Capella University

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Are there any former, current or prospective students out there who can give their opinions on Capella University? Thank you.

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Specializes in Education, Skills & Simulation, Med/Surg, Pharm.

I just finished my MSN in Nursing Education from Capella. I already have a job at a top 20 nursing program in the country. Very happy with my decision!

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

*Bumped

Graduated DEC 2015 (ADN program)

Recently passed NCLEX-RN, leaning twrds applying to this school for my RN-BSN.

Also looking at Chamberlain & Excelsior's programs...

Any latest news on Capella from current and past students? Likes/dislikes? Thank you

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Hello Everyone!

I am currently enrolled in the RN to BSN/MSN track. I have one more semester and I will have my BSN. Hopefully I can shed some light on this school for you and answer some of your questions.

There are no tests at all. This was the main reason I went to this school. It is all discussion questions and writing papers. Some of the classes are structured where you write papers throughout the 10 week course that are completely separate papers. Then other classes have it where each paper builds up to one final paper. It is a lot of researching and writing, but I work full time and take 2 classes at a time and it is doable.

Someone mentioned "fluff" classes and I can sort of relate to what they are saying. There are a couple of classes that seem redundant to other classes I had previously taken at Capella. Mainly the subject of cultural sensitivity and competence. I had 3 classes already where I had to talk about a specific cultural group and what diagnosis they are most prone to, the barriers they face in healthcare, and write about how a nurse would deal with this situation (ex. patient teaching, sensitivity, communication, etc.).

Besides papers, there is the occasional project. I had one class where I had to do a physical assessment on a person and have someone watch me do it, and sign off on the papers. Another project was called a "windshield survey" where you drive around and look at a specific community and write about what you see.

The great thing about this school is they give you templates to help you with your papers and projects. They ease you into writing the papers and give you links to help with proper formatting. One of the things I dislike about the school is the tech support. I felt that they weren't very helpful at times. I had a couple of instructors who I felt were never "present", but for the most part I have had great instructors throughout the program.

The biggest appeal to me for going to Capella was the fact that they transferred all my credits, and I didn't have to take extra pointless classes at the local colleges and drive there. I really didn't want to take chemistry, statistics, and other required classes. In doing so I would have had to take a bunch of extra classes to take those classes, costing me the same amount of money to go to an online school and finish within a 1 1/2 years.

Hope this info helps.

Tree

Hi! How lengthy do the papers have to be? I don't mind writing at all, I just can't stand writing like 10+ page papers! I'm seriously considering Capella because they have an agreement with the junior college I'm going to to get my associates in nursing.

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I don't really have any complaints. It's a lot of work, but it's not hard to get A's. The professors have been on top of things overall. Everything has been fair and straightforward. It's affordable, CCNE accredited, regionally accredited, and will allow me to sit for the CNE exam. What else could you ask for? :) No complaints on my end! I am in my second to last quarter and doing my clinical practicum currently.

Hi! When you say "a lot of work", how would you describe the work load? How long in length are the papers usually? I would want to work full time while doing the RN to BSN/MSN program. Also, how long after starting the program do you get your BSN? I'm super interested in Capella after reading these posts!

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Can anyone speak to the RN educator program at Capella? I am thinking about applying and would like advice from past students. Thank you!

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I'm looking into the capella masters in nursing education program now. Did you finish it? Did you like it? Is your degree as valuable as one from a traditional school? Any info would be helpful!

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Specializes in Education, Skills & Simulation, Med/Surg, Pharm.

I work for a large state University and a top 20 ranked nursing program. I had no concerns regarding my MSN from Capella. They only cared about two things: (1) regional accreditation and (2) CCNE accreditation. If those two are met, most anywhere will respect the degree. I am happy with my education.

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I'm in pursuit of my Bachelor's, and I'm trying to find the right program to expedite the process. Capella University has really caught my attention, and I have a few questions (hopefully, someone responds). How are the general education classes handled? I've taken a few of those classes at my previous university, and I'm wondering how are credits transferred? I also saw on the website that it's advised to only take 2 courses at a time?? Does that apply to the main nursing classes or general education courses, too? I'm just trying to make sense of it all before picking an online school. If anyone could detail the flex path option, that'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Specializes in Education, Skills & Simulation, Med/Surg, Pharm.

I did the MSN program so I can't answer too many of your questions. 2 classes, if you also have a job, is a lot of work. I can see why they only recommend 2. As a grad student, that was considered full-time. It is 8 credit hours. I did take 3 classes (12 credit hours) one semester and it was rough, but doable. If you have a full-time job, you could probably manage 3 if you worked REALLY hard and did not have any other commitments (like kids). Otherwise, I would highly recommend sticking with the recommended 2.

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Specializes in Education.

I've been in the Capella Flex-path Rn-Bsn since last May. they have "cores" for gen ed requirements, six credits in math/sci, six credits in humanities, six in Writing and six in social sciences, they don't care which particular class it is, as long as you have six credits from each core . I only had to take a Humanities course, I took bio-ethics. Then the 11 nursing courses. I like the flex-path option, it's completely self-paced, no discussions or group projects. Just papers and power points. I'm almost finished with my 9th class. Hoping to be finished in May. I only take one course at a time, when you finish one you just move on to the next.

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I've been in the Capella Flex-path Rn-Bsn since last May. they have "cores" for gen ed requirements, six credits in math/sci, six credits in humanities, six in Writing and six in social sciences, they don't care which particular class it is, as long as you have six credits from each core . I only had to take a Humanities course, I took bio-ethics. Then the 11 nursing courses. I like the flex-path option, it's completely self-paced, no discussions or group projects. Just papers and power points. I'm almost finished with my 9th class. Hoping to be finished in May. I only take one course at a time, when you finish one you just move on to the next.

So, for the general education courses, did you do those 2 at a time or what?

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Specializes in Education.

I only had to take the one course, bio-ethics. And it was papers like the nursing courses. I just took it and moved on to the next course when I was done.

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