Narrowing Down Schools for MSN Education

[NurseIndependa]

I am currently looking into a few universities that offer part time and online MSN classes. I would like to eventually go into education. I had some standing criteria (affordable tuition, accredited, not for profit, online with an actual B & M campus and good reputation). I am posting here because I am having some difficulty deciding which school might be the best for me.

School A - non profit private university. The program is all online and costs $450/credit. It is already accredited. But many people from the small state I live in get their MSNs from there, so I am not sure if that will make me less competitive. I have an application in and just need to send my official transcripts.

School B - a state school from the state I am a resident in (I am a military spouse and current transplant in a different state). The program is all online but I must do my practicum in my home state (1 hour away) & it costs $400/credit. It is not accredited, but currently a candidate and already has a RN-BSN accreditation. It is a newer program and because its a state school, no one else I know is attending the program. I have everything in except 2 recommendations.

I guess would like to hear some deciding factors for you and what it came down to when you chose a program. What would you do in this situation? Thanks for any feed back!

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Any program which is not accredited should be off your list.

It doesn't matter what components/other programs like BSN are already accredited there. Yes, accreditation is retrospective and, yes, program can be a candidate, but there is no 100% guarantee that it will happen. IMH (umble) O, it doesn't worth the risk.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'd finish both applications -- which will buy you some time to think further. Besides, there is no guarantee you will be accepted by either program. You might not have a choice in the end.

When the times comes when you have to make a decision ... I would not go to a school that is not accredited. It's just too risky. I have seen schools assure prospective students that they will be accredited, and than not become accredited. You don't want that to happen to you.

The fact that a lot of people go to the one program is not a disadvantage. In fact, it could be an advantage if graduates of that program have good reputations. In comparison to a new program, from which the quality of the grad is unknown, the positive reputation of the old school looks good.

Finally, which curriculum fits you the best? Does one program appeal to you more than the other because it's courses and faculty seem to be of superior quality? That's another factor to consider.