Two-Year Accelerated
The MSN two-year pathway allows students to finish the pre-licensure program in just 21 months. Students can expect to take 8 to 13 credits each semester and have a majority of classes in-person during the day.
Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
MSN Program for Non-Nurses at the University of St. Thomas
Change Careers, Choose your Path and Become a Nurse
Minnesota and the United States more broadly are experiencing a nursing shortage. The field of nursing needs more professionals who approach health care from a whole-person perspective, recognizing the many factors that contribute to a person's health and well-being.
With a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of St. Thomas, you will be prepared to enter this high-demand field and provide the care, advocacy, and interprofessional collaboration so urgently needed in the field.
Graduates will be educated to work as generalists in a variety of settings. The program will prepare you to sit for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing NCLEX-RN® licensure exam. Over the course of earning your degree, you'll gain real-world experience during work in a clinical setting.
Why Choose the MSN at the University of St. Thomas?
The MSN program provides a unique emphasis on whole-person wellness, social determinants of health and health equity, interprofessional collaboration, and advocacy and systems change. St. Thomas seeks to help serve the health needs of diverse populations in urban and rural areas by training culturally responsive nurses who proactively improve whole-person healing.
Our Vision: Advancing Whole-Person Health and Health Equity
The Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing prepares highly skilled professional nurses who are culturally responsive, practice clinical excellence with ingenuity, and proactively improve whole-person healing to advance health equity and social justice.
Our Mission: Preparing Culturally Responsive Nurses
Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing embraces academic excellence through fostering a caring culture during students' preparation for entry into professional Registered Nurse practice. Our graduates will partner with others, serving as culturally responsive leaders who value intellectual inquiry to act wisely in the provision of ethical and compassionate whole-person and whole-community care that promotes human flourishing. They will provide this care with ingenuity, dignity, and respect for diverse populations to advance health equity and social justice.
Contact
Hiyana Yang
Assistant Director, Nursing Operations
Email
nursing@stthomas.edu
Phone Number
651-962-6190
MSN Program Completion Pathways
As we continue to grow and expand our programming to meet workforce and student demands, we are proud to announce a new hybrid three-year completion pathway.
Three-Year Hybrid
The three-year program will follow the same pre-licensure course, content, and structure as the accelerated program but at a pace that meets the needs of working adults. The distinction is that the 3-year program will offer a mix of in-person and online evening classes. Students can expect to take 6 to 7 credits each term.
Program Overview: MSN for Non-Nurses
For Career Changers — No Nursing Experience Needed
The pre-licensure MSN program is designed for non-nurses (with a bachelor's degree in something other than nursing) who wish to gain entry into the nursing profession.
The MSN focuses on clinical excellence and ingenuity and prepares students to sit for the NCLEX-RN® licensure exam by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Students graduating with an MSN will be able to provide nursing care across the continuum of care and transition to some practice roles (e.g. nursing leadership) without returning to school for a graduate degree.
Degree Awarded: Students who complete the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of St. Thomas.
Opportunities and Requirements
The master's program features higher-level learning opportunities and requirements, including:
- Interprofessional core courses focusing on whole-person wellness, social determinants of health and health equity, health care advocacy and systems change, resulting in the production of a social ingenuity e-folio
- Foundations of Nursing Practice course that is part of the professional nursing sequence
- Program and course outcomes reflecting higher-level learning domains
- Additional learning resources, reflecting higher-level learning requirements
- Holistic review of applications, which requires MSN applicants to submit materials reflecting higher-order thinking
Application Requirements
Basic Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred
- Completion of six prerequisite courses
- Successful completion of the American Heart Association Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider course (must be completed before the first day of class in the MSN program)
In addition to the above, we will ask you to submit a CV or Resume as well as a short personal statement.
See more details including the prerequisite courses on our Admission & Financial Aid for Nursing page.
Learning Outcomes
The program consists of 56 total credits and can be completed in either two or three years.
The program will prepare you to use systematic assessment skills and diagnostics to prioritize health needs, implement professional nursing care for the whole person, and evaluate nursing interventions. You'll develop skills working as part of a collaborative, interprofessional team to formulate innovative, evidence-based solutions that optimize health outcomes and move the nursing profession forward. And, throughout the program, you'll look at the nursing profession through a lens of social justice and health equity to ground your work in the dignity of each person.
See the Sample Degree Plan (PDF) for the Two-Year MSN
See the Same Degree Plan (PDF) for the Three-Year MSN
See the Course Catalog for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Cohort Model: Build Your Nursing Network
The MSN program follows a cohort model, in which you will take pre-determined nursing courses with the same group of peers, allowing you to build a close network during your time at St. Thomas. Those who are admitted to the program with outstanding pre-requisites will complete their pre-requisites before beginning their first fall semester.
Whole-Person Care, Advocacy & Leadership
- Synthesizes knowledge from liberal education for the provision of professional nursing care for the whole person and whole community.
- Creates person-centered plans of care through therapeutic relationship, respect, holistic assessment, prioritization, intervention, and evaluation to achieve dignified health outcomes.
- Advances the common good through ethical, moral and socially just nursing care for people and populations through health promotion, disease prevention, and emancipatory praxis.
- Integrates clinical judgment, scholarship, and evidence-based nursing practice in the provision of care within complex systems.
- Leads through ingenuity, innovation, and multiple ways of knowing to proactively and continuously improve quality and safety in nursing practice and health care systems.
- Facilitates interprofessional teamwork that values similarities and differences to enhance and strengthen health outcomes.
- Manages information and communication technologies and informatics processes to provide quality nursing care.
- Creates change through advocacy, professionalism and leadership skills within complex systems to address quality improvement, patient safety, and healthy workplace culture in the practice setting.
