Master's degree...in-person?

Anonymous1257 · Feb 25, 2015

There are plenty of on campus MSN and PhD options available and I strongly encourage you to pursue them! There is a massive surge of online for-profit programs springing up that offer substandard preparation and no clinical assistance. Avoid these, they only exist to get your money, not to prepare you to fulfill the role of an MSN. Keep searching, look at schools in your area that offer BSNs and then inquire about graduate opportunities at the individual programs.

Jenngirl34RN · Feb 25, 2015

Most major universities with nursing programs have on-campus options, and some are exclusively on-campus or hybrid. Check out your state university, as they are usually a cheaper option than the private ones.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Feb 25, 2015

Agree with PPs - traditional grad school provides what John Dewey (1938) called "incidental learning" that is just not available online. This is experiential learning derived from your participation in an educational activity... but not actually included in the learner objectives or course content. This is stuff like interaction with other students, faculty, and the organizational aspect of a scholarly environment; would include things such as spontaneous debates/discussions, participation in oral defense presentations (thesis or dissertation), interaction with grad students from other disciplines, etc. This is why traditional nursing schools tend to prefer hiring graduates of similar programs - because they have already been acculturated into the environment.

I can assure you that grad school is logistically 'easier' than undergrad. You'll be taking courses that have direct relevance to your degree. Classes are normally only once a week. Depending on the school, class participants may have input into the class schedule. For my MSN, the class got together at the beginning of each semester to work with faculty and 'vote' on how to arrange classes... I was able to take a full 12+ hours each semester because we 'stacked' the classes on one day each week. All of my doctoral classes were either in the evening or on a Saturday.... designed for working adults.

Other implicit grad school bennies.... everyone is assumed to be at least a 'B' student ('A' student for doctoral classes) until they prove otherwise. There is a genuine collegial relationship with faculty - they act as mentors rather than authority figures.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2015

There are plenty of on campus MSN and PhD options available and I strongly encourage you to pursue them! There is a massive surge of online for-profit programs springing up that offer substandard preparation and no clinical assistance. Avoid these, they only exist to get your money, not to prepare you to fulfill the role of an MSN. Keep searching, look at schools in your area that offer BSNs and then inquire about graduate opportunities at the individual programs.

Oh god, a thousand likes for this one and for HouTx's post too. The advantages to an in-person graduate program are irreplaceable. You'll be able to sit in the cafeteria and noodle over a problem or a concept with your classmates, but also with people who are in another nursing major, thus enriching your perceptions. You'll have the serendipity of finding something in the library you weren't looking for. You'll actually meet faculty from other disciplines that have to do with what you're interested in, or who will pique your interest in ways you didn't plan on. You'll be able to do a real research project, not an online exercise, with real patients and real nurses in real situations. The possibilities are endless.

I am appalled at the proliferation of online "MN programs" that pander to the lab-check-off mentality so many undergraduate students carry out of school these days. It totally frosts my buns that the grads from many of them are deficient in so many aspects that used to be the hallmark of advanced education in nursing.

And, sighing, I realize completely that nobody from one of them will agree with me and they'll all tell you how hard they worked and how proud they are of their degrees, but you know what? They have nothing better to compare it to.

Please, please, please, go to a real brick-and-mortar school with an excellent reputation. University of Washington, Boston College, Yale, UPenn, UCSF, Georgetown, University of Oregon ... that's such a short list, but get started looking.

elkpark · Feb 25, 2015

I completely agree with HouTX and GrnTea. I wouldn't trade my on-campus grad school experience for anything. It was so much more than "just" the minimum requirements for the degree.