MSU Moorhead RN-BSN vs St. Scholastica vs UND vs Mankato...

U.S.A. Minnesota

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Hi there,

I am finally actually almost done with my ADN Program (graduating in December :)) and am wondering about the next step. I knew right from the start that I want to go on to get my BSN and possibly even MSN. So now I am researching potential schools, and I am completely lost.

My "favorite" program right now seems to be the one at MSU-Moorhead- it is competely online, has reasonable admission requirements, and since it is a public school, tuition is not that high.

I am also considering St. Scholastica and University of North Dakota, mainly because they offer PMHNP programs, which is ultimately what I want to do....and I am wondering if it will be easier to get accepted to these programs when you are a grad of their BSN program....however, Scholastica is very expensive....and UND has some additional admission prereqs that I would need to work on.

And last but not least....MSU Mankato.... this one is the closest for me (45 min drive), BUT I am really hesitant about going there..... the info on their web site is confusing....when I emailed the program coordinator, she simply directed me back to this confusing web site. And every single one of their classes has a little foot note that says "some campus time required"- but I am looking for online only, since I finally want to be able to enter the workforce full-time when I get my RN license (if there's actually jobs available by then....:rolleyes:)

If anyone has any thoughts on any of these schools....or on others I am maybe not aware of, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks ?

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Full disclosure....I am a Mankato ABSN grad. A coworker is attending Mankato for her BSN and she is having a great experience.

I just entered the MHNP program at UND. (Aug 2010). My MSU degree was accepted by UND without question.

Thinking it over I think the public university is your best option.

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I am currently in the process of completing the RN to BSN at St. Scholastica. I looked at other programs also, but the driving force behind why I chose St. Scholastica was the time frame in which you complete the degree. It is a 9 month on-line program. It can be tough at times to manage all of it while working full time.

Jobs are few and far between right now for new grads. Some are having better luck than others.

I have not applied for a MSN degree yet, but I am looking at a few options St. Scholastica is offering.

Good luck with your journey!

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St Scholatica and Morehead have great reps all around MN. Not sure about Mankato though, I went to Winona state and Mankato was kind of a joke there.

I would advise that you got to which ever school you wish to get you MSN or further degree from simply bc you will get to know the faculty members and begin a rep with them which will make classes easier for you in the long run.

Also as far as websites go, if the website is confusing, disorganized and or poorly written chances are so is their school. At least thats been my experience.

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I am currently in the process of completing the RN to BSN at St. Scholastica. I looked at other programs also, but the driving force behind why I chose St. Scholastica was the time frame in which you complete the degree. It is a 9 month on-line program. It can be tough at times to manage all of it while working full time.

Jobs are few and far between right now for new grads. Some are having better luck than others.

I have not applied for a MSN degree yet, but I am looking at a few options St. Scholastica is offering.

Good luck with your journey!

Daisy can you tell me how the program was at St. Scholastica? I am starting January 2010 and hope to be done by September 2010. Is it all theory class? do you have a lot of test or is it mostly writing/researching papers? Is statistics offered online?

Thanks a lot!

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

Wherever you go, make sure that the school has the courses sequenced so that you can finish your degree when you want. Some of the schools that admit more than once a year only offer certain courses once a year so the person who starts, say, in January, might take longer to finish because of the scheduling of prerequisites and core courses. Some schools offer summer classes---others require summer classes and still others have bare bones summer offerings and you really can't take anything in the summer.

Some schools are very good at telling students when certain classes are offered and others don't say anything until a student is in the program. Ask questions before you commit to any school to make sure that you will be able to complete the coursework within your time frame and that you will have flexibility in your class schedule, especially if you are starting anytime other than the fall.

