A: Please take a few minutes to review the following link: All Nursing Schools. This link will answer all your questions about the differences in types of nursing programs available for you to consider as you make a career change. The shortened time frame for degree completion allows for early job entry. The shortened time frame also means that the same curriculum offered to students who take course work over two academic years with a summer off in-between to work (or play!) is condensed into 3 academic semesters and a summer session that is 12 weeks in length. Consequently there is only a week or two break between semesters.
Q:
Will the prerequisite courses I took at another Community College or University
be accepted at MSU?A: There are two ways to figure out the answer to this question. Course equivalency information for community colleges can be found on-line at http://www.mnsu.edu/admissions/transfer/transfer/. Another way to figure out the answer to this question is to look at the course description of the course you took at another University or Community College and compare it with the course description of the prerequisite course offered at MSU. Once you've been admitted into the accelerated nursing program, a course equivalency permission form will be submitted to the registrar's office for you by the coordinator of the program. Here's what the School of Nursing will be looking for to determine if your course will "count" (or be considered equivalent to MSU courses) as a prerequisite course.
Chemistry of Life Processes: This course must be an introduction to organic chemistry and biological chemistry with specific application to the health care profession. The course should also have a laboratory component included in the course.
Microbiology: This course must be an introduction to the general principles and methods used in the study of microorganisms and must include a laboratory component.
Human Anatomy: This course must include a systems approach to the structure of the human body. It must have a laboratory component.
Human Physiology: This course must include information on the functions of living systems with an emphasis on humans. It must include a lab.
Nutrition: This course must include the science of six nutrient classes, including digestion through metabolism and weight loss from body fat. The course must include a 24 hour intake diary.
Abnormal Psychology: This course must include clinical descriptions, course of onset, and treatment regimens specific to various psychological disorders (ex. Eating disorders;Dementia, etc).
Human Development: A growth and development course that covers the human lifespan from infancy through geriatrics.
A: Pre-requisite course GPA constitutes 90% of the decision regarding admission to the program. Getting A's or B's in the required pre-requisite and support courses will help to raise your pre-nursing GPA and increase your chance of admission. How high your GPA will need to be depends upon the GPA of other individuals in the applicant pool. Students recently admitted into the program have had GPA's of 3.5 or better.
A personal statement will also be necessary to include with your application. A well-written statement will be a very valuable asset. Professional references that indicate strengths and limitations for performance in the program will be considered as well. We will be looking for references that are honest and reflect personal attributes characteristic of successful graduates from our program.
A: 57 students applied in January, 2008 to start in fall, 2008. The lowest pre-requisite course GPA of the 16 students accepted was 3.67.
A: All graduates from the program will receive a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing. Individuals who have already graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degrees from MSU will receive a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing from MSU.
MSU alumni with a Bachelor of Science degree will complete a second major but
will not receive a second degree. Those individuals with Bachelor degrees of
any type from another university will receive a Bachelor of Science degree with
a major in Nursing from MSU.
A: 16 students
A: Students start the program once a year in the Fall semester. We do not admit students for a Spring start time.
A: No, neither of these certifications are required for admission into the nursing program and are not something considered in the application process.
A: Undergraduate tuition is based solely on credit hours. Please check the University's Tuition Rates & Fees page for the most updated information about the costs per credit. The accelerated program has a total of 63 credits. There are other lab fees but you can get a "ball park" figure on the cost of your tuition by multiplying 63 X the current cost per credit.
A: Travel is an expected requirement for participation in MSU's ANP. Because of the demand for clinical sites by other School's of Nursing, and because we have been fortunate to have long-standing associations with agencies throughout central and southern Minnesota, students in our program complete their clinical experiences in central and southern Minnesota along with summer clinical experiences in the metropolitan area. In fact, about a third of the students live in the Twin Cities area and commute to campus. Others live in the Mankato area and commute to clinical agencies in the Twin Cities. Two of the required clinical courses completed during the summer semester are only offered in the Twin Cities' metropolitan area.
A: It is very important that you understand that any loans you might receive such as Stafford Loans are to be used over the course of one academic year. In the case of the Accelerated Nursing Program student, the academic year is 12 months in length rather than nine months. Student Financial Services will usually award your maximum yearly eligibility in Stafford Loans over the course of the Fall and Spring semesters. If you will need Stafford Loans in the summer, you willKaren Krantz need to borrow less during the Fall and Spring Semesters. There are several additional student loan borrowing options; however, many of them require a creditworthy cosigner. Student Financial Services at Minnesota State Mankato is accessible through the Campus Hub website. There are scholarships available that Accelerated Nursing Program students would be able to apply for and use the money for the last two semesters of their program: Summer and Fall once they have been accepted into the Accelerated Nursing Program. There are also numerous scholarships outside of the School of Nursing. Once you're enrolled in nursing courses you will be able to apply for these scholarships. Check out the University Scholarships page. Scholarships are often available from employers, local hospitals, or local county medical societies. Some students have received tuition reimbursement from military nursing programs.
A: The website for application to MSU for international students is found on the International Application Guidelines page. You can also get many other questions answered by contacting the Minnesota State University, Mankato International Student Office by emailing them at iso@mnsu.edu or phone 507-389-1821.
A: At this point 2 courses are offered on-line and others are web-enchanced. MSU uses the Desire2Learn course management program. Computer hardware recommendations are available on the PC Hardware Recommendations page. You can find the campus software standards on the PC Software Standards page.
A: Most of the classes are offered on-campus Monday through Friday. Some of the prerequisite courses ANP may be offered in the evening. No courses are offered on the weekends. The schedule of classes varies with the semester. For example, the first semester students are on campus in Mankato Tuesdays through Fridays. The second semester students are only on campus on Thursdays and/or Fridays because they are having clinical experiences three days a week. The summer session is very intense as students have class or clinical almost every day during the twelve week session. Students generally have one day per week in the final semester when they are not in class or in a clinical setting.
Clinical experiences are offered in Mankato, the Twin Cities, and community hospitals/long-term care settings/community health settings in such places as Waseca, Blue Earth, Belle Plaine, etc. The clinical experiences do involve some evening hours. Travel is a necessary part of offering this variety of clinical experiences and must be factored into your course load. The schedule for the students is highly dependent upon the availability of clinical sites and faculty. Many of the clinical courses take place in Twin City hospital and during the summer session almost all of the clinical courses are in the metropolitan area.
A: The course week combined with clinical experiences makes for a very intense academic schedule. Be advised that the SON discourages students from working while enrolled in the Accelerated Nursing Program.
A: If you are interested in housing, you can contact the Department of Residential Life or you can visit the off-campus or on-campus housing pages information.
A: Please check the Minnesota Approved Professional Nursing Programs website regarding other schools within our state that have professional nursing programs leading to an Associate Degree in Nursing or a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing.
