Proposed Master of Science in Nursing
Entry-Level Master's Program for Non-Nurses
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.
In the proposed Master of Science in Nursing from the University of St. Thomas program, 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 St. Thomas?
The proposed Master of Science in Nursing program will provide 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.
The program has been submitted to the accreditor and is pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission and the Minnesota Board of Nursing.
Contact
Martha Scheckel, PhD, RN
Director of the School of Nursing
Program Overview
Entry-Level MSN for Non-Nurses
The proposed 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. Like the BSN, 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.
Opportunities and Requirements
The master's program will feature 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
Course Requirements
The proposed program is 20 months long, consisting of 56 total credits. 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.
Proposed 20-Month Plan
The proposed 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.
Degree Awarded
Students who complete the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Financial Aid
The University of St. Thomas offers a variety of resources for financial aid. Explore our opportunities for graduate students.
Learn More about Graduate Admissions and Aid
Entry-Level MSN for Non-Nurses
The proposed 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. Like the BSN, 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.
Opportunities and Requirements
The master's program will feature 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
Course Requirements
The proposed program is 20 months long, consisting of 56 total credits. 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.
Proposed 20-Month Plan
The proposed 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.
Degree Awarded
Students who complete the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Financial Aid
The University of St. Thomas offers a variety of resources for financial aid. Explore our opportunities for graduate students.
Learn More about Graduate Admissions and Aid
01 Gain Skills and Build Knowledges
Clinical Placement Opportunities
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.
Meet the Director
01
Dr. Martha Scheckel
Dr. Martha Scheckel, PhD, RN, joined the University of St. Thomas from the College of Nursing, Health and Human Behavior at Viterbo University in Wisconsin, where she served as dean. She is a community and public health nursing expert who has provided academic leadership for mental health counseling, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, psychology, social work and criminal justice. She has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years, including 17 years of nursing practice experience predominantly in community and public health settings. She is leading the development of St. Thomas’s first nursing programs.
Nursing Faculty
01 / 04
Heather Anderson
Clinical faculty member Heather Anderson is our simulation educator. 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.
02 / 04
Dr. Anna Kam
Dr. Anna Kam is a clinical faculty member in the School of Nursing. She joined St. Thomas from Century Community College. Dr. Kam has experience teaching in the community college setting as well as in baccalaureate nursing programs, and her background is as a medical/oncology nurse.
Meet Dr. Kam
03 / 04
Dr. Raney Linck
Dr. Raney Linck is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. He joined St. Thomas from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, where he served as clinical assistant professor in the Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative. He has a background in critical care and hospice nursing.
Meet Dr. Linck
04 / 04
Berline Pierre-Louis
Clinical faculty member Berline Pierre-Louis joined St. Thomas from Allina Health-United Hospital, where she served as an infection preventionist. She has tutored nursing students at the International Institute of Minnesota, and she has experience as a public health, neuroscience, psychiatric/mental health and population health nurse.
School of Nursing Staff
Accreditation
The program has been submitted to the accreditor and is pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission and the Minnesota Board of Nursing.
The School of Nursing will seek accreditation for the proposed MSN from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). St. Thomas is seeking to ensure that the first graduating class will graduate from a CCNE-accredited program.