M.S. or M.A. in Nursing?

HealthyRN · Jan 17, 2006

This is interesting. I have done a lot of research on graduate schools and nurse practitioner programs and I have never come across an M.A. in Nursing. After I came across this post, I looked it up and I did find some schools that award an M.A. in Nursing for education and leadership tracks. However, I still do not know of any that offer an M.A. for nurse practitioner tracks. What schools are you looking at?

The M.S. and M.A. are both forms of master's degrees. The M.A. is usually awarded for graduate studies in subjects that are intensive in the humanities, such as Political Science, Education, etc. The M.S. degree is usually awarded for studies of subjects that focus on the natural sciences, such as Biology, Chemistry, etc. Technical and professional careers, such as Engineering and Nursing, are included in the M.S. category. I am not sure exactly how universities decide which programs will allocate which degrees. I would ask the university about this before applying. I have never heard of an NP having an M.A. degree (for the nurse practitioner track).

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 17, 2006

I suspect that there is very little difference between the programs that offer and MA and those that offer an MS. It's probably more of a technical issue of which committees within the university structure oversee the program.

Historically (and philosophically) the distinction between "arts" and "sciences" relates to the difference between the practice of a discipline and the scientific study of it. Those disciplines that emphasized practice were considered "arts" and those that emphasized the application of the scientific method to expand the knowledge base were classified as "sciences." Over the years, this distinction has faded and may not be as relevant as it once was.

To assess particular programs, talk to the school itself ... and look at the specific courses required for the degree.

Good luck,

llg

lilboboxox · Jan 17, 2006

Thanks for the replies!

The particular school I am looking at is NYU. They have many nursing education and nurse practitioner programs - all M.A.

I don't think the M.A. and M.S. will make a difference in practice either but I just wanted to make sure. :)

lannisz · Jan 17, 2006

I am in the FNP program at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. We were told that the difference between the MA and MS was one of research. If we do graduate research/thesis project, we will graduate with an MS and if we don't do the thesis we will graduate with the MA. Either way, we will end up as a Nurse Practitioner with a Master's degree. We have been told there is no difference in hiring of either MS/MA for FNP position. If you are planning on doctoral work and doing teaching/research then you should do the thesis for the MS. This is the info that I have for my program. Hope it helps.

Cute_CNA, CNA · Jan 17, 2006

I haven't gone through this site extensively, but you might want to check it out:

http://www.op.nysed.gov/np.htm

If you plan to practice in NY state, you should find out if the specific program you're interested in meets the requirements for licensing. Otherwise, you might find yourself needing to get additional education AFTER you graduate BEFORE you can apply for the license.