Graduate / doctoral admissions with WGU degrees

Nursing Students Western Governors

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A frequently asked question on this forum is, "Will other schools accept a degree from ?" Multiple of our very own Allnurses.com members, such as meanmaryjean and Murse901, have posted their experiences on being accepted into graduate and/or doctoral degree programs after having attended WGU.

I earned an online BSN degree from WGU in March 2015. A few days ago I received conditional acceptance into the MSN degree program at Eastern New Mexico University. I am due to start graduate studies in nursing education this fall.

While some schools will not consider WGU graduates due to the pass/fail competency-based grading, many others will accept us with open arms. So, the answer to "Will other schools accept a WGU degree?" is "Many of them will." Your mileage may vary.

Good luck to everyone!

You all give those of us just starting out hope!

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Does mentors/educators help with letters of recommendation for graduate school or did you ask other nursing professionals for a letter of recommendation?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Does WGU mentors/educators help with letters of recommendation for graduate school or did you ask other nursing professionals for a letter of recommendation?
I didn't ask anyone from for recommendations. After all, the only person with whom I had an ongoing 'relationship' at WGU was my program mentor. I never met her in person and our contact was limited to weekly phone calls that lasted perhaps five to ten minutes at a time.

My three recommendations came from coworkers who were licensed nurses.

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I just found out I was accepted into the Clinical Nurse Leader MSN program at University of Alabama. That's not only with a BSN, but with three classes that were not-passed one semester. No idea how selective the program is - it's a very respectable school but not a super popular specialty. I was also accepted into Grand Canyon University's Public Health MSN program based solely on my grades from WGU, but I don't get the impression that they're at all selective.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I just found out I was accepted into the Clinical Nurse Leader MSN program at University of Alabama. That's not only with a WGU BSN, but with three classes that were not-passed one semester. No idea how selective the program is - it's a very respectable school but not a super popular specialty. I was also accepted into Grand Canyon University's Public Health MSN program based solely on my grades from WGU, but I don't get the impression that they're at all selective.
Congratulations on your acceptances, and thanks for sharing. :)
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Does WGU mentors/educators help with letters of recommendation for graduate school or did you ask other nursing professionals for a letter of recommendation?

I asked my student mentor if she'd be able to write an academic recommendation, because it looked initially like I needed an academic reference. She said she'd check and get back to me, and never did. Which was fine, because it turned out I only needed professional references, and I had adequate of those. In retrospect, a clinical instructor from my ADN program probably would have been a better option, but thankfully it didn't matter either way.

I got my recommendation from my current supervisor, a former supervisor, and a nurse practitioner I've worked closely with for years.

I think most MSN programs are more concerned with professional than academic references.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.
I earned an online BSN degree from WGU in March 2015. A few days ago I received conditional acceptance into the MSN degree program at Eastern New Mexico University. I am due to start graduate studies in nursing education this fall.

Hopefully not a silly question, but why didn't you stick with for their MSN program? Thank you.

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Hopefully not a silly question, but why didn't you stick with WGU for their MSN program? Thank you.

I am not TheCommuter, but I'll tell you my thought processes so you have multiple perspectives.

1. Academia reasons. Going to the same school for undergrad and graduate degrees is generally considered an academic faux pas, and having a graduate degree from a traditional research university is just going to look better if I do decide to go the academia route.

2. Pass/fail GPA. I wasn't concerned about that at the undergrad level, because my overall undergrad GPA far outweighed my 3.0 from . However, doctoral and post-master's certificate programs look specifically at graduate GPA, and that would be 3.0 coming out of WGU. Now, people do go from WGU MSN to other programs, so clearly it isn't a huge barrier, but it was a consideration.

3. Lack of interest in the available specialties at WGU - the program I'm going to sounds like Leadership, but is actually a different emphasis. If WGU had been a great fit for me, I might have gone with it anyways, but...

4. The BSN showed that WGU isn't a great fit for me personally. I learned a lot, did well at the coursework when I got around to forcing myself to do it, and graduated. But, based on my past experience, it's unlikely that WGU's graduate program would be more time-efficient or cost-effective than a more traditional program. I think hard deadlines will work better for me.

