Nursing Masters

Click To List Of RN to MSN Programs With No BSN

It’s absolutely possible to get an MSN degree without a BSN. Because of the high demand for nurses with advanced practice and managerial skills, colleges have gotten very creative about offering fast-track or accelerated programs that can get you to a nursing master’s degree through shorter programs than nursing students have traditionally taken to get there.

You might wonder if you can get hired in some hospitals without a bachelor’s in nursing. The BSN degree has definitely grown more valuable in recent times, particularly given the so called “80/2020” initiatives being followed today by so many hospitals. Under this plan, issued in 2014 by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, U.S. hospitals could be designated as “magnet” facilities if 80% of their nurses had BSNs by the year 2020. That led to a wave of care centers and other health organizations adopting a policy of only hiring only BSN carrying nurses. (According to a variety of reports, by the way, the 80% goal has not yet been met in most institutions as we lead into 2020).

Will Hospitals Hire You With No BSN?

So what does that mean if you graduate from one of the MSN programs without a BSN? It’s a worry that many nurses have expressed in a variety of forums around the web. The answer is: there’s no absolute answer. But it seems fairly clear that having a nursing grad degree but no bachelor’s is almost never an obstacle. As an example, The University of Virginia Grad School of Nursing commented on allnurses’ forum: “We award an MSN degree to those from non-nursing backgrounds. None have had any difficulty being hired at Magnet facilities or at the V.A., which also has a BSN requirement.”

An MSN is a more advanced degree than a BSN, so it seems unlikely that many hospitals will consider you underqualified if you have only the nursing master’s. It may be hard to get hired to be a floor nurse doing 100% direct patient care. But you’ll probably get your MSN in the first place because you really want a more senior position in nursing management or education, or in an advanced clinical practice like nurse practitioner.

Types of MSN Programs Without BSN

There are few different types of programs available to get a nursing master’s without a nursing bachelors. They key types your likely to find from either campus or online nursing schools are:

Accelerated RN to MSN With No BSN: As the name implies, these programs are designed to take licensed RNs who have clinical experience and, usually, an associates degree, and move them quickly to an MSN that qualifies them for indirect care, leading and educating staff, community work and other senior tasks. Some of these programs, which have online listings stating that they do not confer a “step out” bachelor degree, are focused on one particular specialty such as nursing leadership.

Direct Entry Programs: These are for students who have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing specialty. Some programs of this type are only open to licensed RNs, but most are designed to have you take the NCLEX-RN test at the end of your studies and get your licensure then. (More on direct entry here). If you have no nursing experience whatever and wish to move into an advanced practice position, this type of degree is likely your best choice. You will get considerable clinical training in virtually any direct entry MSN program.

Accelerated Nursing Master’s Degrees

Virtually all these programs can be taken on an accelerated basis. That gives you a tremendous benefit in terms of how long it takes you to finish your grad degree and, naturally, how much it will cost you. But you should be prepared to handle a heavy workload of you go the accelerated route. There’s some variation in the number of credits required to complete these programs. But essentially, they’re all designed to cram a course of study that could take anywhere from two to four years into a much shorter period of time. To succeed in an accelerated MSN program, you need to be very committed to doing all the work on schedule.

Time And Credits For Your Grad Degree

The number of credits required for your degree can vary. Chamberlain University, for example, offers one Accelerated RN to MSN that takes three semesters of full time study and 45 credit hours. But it has another RN – MSN with a specialization in clinical nursing leadership that requires 52 credits and takes four full semesters. The school advertises that these accelerated degrees are great for people who want to earn a nursing masters while working at a full-time job, because they eliminate the typical MSN prerequisites that force you to get a BSN as part of the process.

Many accelerated RN-MSN programs can be completed in two years with intense work, though a few schools advertise that you can complete this degree in 21 months. That compares to a three to four year effort it would normally take to go from RN to MSN through a non-accelerated program.

In comparison, a direct entry MSN program, open to students with a bachelor’s in a non-nursing specialty, generally takes about three years, and involves some basic nursing courses.

MSN Prerequisities And Application Requirements

Since RN – MSN candidates don’t have BSNs, schools insist on a variety of prerequisites and requirements for admission, largely designed to confirm the applicant’s commitment to nursing and ability to do the coursework.

You must have an RN license for any of these programs. Many schools also insist that you have an associate’s degree, and not just a nursing diploma. The grades you earned in any previous coursework you’ve done will be important. At Gonzaga University, for instance, applicants are “preferred” for the RN to MSN degree program if they have a GPA of 3.0 or more in all college courses they have taken previously, regardless of topic.Virtually all degrees of this type include 180 or more clinical hours. Online schools generally allow students to fulfill this requirement near their home locations with the help of a practicum. Keep in mind, however, that even online programs sometimes require students to visit the school’s actual campus for one or more brief clinical training sessions or intensive classroom meetings.

