The University of Alabama at Birmingham will receive $3.1 million in federal grants that officials say will help put hundreds more nurses and teachers into Alabama's workforce.
A statement from the school says the grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will have an impact over the next four years and beyond.
The money will fund four programs designed for students pursuing a master's degree or higher in nursing. Graduate students comprise 70 percent of the nursing school's student body.
UAB officials say the spending will help ease a looming shortage of educators who teach nursing in Alabama. A school statement says a recent survey by the Alabama Board of Nursing found that 40 percent of the state's nursing teachers are retiring within nine years.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.