Just so you are aware, some of the MNSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) schools like Minnesota State-Mankato and Minnesota State-Moorhead are having financial problems. Moorhead is eliminating its entry-level BSN program; it is still keeping its RN to BSN option open so that might not affect the OP or anyone else interested in the program. Mankato has had to suspend its accelerated BSN program for second-degree students, which is a crying shame because that was one of its better programs. Again, its RN to BSN option has not been affected by the cuts. I honestly cannot say if the financial problems that beset many of the MNSCU schools are going to affect the RN to BSN programs but, as a prospective student, I would certainly want to be aware of what is happening. Maybe your program won't be affected but you will find that some of your electives have been cut or are scheduled at times that are unworkable for your schedule.

ETA: I don't think it necessarily matters to a graduate school if you went to the school's undergraduate program. There's a mindset in nursing education that it is often better to go to a different school for one's BSN than for one's master's because one is exposed to different ideas in each program. The only thing I can see is---if you want to go to the same school for both, you might want to check into the ADN to MSN bridge if one is available. Again, buyer beware. Some schools allow the student to get a bachelor's degree after completing the baccalaureate coursework but some don't. The disadvantage to that is if you have to drop out of the program at any time before you complete it, you still only have an ADN and you don't have a BSN, even if you have completed all the baccalaureate work. Not that anyone should go into a program thinking about what he/she would do if he/she had to drop out, but life does happen.

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Thanks for saying nice things about me as a MKTO ABSN grad....:)

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Specializes in ICU Rapid Response.

I'm currently trying to figure out the Mankato RN to BSN program. I'm admitted but it says all of the online courses are full. However I disctinctly remember ( and I also found it online) that the online courses had no enrollment cap. So what gives? I'm going to contact the program director on Monday to figure out what's up. I agree with the previous poster that the website is confusing. Hopefully the courses are OK. Actually I don't really care as long as I can get this BSN over with.

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Daisy can you tell me how the program was at St. Scholastica? I am starting January 2010 and hope to be done by September 2010. Is it all theory class? do you have a lot of test or is it mostly writing/researching papers? Is statistics offered online?

Thanks a lot!

When I started the program last fall we were the first class to endure the changes that had been made to the program. I am hopeful that they now have the kinks worked out of the program across the board. For all of the core nursing classes there were no tests. Everything was discussions, papers, and group projects. Everything is theory based. Statistics is offered online. I personally found it difficult because you have 16 weeks worth of information being given to you in 8 weeks. The instructor I had was wonderful and willing to try and help in any way. In the end I actually contacted a tutor to get some further instruction, because the book that we used was not always clear.

Are you currently working as a RN? If so, that will help you tremendously. I am still looking for a job and it made it difficult at times to relate to all of the projects and assignments without any RN work experience. Good luck with the program!

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Daisy can you tell me how the program was at St. Scholastica? I am starting January 2010 and hope to be done by September 2010. Is it all theory class? do you have a lot of test or is it mostly writing/researching papers? Is statistics offered online?

Thanks a lot!

MN-Nurse2be now that u started the program in Jan. 2010 can give me more insights about ur program, it is an online program or not and how hard is the courses. I am starting the Post-bac nursing in May for the Duluth campus or online for st.cloud? I want more insights before making my final decision because online courses vs. campus course are different. Please PM me if need.

Thanks

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Specializes in Psych.

FYI for anyone reading this post- RE: University of North Dakota (UND) PMHNP program -It has had significant changes and is having some challenges. There's only 1 primary professor for most of the psych NP classes who is also the director - with no accountability. Also, they do not provide everyone with clinicals as they advertise. Hopefully, the program will improve, but at the moment, they are not the first program I would recommend. Very poor communication, no support for students and you need the mentality that you will be teaching yourself.


Also, we just learned that the rates for the University of North Dakota - UND are skyrocketing to $827 from ~$480/ credit. >800 is comparable to other schools, but not when clinicals are not easily provided (instead they are currently patchworked together and you need to find your own if you are in another state). In the state of MN, many universities have priority with local hospitals/ facilities/ organizations -so, UND has great difficulty competing with clinical placements. So, you may need to find your own clinical preceptors and clinical sites. 

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