With or Without GRE

GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) scores are required by most – but not all – nursing master’s schools. And some schools that ask for GRE scores may waive the requirement if you have a strong grade point average in previous college work (some schools will insist on a 3.25 or 3.5 average for the waiver). Alternatively, if you have several years of nursing experience, you may also be able to be admitted without GRE scores. These types of options aren’t necessarily obvious on each school’s website. You often need to ask the admissions office about them to find out the correct rules (the same type of waiver options are also available for Miller Analogies Test or “MTE” scores). At some schools, you may also be able to get your GRE score requirement waived if you already have a master’s degree in specialty outside nursing.

Transcripts and Recommendation Letters

You’ll need to provide transcripts of all your previous grades when you apply for your nursing master’s. Some schools will ask for them at the start of the process while others will request them once you have been identified as a student they would like to admit.

Another standard application requirement is one or two letters of recommendation from someone you have worked with. You don’t want to choose just anybody to do this for you. It’s not unusual for a school to contact the person who writes a recommendation, to ask them directly about your skills and commitment to nursing. Some school admission departments may insist that one of your recommendation letters be academic – in other words, written by someone who taught you during your associate’s program.

Other typical admission requirements may include a letter, written by you, about your personal goals and intent, and a resume listing all your job experience both in and out of nursing.

Skipping a BSN so you can go directly from RN to MSN can help you attain a job in managing or teaching nursing, or qualify you to work as a nurse practitioner. When you possess your nursing masters degree, you’re not likely to suffer from not having a bachelor degree in hand. After all, some MSN’s make double the salary of nurses with a BSN as their highest degree.

List of Online Schools Offering RN to MSN programs with no BSN requirement Sponsored Schools

Grantham University RN to MSN
The program allows students to earn 25 undergrad credits on their way to a nursing masters in one of several specialties. The program is for RNs who possess an associate’s degree in nursing (AAS, ASN or ADN).
Get free info on Grantham’s RN to MSN program

Walden University
Walden is a very large online school that allows several options in it’s nursing master’s programs including BSN to MSN, RN to MSN or an accelerated option for RNs who want to earn both a BSN and MSN. Options for RN to MSN degrees, some of which are open to holders of nursing diplomas, include:
Adult and Gerontology Acute care Nurse Practitioner
Adult and Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
MS in Nurse Education for RN’s
MS in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner for RNs

South University
Designed to allow RN’s to advance their nursing practice by moving quickly from being a registered nurse to an MSN degree holder.
Get info on South University’s RN to MSN – Specialization in Nurse Administrator Degree
Get info on South University’s RN to MSN – Specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner
Get info on South University’s RN to MSN – Specialization in Nursing Informatics
Get info on South University’s RN to MSN – Specialization in Nurse Educator

A direct entry degree program in nursing is designed to qualify you as quickly as possible for an advanced nursing position. They make it possible to start your nursing career many steps up from he bottom, even if you have not taken the educational and employment path that most RNs do in their early stage of their careers. The main beneficiaries of direct entry masters (sometimes called simply “MDE”) degrees are:

• Practicing nurses (generally RNs who have come out of an associates nursing program) who do not have a BSN.
• People who have a bachelor’s degree in something other than nursing, and want move quickly through both a BSN and MSN degree and get out into the nursing workforce as fast as they can.

Confusion About Direct Entry MSNs

The problem, if you’re searching for colleges that offer this option, is that many schools with direct entry degrees call them by other names on their websites. You’ll find programs meant to get you quickly to your nursing masters called “BSN to MSN” or “nursing “bridge” programs or MSNs for non-nursing majors. Some schools call them “entry level masters” degrees. Some of the programs are in general nursing, but the most popular ones focus on preparing grads to be nurse practitioners, nurse leaders, educators or some other type of advanced practitioner.

Some key points to be aware of:

Getting a master’s if you’re a practicing nurse with no BSN

Working nurses who have only an ADN, ASN or AAS can find a variety of relatively quick programs designed to get them through the requirements for a BSN and then complete a master’s degree. If you do the entire program, for example, at Purdue Global’s nursing school, the entire process from start to finish, generally take around three years – one year for a compressed version of a BSN and then two more years to complete you nursing. The first part of this and many other program will provide you with the core courses needed to finish your nursing bachelors. A few of these allow you to actually take some of your MSN credits while you are earning your bachelors.

MSNs for those with a non-nursing bachelors who want a career change

The steps you’ll need to take will vary depending on what you earned your bachelor’s degree in. It won’t be necessary to re-take any courses. You’ll find that some direct entry MSN schools only admit students with bachelor’s in a health-related subject. Other schools are more open accepting people with non-nursing majors from all academic backgrounds. Before truly diving into your master’s program work, you will be required to take some prerequisite “core” courses in health science topics like biology, nutrition or public health. Some schools also give preference to applicants that have some kind of clinical experience either as a volunteer nursing assistant in a hospital or through training to be an EMS. In most cases it should take three years of study at a normal past to complete all aspects of this type of degree.

