BSN to MSN Degree

The BSN to MSN degree is an accelerated one that will allow students to complete a Master degree as soon as possible.

• The exact structure of the degree course and the way it’s taught varies from college to college. Demand for the course is high as healthcare is a quickly growing arena that requires new professionals for teaching and clinical training.
• Usual coursework for the MSN degree is a foundation in nursing, health, pharmacology, pathology, physiology etc.
• With a basic foundation in nursing sciences, you are then allowed to focus on one specific field. There are several fields that you are offered including management, disease specializations, treatment specializations, or care categories for patients, and the ages of the patient you are treating.
• You can also choose to combine your MSN degree with an MBA to fast track your studies. An MSN degree requires 40 credits as well as attendance at clinical training classes, lectures and independent research.
• You may be required to write an independent thesis after carrying out the research. You will also have to submit the thesis and defend it to your colleagues and your professors.
• Another option that works out great for working applicants includes the use of accelerated programs. These courses are great as they are combined with your existing BSN course which you have to take full time. Once you’ve finished the BSN course you are automatically included for admission into the MSN course. But you are allowed to complete the MSN course part time.
• Most teaching hospitals will be more than happy to take you on as teaching staff while you continue your MSN education. Independent hospitals also subsidize MSN training so long as you sign a binding contract for several years with them. This ensures that you have a paying job and almost free education while the hospital gets a return on its investment in the form of trained staff.
• There are also direct entry programs that grant you a combination of degrees when you pass out. For example, UCSF has a direct entry program where at the end of three years you will have a RN license and a MSN degree and the ability to work as a clinical nurse specialist or midwife. John Hopkins also has an accelerated program where you join in and at the end of the course you are granted an accelerate BSN degree and a complete MSN degree. Most of these programs have the same simple eligibility requirements of:
  • Basic medical coursework backing
  • Exposure to nursing
  • Transcripts of all related courses that the student has attended
  • Letter of recommendation from two professional sources
  • School application with resume
  • Nursing license