New entry-level Masters program at U of A!!

U.S.A. Arizona

Published

Hi all,

In the last week, U of AZ has posted a change to their programs. They have dropped their 2nd degree BSN and have added a mepn program (master's entry to the profession of nursing (mepn) pathway). This is available to those who already have a non-nursing bachelor's degree.

check out the link for more info:

Page not found | UA College of Nursing

I called to get more info. They said tuition would probably run between 35-45k(depends on residency status). They will start having info sessions on the new program starting at the end of this month.

:yeah:

-c

I was considering applying here, but after reading this thread from beginning to end (pg 1-19) there is no way I would apply to UofA! There are too many consistent comments addressing the same issues!

The gpa for the last 60 credits applies to acceptance to the graduate college at the UA. The college of nursing (which is a subset) looks at the total cumulative gpa for ALL colleges ever attended. One may meet these requirements for graduate college admission, but may not meet these as per college of nursing requirements. The college of nursing requirements ultimately trump the grad college's requirements. If you read again, it is stated as that. It's kind of like a state law that is stricter than a federal law. Im sorry for your troubles but the website does mention this.

Just for other people reading this, I dont think it was a mistake by the CON. I read their website once a week before I applied, maybe for a year and a half. The 60 credit thing was very clear to me that it applied to the grad college and not the college of nursing. In my opinion, this was clearly explained on their website. This is just my opinion, I felt very prepared in my application, I made sure everything was clear before I even started pre-reqs. I read every single detail, hundreds of times over the course of a year. I never once thought only the last 60 credits applied as the cumulative gpa. But that is just my experience

As a student in the Master's Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) program at the University of Arizona, these posts are extremely disturbing. Most of these posts were made by people who have no idea what they are talking about.

First, the program first started in May of 2011 - I am in the first cohort of this program. So those speaking about it before me, are absolutely devoid of legitimacy. The program evolved from the Bachelors accelerated program, which had been around for more than a decade. They changed up the program to be able to offer students a Masters of Science degree. The coursework is at a Master's level, with more assignments and topics than a BSN cohort and at a higher level of difficultly. It is a true graduate level program.

Second, all clinical sites are arranged by the College of Nursing. We graduate in a few months and not once was there any doubt about our clinical locations. They are all arranged for us by a Clinical Affairs office. We simply choose which location we want when we register for classes.

Third, the program requires that you have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 GPA in the prerequisite courses. Most students who got in average around a 3.4 or higher. It is a competitive process.

Fourth, sponsorship is still available. It changes each year on how many students and which hospitals offer up the sponsorship. They just tell people in the information sessions not to count on them - as only the top students get these sponsorships. They offer a variety of other scholarships from the College and the University of Arizona has a variety of options for financial aid as well. Finding support has never been a problem.

My biggest advice, ignore these comments and find out for yourself. Talk to a current student, check out their facebook group, talk to an advisor, or go to an information session. You will see that most of these posts are completely false.

Does anyone know how to calculate your cumulative GPA for all of the institutions you attend? Thanks!

That's basic algebra. You just add up all of your GPA points recieved and divide by the number of credits taken. If you have different credit systems between some universities, you just convert the out lyers to the most common used system of all your credits, and then complete the above process.

vergent,

They changed up the program to be able to offer students a Masters of Science degree. The coursework is at a Master's level, with more assignments and topics than a BSN cohort and at a higher level of difficultly. It is a true graduate level program.

So the MS degree that is stated on the website actually refers to an MSN degree? I'm still confused on the difference between the two.

vergent,

So the MS degree that is stated on the website actually refers to an MSN degree? I'm still confused on the difference between the two.

You can have a master's of science in many different specialties. The [MS] mentioned on their website is the level of degree offered, which is then qualified by the statement [in nursing]. The UofA MEPN program offers you a Master's of Science in Nursing, commonly referred to as an MSN within healthcare. Outside of healthcare it is commonly referred to simply as a MS.

I am a CURRENT University of Arizona Master Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) student (May 2012-August 2013). Let me start by saying, if you have other BSN nursing school options, TAKE THEM! I chose the U of A with the desire to diversify my college portfolio turning down two other BSN seats at my alma mater and another university.

This IS NOT an MSN degree!!!! The majority of my class and the first graduating class (August 2012) thought it was. However, we have been told it is not an "MSN" although technically we are earning a Master’s of Science in Nursing. We have been told that we cannot use MSN on our resumes or represent that we are MSNs. We're supposed to use the distinction of MS-RN. So what am I spending an extra $20k for?!?

This program costs $35,000 and the course load seems pretty similar to other accelerated BSN programs. Scholarships are scarce, although they originally told us there were some full ride sponsorships. Seven weeks into the program, we were told those weren't available. The average scholarships awarded per student was $5,000. I don't know of any students in my class that received a full tuition scholarship, so if you think you might, think again.

Administration at the College of Nursing is VERY shady and wishy washy. If you speak up about it, be careful because you may get a target on your back and they will make your experience very miserable. The same goes for issues with teachers. Students get reprimanded and when they attempt to defend themselves, they are basically told to accept it and move on.

I would not recommend this program to anyone that has other options. Their curriculum and what you learn will prepare you adequately as the majority of nursing programs will since they are regulated and accredited. However, there is a lot of nonsense in this program that, for me, is extremely disappointing. I expected the U of A to be better than the experiences my classmates and I have had.

Anyone placed on the alternate list ??

Was wondering if there were any fresh takes on this program. I already have an MA in an unrelated, but complementary discipline. Should I consider this program or just attend the local community college's ADN and take an online bridge to BSN? It would be significantly less expensive and I could work while taking courses; however, I would definitely do the 15 months accelerated for the MS if it would give me an edge.

What do any recent grads feel about it? Are you working and where? Were you able to obtain sponsorship? If you had a choice would you do it again or go a different route? TIA

You could go the ADN to BSN route, but if you're here in the Phoenix area, all the community colleges have a long wait unless you go the concurrent enrollment route. Maricopa community colleges offer two programs, NAU and ASU, which take 2.5 years to get your BSN. Otherwise, I'd recommend NAU's 12 month fast track second degree BSN. It's similar to the UA's but it's a BSN and is around $15k. The UA raised tuition for the 2013/2014 cohort so theirs is now around $40k. UA no longer offers any sponsorships.

As for jobs, it really all depends on who you know and what connections you make during your program. The market is definitely heating up for new grads so our graduating class will have more opportunities for jobs when we get licensed next month rather than last year's class. However, from what I hear, most had jobs within 6 months.

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