaw the need to establish a bachelor’s in nursing program at the College. The Cedar Crest College bachelor’s in nursing program was the first such program in the Lehigh Valley and one of the first in eastern Pennsylvania.

The first nursing class graduated in 1978. Today, the program has grown in size and is one of the College's most popular majors. It has full approval status by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and has received ongoing accreditation by the National League for Nursing.

Both women and men are admitted to the nursing program, which serves
traditional and lifelong learning students. Registered nurses who have graduated from NLNAC accredited diploma and associate degree programs also often enroll in the program. In the fall of 1997, a new Pre-registered Nurse Academic Coordinator was hired to recruit, advise and strengthen the retention of RN students interested in the completion of their bachelor's degree with a major in nursing. At that time, the nursing program adopted the Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing School Association (PHENSA) proposal for articulation.

The department continually monitors trends in the nursing profession and has continued to enhance and change the nursing to reflect the changing nature of the nursing profession and health care in general.

Faculty consult with community and professional representatives for input related to health care issues so that the needs of the community could be better addressed. Students in the College’s nursing program gain a solid liberal arts base prior to enrollment in the nursing program. Once core courses are complete, students are immersed in nursing courses that provide the student the opportunity to focus exclusively on his/her major, thus enriching his/her nursing education. An independent practicum during the senior enhances the refinement of clinical skills and facilitates the role transition from a nursing student to a professional nurse. Every effort is made for the students to choose their area of special interest and clinical sites in the independent practicum during their senior year.

In 1997 the nursing program relocated from the ground floor of Curtis Hall, where it had been since its inception, to the new Miller Family Building. At that time Dr. Laurie Murray assumed the leadership role as Chairperson of the department. In 2001, the department began an evening/weekend program — offering additional flexibility to nursing students and allowing some students to complete their nursing education in as little as two years.

In 2007 a generous gift of $1.25 million from the May family created the Hazel and Walter May Endowed Chair for Excellence in Nursing. Additionally the department moved into the newest building on the campus, the Hamilton Boulevard Building after extensive renovations to make it technologically appropriate for the 21st century and beyond. It houses all the nursing faculty offices, as well as nursing administration, laboratory space and classrooms.

A graduate program was approved in ther spring of 2008. The Master of Science in Nursing Program provides students with tracks in Nursing Education and Nursing Administration.