For Career Changers — No Nursing Experience Needed
The pre-licensure MSN program is designed for non-nurses (with a bachelor's degree in something other than nursing) who wish to gain entry into the nursing profession.
The MSN focuses on clinical excellence and ingenuity and prepares students to sit for the NCLEX-RN® licensure exam by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Students graduating with an MSN will be able to provide nursing care across the continuum of care and transition to some practice roles (e.g. nursing leadership) without returning to school for a graduate degree.
Degree Awarded: Students who complete the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of St. Thomas.
Opportunities and Requirements
The master's program features higher-level learning opportunities and requirements, including:
- Interprofessional core courses focusing on whole-person wellness, social determinants of health and health equity, health care advocacy and systems change, resulting in the production of a social ingenuity e-folio
- Foundations of Nursing Practice course that is part of the professional nursing sequence
- Program and course outcomes reflecting higher-level learning domains
- Additional learning resources, reflecting higher-level learning requirements
- Holistic review of applications, which requires MSN applicants to submit materials reflecting higher-order thinking
Application Requirements
Basic Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred
- Completion of six prerequisite courses
- Successful completion of the American Heart Association Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider course (must be completed before the first day of class in the MSN program)
In addition to the above, we will ask you to submit a CV or Resume as well as a short personal statement.
See more details including the prerequisite courses on our Admission & Financial Aid for Nursing page.
Learning Outcomes
The program consists of 56 total credits and can be completed in either two or three years.
The program will prepare you to use systematic assessment skills and diagnostics to prioritize health needs, implement professional nursing care for the whole person, and evaluate nursing interventions. You'll develop skills working as part of a collaborative, interprofessional team to formulate innovative, evidence-based solutions that optimize health outcomes and move the nursing profession forward. And, throughout the program, you'll look at the nursing profession through a lens of social justice and health equity to ground your work in the dignity of each person.
See the Sample Degree Plan (PDF) for the Two-Year MSN
See the Same Degree Plan (PDF) for the Three-Year MSN
See the Course Catalog for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Cohort Model: Build Your Nursing Network
The MSN program follows a cohort model, in which you will take pre-determined nursing courses with the same group of peers, allowing you to build a close network during your time at St. Thomas. Those who are admitted to the program with outstanding pre-requisites will complete their pre-requisites before beginning their first fall semester.
Whole-Person Care, Advocacy & Leadership
- Synthesizes knowledge from liberal education for the provision of professional nursing care for the whole person and whole community.
- Creates person-centered plans of care through therapeutic relationship, respect, holistic assessment, prioritization, intervention, and evaluation to achieve dignified health outcomes.
- Advances the common good through ethical, moral and socially just nursing care for people and populations through health promotion, disease prevention, and emancipatory praxis.
- Integrates clinical judgment, scholarship, and evidence-based nursing practice in the provision of care within complex systems.
- Leads through ingenuity, innovation, and multiple ways of knowing to proactively and continuously improve quality and safety in nursing practice and health care systems.
- Facilitates interprofessional teamwork that values similarities and differences to enhance and strengthen health outcomes.
- Manages information and communication technologies and informatics processes to provide quality nursing care.
- Creates change through advocacy, professionalism and leadership skills within complex systems to address quality improvement, patient safety, and healthy workplace culture in the practice setting.
Gain Skills and Build Knowledge
Clinical Placement Opportunities in the MSN
You will complete clinical placement to gain real-world experience in areas of nursing practice such as health promotion, acute care, pediatrics, obstetrics, public health, and psychiatric/mental health. Our clinical placement specialist coordinates placements in these important areas of practice. You will be placed at clinical sites based on clinical partner needs, capacity, and the needs of the program.
MSN Three-Year Program Frequently Asked Questions
Most semesters include two courses, one clinical course (in person) and one non-clinical course (online). This is typically 6-7 credits per semester.
Students can switch from the two-year to the three-year option to slow down their program but cannot switch from the three-year to the two-year option.
Courses may include a mix of online, hybrid, and in-person formats depending on the course and semester. Clinical courses and hours remain in-person, following state and accreditation requirements.
Yes! Clinical hours requirements are identical for both accelerated (two-year) and hybrid (three-year) students, but they are distributed over a longer timeline.
Both pathways uphold the same admission criteria. The choice of accelerated vs. hybrid does not affect your competitiveness for admission.
Yes. Graduates earn the same MSN degree, meet the same competencies, and are equally prepared for transition into nursing practice.
Yes! You’ll be placed in a hybrid cohort for core courses, creating opportunities for connection, collaboration, and support over the 3 years.
Get Started with the MSN
NCLEX Pass Rate: 93%
2025: 93% of our MSN graduates who took the NCLEX exam passed it on their first attempt; 98% of graduates passed the NCLEX after retesting within six months of graduating.
Licensure and Accreditation
The master's degree program in nursing at the University of St. Thomas is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
The program is also approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing. Nursing's Professional Licensure Disclosures provides a link to a document showing whether the MSN program meets the educational requirements for professional licensure in all U.S. states, districts and territories.
Real-World Nursing Expertise
Featured Nursing Faculty
Heather Anderson
Heather Anderson is our assistant director of nursing simulation education. She joined St. Thomas from HealthPartners Clinical Simulation at the HealthPartners Institute in St. Paul, where she served as Lead Simulation Education Specialist. In this role, she was responsible for the coordination, development, facilitation, and evaluation of simulation activities. She also has experience as a critical care nurse, medical/surgical nurse, and adjunct nursing faculty member.
Dr. Lindsay Schipper
Dr. Lindsay Schipper is a Registered Nurse who brings 20 years of nursing experience to her role, including in-home and hospice care at Fairview Lakes Homecaring and Hospice, as well as pediatric nursing at Children's Minnesota.