Direct Entry MSN 2020 at Columbia University

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Hello Everyone, The applications for June 2020 at Columbia University has now opened. I haven't seen any new threads for this year so I wanted to start one. I am in the process of applying and half way done! References already sent their recommendations!! and an upside to this year is that Columbia University is no longer requiring the GRE. SO I am pretty happy about that!!

Good Luck!

I haven’t received any update yet but I completed the scholarship application and the fafsa by the deadline. I hope it’s just they’re doing it one by one; financial aid will be the determining factor of whether I’ll go or not for the most part.

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Hi Guys - Can we all agree that if anyone had posted/will be posting (about getting scholarship)needs to do a better job providing more information to the group or responding to follow-up questions? I say this because it doesn’t really help getting everyone else heart racing and an anxiety about it without additional details about what else was posted. Lol

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Specializes in Cognitive Psychology/Future Psych NP.
58 minutes ago, egoma said:

I haven’t received any update yet but I completed the Scholarship application and the fafsa by the deadline. I hope it’s just they’re doing it one by one; financial aid will be the determining factor of whether I’ll go or not for the most part.

Same here, my best guess is that they just sent out the first round of honors scholarships and the rest of the (regular) financial aid letters will be going out soon.

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I just got off the phone with financial aid and the lady I spoke to said that there are still scholarships available. Admitted students will be getting their complete financial aid package by next week. So just because you haven’t heard anything today, doesn’t necessarily mean you will not be getting the scholarship.

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Hi Everyone,

I'm seriously considering the MDE program, but I'm unclear on what it means that Columbia confers a Masters of Science in Nursing, but not an MSN. Does anyone know what that means and why it matters? If I pass the NCLEX at the end of the program, will hospitals care that I have an MS and not a BSN (which I could get from a different program)? Any help appreciated.

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54 minutes ago, egoma said:

I just got off the phone with financial aid and the lady I spoke to said that there are still Scholarships available. Admitted students will be getting their complete financial aid package by next week. So just because you haven’t heard anything today, doesn’t necessarily mean you will not be getting the Scholarship.

thank you @egoma for getting the info straight from the source!

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15 minutes ago, BStoRN said:

Hi Everyone,

I'm seriously considering the MDE program, but I'm unclear on what it means that Columbia confers a Masters of Science in Nursing, but not an MSN. Does anyone know what that means and why it matters? If I pass the NCLEX at the end of the program, will hospitals care that I have an MS and not a BSN (which I could get from a different program)? Any help appreciated.

So basically there’s two types of MSN degrees:

1. A masters in nursing that’s specifically for people who are not nurses but have a bachelors degree in another field and want to become nurses. You need to a bachelors in any subject and the nursing prerequisites completed. This type of MSN degree will allow you to be a registered nurse only. Nothing more. Some programs do add further training into these types of MSNs that will allow you to become an NP after graduation (like Yale for example) but it’s not common. I’ve heard some hospitals can be a bit confused by this degree so you have to do the due diligence of explaining that you are a registered nurse in your resume/apps. But other than that, it shouldn’t be a major issue. These types of MSNs are becoming more common.

2. A masters in nursing for people who already have an ADN or BSN, have been working as a nurse for sometime, and are trying to further their career in nursing. The MSN can be in a whole host of specializations from NP, CRNA, clinical specialist, etc.

Columbias MDE program falls specifically into the first one. So when you complete the MDE program, as long as you pass the NCLEX, you will be a registered nurse. To become an NP, CRNA, clinical specialist, etc, would have to go back to school and further your training. Hope this helps!

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9 minutes ago, egoma said:

So basically there’s two types of MSN degrees:

1. A masters in nursing that’s specifically for people who are not nurses but have a bachelors degree in another field and want to become nurses. You need to a bachelors in any subject and the nursing prerequisites completed. This type of MSN degree will allow you to be a registered nurse only. Nothing more. Some programs do add further training into these types of MSNs that will allow you to become an NP after graduation (like Yale for example) but it’s not common. I’ve heard some hospitals can be a bit confused by this degree so you have to do the due diligence of explaining that you are a registered nurse in your resume/apps. But other than that, it shouldn’t be a major issue. These types of MSNs are becoming more common.

