A new Master of Science in Nursing program at Emporia State University will help nurses advance their careers while benefitting rural health care settings in need of educators and managers.
Every component of Emporia State’s MSN program — except the practicum — is offered online with six start dates each year, making it an excellent fit for registered nurses working in the field. Applicants must already have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or BSN, degree.
“The demand for graduate-prepared nurses with the skills necessary to educate future nurses and manage daily operations in healthcare settings today and in the future will continue to be quite high,” said Dr. Linda Adams Wendling, chair of ESU’s Department of Nursing.
The MSN offers three educational tracks: healthcare management, nursing education and combined healthcare management and nursing education.
The healthcare management track provides first-line nurses with the skill set necessary to manage in a rural critical access hospital, Adams Wendling said. Nurse educators also are needed to fill the retirements of current faculty and increased demand for enrollment, especially in rural America. The 32-hour program costs $400 per credit hour or $12,800 total.
In January, ESU’s MSN program was named a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, which provides up to two years to attain initial accreditation.*
The first deadline for applications to the MSN program is March 15. For more information, including application information, go to https://www.emporia.edu/department-liberal-arts-sciences/department-nursing/academics-programs/online-master-science-nursing/.
The MSN program builds on the almost 100 years of nursing education offered in Emporia. ESU’s undergraduate bachelor of science in nursing, or BSN, program is ranked as a top area nursing program by Ingram’s Magazine and RegisteredNursing.org.
BSN graduates have averaged a 93.59% pass rate on the NCLEX licensing exam over six years compared to Kansas (83.5) and national (86.7) averages. In 2019, the most recent data available, ESU’s NCLEX pass rate of 97.44% was the highest of all Kansas Board of Regent programs. The accredited BSN undergraduate program offers two cohorts per academic year, beginning in fall and spring.
* MSN ACCREDITATION CANDIDACY STATEMENT
Effective January 11, 2021, this nursing program is a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This candidacy status expires on January 11, 2023.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000
http://www.acenursing.us/candidates/candidacy.asp
Note: Upon granting of initial accreditation by the ACEN Board of Commissioners, the effective date of initial accreditation is the date on which the nursing program was approved by the ACEN as a candidate program that concluded in the Board of Commissioners granting initial accreditation.