5. Concern over whether WGU's implementation of the "3 P's" would be accepted by, and adequate preparation for, a nurse practitioner program, should I ever choose to do one. This is probably an unwarranted concern - I know they revamped their MSN programs specifically to include these classes. However, the course descriptions sounded a little light to me (pathopharmacology is, per the course description, an investigation of only 5 health issues). Like I said, this concern may be unwarranted. If I were otherwise interested in the program, I would investigate that further.

So really, none of these things is a dealbreaker in itself, but, taken together, WGU didn't seem like the best option for meeting my long-term goals.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Hopefully not a silly question, but why didn't you stick with WGU for their MSN program? Thank you.
No, this is definitely not a silly question. :)

I ultimately chose nursing education as my MSN specialization area. If I ever wanted to secure a position as a nurse educator, my job search would be made easier with an MSN degree from a land-based university that lacks the massive online presence.

In academic and professorship circles, some negative bias exists against online schools. Therefore, my aim was to avoid this negative bias by completing my MSN degree at a regional state university. My transcripts will never indicate that my education was delivered online.

If I had earned the MSN at a school such as Excelsior, , Walden, Chamberlain or any number of other schools with a massive online presence, those snooty academics will know I earned my degree via an online delivery format. And since they decide whether or not to hire me, I think having a graduate degree from a regional state university will improve my chances.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Thank you both, benegesserit and TheCommuter for replying. Jesus willing, I will graduate from an A.D.-based RN program this coming December 2016; and God willing pass my boards in January 2017. While I'm dual-enrolled at a local (well known in our geographic area) land-based university, I'm strongly considering .

The former campus nursing director shared with me she went to WGU for both the BSN and MSN (she went leadership), and (maybe it is geographical based) didn't have any issues getting into nurse education going that route (before becoming the director of our particular campus, she was a professor for them; and still taught after becoming the director). She recently got her doctorate from a different school (another proof set that going to WGU still allows one to get into a doctorate program). She's the one who got me strongly considering WGU.

From what I understand about WGU is that if you get your BSN from WGU, and then want to go for the MSN, there are several additional classes to take than if one went straight RN to MSN (BSN along the way). So that's why I am looking at WGU for both.

Now, as I ask questions, please know in advance I'm not arguing or debating or even questioning truthfulness as much as trying to understand.

benegesserit: concerning, ""Going to the same school for undergrad and graduate degrees is generally considered an academic faux pas" I've not heard of this thought process. Where can I find out more information about this issue? Is it more geographically-based or for dealing with elite academic areas?

TheCommuter: 1) Do WGU transcripts indicate the class(es) were online? 2) Is it more than WGU is more known to be online so it doesn't matter about #1?

Also, TheCommuter, my understanding is that the RN to MSN (BSN along the way) through WGU is a

Thank you both.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
"Going to the same school for undergrad and graduate degrees is generally considered an academic faux pas" I've not heard of this thought process. Where can I find out more information about this issue? Is it more geographically-based or for dealing with elite academic areas?
I know this question was not directed at me; however, look up the term 'academic incest' for more information.

TheCommuter: 1) Do WGU transcripts indicate the class(es) were online? 2) Is it more than WGU is more known to be online so it doesn't matter about #1?
My transcripts did not indicate that my coursework was delivered online. However, since WGU is a 'virtual university' with a massive online presence of 40,000+ distance based students, most people will know the degree was earned online.

Also, TheCommuter, my understanding is that the RN to MSN (BSN along the way) through WGU is a I'm enrolled part time at ENMU (6 credits per semester x 3 semesters per year = 18 credits annually) to keep the low in-state tuition and fees since I'm an out-of-state student. It's a 36-credit program, so completing 18 credits per year means I'll be done in exactly 2 years.

It took me 10 months to earn the BSN through WGU. It will take two years to earn my MSN degree at ENMU as long as my education is not interrupted.

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It's really sort of a nitpicky point. It's not something that will prevent you from getting any teaching job ever. Community colleges and nontraditional programs are unlikely to care much.

I don't really expect to go into academia, but, in lack of pressing reason to choose , I don't see any reason for closing doors, either.

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