2. A masters in nursing for people who already have an ADN or BSN, have been working as a nurse for sometime, and are trying to further their career in nursing. The MSN can be in a whole host of specializations from NP, CRNA, clinical specialist, etc.

Columbias MDE program falls specifically into the first one. So when you complete the MDE program, as long as you pass the NCLEX, you will be a registered nurse. To become an NP, CRNA, clinical specialist, etc, would have to go back to school and further your training. Hope this helps!

So essentially, if you aren’t doing the MDE/DNP program, the MSN doesn’t actually qualify you as a NP? After you graduate from the DNP program of your choosing, what titles do you hold?

If we wanted to become a NP, CRNA, or go back to school, is that the point of pursuing the DNP?

I know some nurses (BSN) go back to school for their masters and become, for example, family nurse practitioners. I’m wondering if Columbia doesn’t offer that, then how much schooling we’d have to go back for.

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12 minutes ago, BStoRN said:

Hi Everyone,

I'm seriously considering the MDE program, but I'm unclear on what it means that Columbia confers a Masters of Science in Nursing, but not an MSN. Does anyone know what that means and why it matters? If I pass the NCLEX at the end of the program, will hospitals care that I have an MS and not a BSN (which I could get from a different program)? Any help appreciated.

The FAQ on columbia's website states this: "Students are awarded a Master of Science degree after graduating from the MDE. New York State does not offer MSN degrees."

https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/academics/academic-programs/masters-direct-entry-program-non-nurses/admissions/faq-mde-program

It is my understanding that there isn't much difference - I did look on a separate forum that made it seem like if there is a difference, it relates mostly to people who want to teach.

I am also curious if there are any disadvantages to bypassing the BSN, or to getting an MS without an advanced practice certificate (IE what allows you to specialize as an NP or midwife etc). I hope to talk to a graduate this weekend, i will post again with any info I find out.

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Thank you so much! That's a very helpful explanation!

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6 minutes ago, amandaruizu said:

So essentially, if you aren’t doing the MDE/DNP program, the MSN doesn’t actually qualify you as a NP? After you graduate from the DNP program of your choosing, what titles do you hold?

If we wanted to become a NP, CRNA, or go back to school, is that the point of pursuing the DNP?

I know some nurses (BSN) go back to school for their masters and become, for example, family nurse practitioners. I’m wondering if Columbia doesn’t offer that, then how much schooling we’d have to go back for.

Yes, if you choose to got to columbia and want to specialize, you will have to complete the DNP program, where you will graduate with a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) and an advanced practice certificate, making you an Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN). Many programs combine the MS with APRN, which is why it can be confusing.

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13 minutes ago, egoma said:

So basically there’s two types of MSN degrees:

1. A masters in nursing that’s specifically for people who are not nurses but have a bachelors degree in another field and want to become nurses. You need to a bachelors in any subject and the nursing prerequisites completed. This type of MSN degree will allow you to be a registered nurse only. Nothing more. Some programs do add further training into these types of MSNs that will allow you to become an NP after graduation (like Yale for example) but it’s not common. I’ve heard some hospitals can be a bit confused by this degree so you have to do the due diligence of explaining that you are a registered nurse in your resume/apps. But other than that, it shouldn’t be a major issue. These types of MSNs are becoming more common.

2. A masters in nursing for people who already have an ADN or BSN, have been working as a nurse for sometime, and are trying to further their career in nursing. The MSN can be in a whole host of specializations from NP, CRNA, clinical specialist, etc.

Columbias MDE program falls specifically into the first one. So when you complete the MDE program, as long as you pass the NCLEX, you will be a registered nurse. To become an NP, CRNA, clinical specialist, etc, would have to go back to school and further your training. Hope this helps!

Thank you. Very helpful. I'm choosing between the Columbia MDE and the Penn BSN 2nd degree. Any thoughts or insight on the Penn program?

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