In 2006, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents authorized the School of Nursing (SoN) to offer a Master of Nursing (MN) degree (from 2002-2005 it was the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program offered through the Graduate School). The MN program is a pre-licensure nursing degree that prepares graduates for entry into nursing. In order to be eligible for admission, students must have earned a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in a field other than nursing. Integration of liberal education is essential to the preparation of professional nurses. The Master of Nursing builds on prior baccalaureate education and challenges students to apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of liberal education to a new discipline.
This program responds to changes in health care, especially the nursing shortage, by offering a way for people who already have bachelors, masters or doctoral degrees in other fields to enter nursing as a second career. It provides an excellent foundation for either the nursing Ph.D. or the Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree (DNP) at the School of Nursing
MN program is an intensive, full-time, 16-month program leading to eligibility to become licensed as a registered nurse (RN). The Master of Nursing pre-licensure program differs from a traditional bachelor degree level of entry into practice. As a population of adult learners, Master of Nursing students have greater maturity, real-world experience, and the ability to grasp complex concepts due to previous educational experience. Master of Nursing students bring their prior disciplinary perspective to their exploration of nursing. As a group, they consider nursing issues, problems and challenges through a variety of lenses based on their prior degrees. The diversity of perspectives enriches the learning for graduates and deepens their ability achieve program objectives.
Students are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) once they have completed all degree requirements in the program and have met the state board of nursing (BON) requirements in the state in which they chose to be licensed.