Similar approach with entry level nursing (ELM) programs

ELM is essentially another term that describes a direct entry program. It’s a master’s degree designed for a student who has an undergraduate degree in something other than nursing. Most programs have a requirement that if you are taking an entry level nursing masters, you must finish a certain portion of your training aimed at licensure, and then pass your NCLEX-RN exam at a specific point in the program. It’s important to be aware that, while most of these MSNs take two years to complete, there are a wide variety of course structures, meaning that the degree can be completed in different time frames at different colleges. Some grad programs will allow you to get out and start your nursing career in less than two years. A search for entry level MSN’s will turn up many of the same schools you’ll find looking for direct entry programs.

Does every school require GRE tests?

The Graduate Record Examination or GRE test is accepted by many schools offering all types of masters. But in many cases today it’s not required. If can be to your advantage to take the general GRE if you feel you will be successful at demonstrating your verbal and mathematic analytical skills. Additionally, you can take a subject specific GRE in biology, chemistry or other science area, which can be of value if you got a humanities bachelor degree and would like to demonstrate that you have a strong aptitude for the sciences. But before you make this effort, look closely at the school you want to get your MSN from. If you’re not a great test-taker, he school may be willing to accept you without any GRE test score.

Reasons To Get Your MSN

The goal of virtually all direct entry MSN program students is to get their bachelors and masters degree in less time and at less cost than it would take to do the two degrees separately. The specialization areas that these masters degrees can open up include:

• Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Midwife
• Clinical Nurse Leader
• Executive Nursing Manager
• Nurse Case Manager

Many schools will also ask you to focus a specialty in your MSN program such as neonatal care, gerontology, pediatrics or women’s health.

Which is harder, NP School or PA School?

Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant programs are both among the most demanding in the health field. For someone who is looking to get into direct patient care, the only more difficult path would be to go to medical school with the goal of being a full-fledged MD.
Many students see less value becoming a doctor than in the past. The cost of medical school is tremendous, the time commitment, particularly when you consider the internship most young doctors have to do after they graduate from med school, can be anywhere from six to 10 years, and the career of a physician tends to pay less and involve much more stress than it once did.

That’s not to say it’s easy to become an NP or PA. Both courses of study can require up to two thousand hours of clinical study. In terms of time commitments, which type of degree is tougher can depend on how you choose to pursue it. NPs tend to specialize in a particular area like midwifery, while PA’s generally are generalists.

PA school is generally three years in length. The effort required to become an NP, on the other hand, is highly variable. Depending on whether you obtain an MSN degree or take a “bridge” program or a direct entry degree that gives you a BSN plus an MSN in an abbreviated time frame.

Many nurses are attracted to these specialties because they can allow you to practice with more independence than a nurse can in a typical hospital setting. Also, both NPs and PAs generally earn an average salary in excess of $100.000. per year. If you’re thinking of going the NP route, however, be aware that it has become more of an expectation in the health field that a practicing NP should have a doctorate or DNP degree. This isn’t necessarily a hard and fast rule, but it’s something to consider, as the doctorate degree can involve a good deal of work and extra time on your part.

Here are examples of requirements for some key online direct entry msn programs

Purdue Global
Purdue is a public school that’s now one of the largest online learning providers in the U.S. It’s fast track RN to BSN degree is:
For RNs who have a nursing associates’s degree or diploma.
As students complete their studies for a BSN, they also take core requirements for the school’s master’s degree in nursing.
Upon completing the BSN and masters core requirements, the student’s can take a “condensed” MSN program that can be completed more quickly than a standard program.
Purdue Global’s Accelerated BSN to MSN
See all of Purdue Global’s degree programs

Walden University
Walden offers several “bridge” programs that can be RN to MSN track for practicing nurses with a hospital diploma or associate degree, or can be taken as RN to BSN “Accelerate into Master’s” (AIM) track where students earn credits toward a master’s as they complete a bachelor’s degree.
MS Bridge for Registered Nurses – Education
MS in Nursing Bridge – Nursing Informatics
MS in Nursing – Bridge for Registered Nurses – Adult & Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
See all of Walden’s programs

Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon has several bridge programs designed for RNs who have a bachelor’s degree in health sciences or some other related field. After completing prerequisites for a nursing bachelor’s, students choose a track for their MSN:
MS in Nursing Education – Bridge
MS in Nursing – Public Health – Bridge
MS in Nursing – Emphasis in Leadership in Health Care Systems – Bridge

Search Full Database of Online Nursing Master’s Schools