Maine MSN Programs
Husson University: RN to MSN Program Review
Husson University, 1 College Circle, Bangor, Maine 04401
Husson University was established in 1898 as Shaw School of Business and became a university in 2008. Husson University has been offered a nursing program for over 100 years. Today, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is offered with concentrations in Family and Community Nurse Practitioner or Nursing Education. Potential students who are unsure of which track they would like to enter may register as a Graduate Special Student. This option allows them to review skills without making a commitment to a specific track. Up to nine credits may be completed while in this status.
The Family and Community Nurse Practitioner program offers convenient classes that are held online and on weeknights or every other Saturday. In the summer, courses are held on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings. Students must complete 44 credits and 714 clinical hours to qualify for graduation. Applicants must have a bachelors degree in nursing with a grade point average of at least 3.0. Prerequisite courses are health assessment and statistics, and the applicant is expected to have at least one year of clinical nursing practice. In addition, the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required plus three recommendation letters and an interview with the faculty from the School of Health at the university.
Husson University’s Master of Science in Nursing Education program consists of 40 credits that provide training to prepare Registered Nurses to teach in academic settings or to teach patients or in community settings. Special grant money may be available to applicants to the Nursing Education track, and all applicants may apply for government student loans. Either the MAT or GRE is required for admission to the program, as well as a goal statement reference letters, and work experience as a professional nurse. A bachelors degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 is also required.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine: RN to MSN Program Review
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, Maine 04084
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is a Catholic college that was founded in 1912. It was established by the Sisters of Mercy as a woman’s college. The college has been offering distance education for Registered Nurses since 1986. Today, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is offered online. The online graduate nursing program provides training for advanced nursing roles in education or administration. The tracks offered are the following:
MSN-Administration Track
MSN-Education Track
MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner Track
MSN-Master of Health Administration (MHA) Dual Degree
MSN-Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Each of the programs requires from 42 to 48 credits to complete, and students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students may be admitted to the program any time of the year. Applicants must have a bachelors degree in nursing with a grade point average of at least 3.0, and they must have an active Registered Nurse license. The college may admit applicants who have a baccalaureate degree in another field if the applicant has an associates degree or diploma in nursing. Applicants must have licensure as a Registered Nurse, and non-bachelors degree in nursing applicants must submit a resume.
The University of Maine: RN to MSN Program Review
The University of Maine
5724 Dunn Hall
Orono, Maine 04469-5724
The university has had a nursing program since 1939 and became the first baccalaureate program for nurses. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is offered with two tracks. These are Family Nurse Practitioner and Individualized Master of Science in Nursing with options of Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator, or other advanced nursing role. Students may opt to complete the program on a full-time basis, which takes two years, or part-time for three to four years. The masters degree programs require anywhere from 35 to 50 credits to be eligible for graduation.
To qualify for the MSN program, nurses must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a grade point average of at least 3.0. Prerequisite courses of Health Assessment, statistics, and a research course are required, and students must attain a grade of B in these courses. Two years of experience as a professional nurse are desired, and Registered Nurse experience can be completed while taking core graduate courses. Applicants must have Registered Nurse licensure in Maine and must submit either GRE or MAT scores from one of the tests that were taken within the past five years. An interview with nursing faculty is also required.
The university’s I-MSN is designed to meet the specific interests of students as they complete their masters degree in nursing. Students choose from nurse educator, nurse administrator, or other tailor-made programs that they design with a faculty advisor. This unique offering is not found in most other masters degree in nursing programs.
University of New England: RN to CRNA Program Review
University of New England
11 Hills Beach Road
Biddeford, Maine 04005
The University of New England (UNE) was founded in 1939 as a boys’ high school by a Franciscan friar of the Roman Catholic Church. It merged with the New England Foundation for Osteopathic medicine in 1978 and the two colleges became the University of New England. The main campus is located at 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, Maine 04005. There is another campus located in Portland, Maine. The university offers a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program, which is the only one in the State of Maine.
The CRNA program is a 27-month full-time program that consists of two phases. The first phase takes place in Portland. It is the didactic portion of the program and involves eight months of classroom instruction. Students then complete the second phase of the progam, which is a 19-months hospital-based clinical phase of the curriculum. A unique feature of this program is that students learn and practice CRNA-only anesthesia plus anesthesia care team practice.
Admission requirements are to complete the prerequisite courses, including biochemistry. Applicants must be graduates of a baccalaureate or higher degree program, or they may have an associates degree or diploma in nursing and a baccalaureate degree in another field. They must also have a grade point average of 3.0 and licensure as a registered nurse. One year of critical care experience is required, and applicants must score above the 30th percentile on the general GRE test. Three recommendations are required, and applicants must have current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification and Current Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certification. Applicants must apply online and must then successfully complete an interview with the Admissions Committee.
University of Southern Maine: RN to MS Program Review
University of Southern Maine
PO Box 9300
Portand, Maine 04104
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is part of the University of Maine System, and there are campuses in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston. The university was founded in 1878 as Gorham Normal School. The university was names among the Best Northeastern Colleges by The Princeton Review and was also included in its edition of America’s Best Value Colleges. A Master of Science in nursing (MS) program is offered with tracks in the following specialties:
MS in Nursing – Clinical Nurse Leader
MS in Nursing – Dual Degree Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Business Administration (MBA)
MS in Nursing – Education
MS in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner
MS in Nursing – Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
MS in Nursing – for Non-Nurses with a Baccalaureate Degree – The Options Program
MS in Nursing – Management
MS in Nursing – Master of Science in Nursing for Certified FNP, ANP, and WHNP
MS in Nursing – RN to Master of Science in Nursing Program
Applicants who have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) may apply to the masters program at the university, and acceptance into the program is on a competitive basis. Besides having a bachelors degree in nursing with a grade point average of at least 3.0, applicants must have completed the prerequisite courses of statistics and health assessment. A score in the 45th percentile or above on the Miller Analogy Test or a combined score of 1,000 or better on the Graduate Record exam is required. In addition, two reference letters, a current resume, and a copy of the applicant’s Registered Nurse license are required. A personal interview may also be required. Applicants without a nursing degree and nurses who do not have a bachelors degree in nursing are required to meet other admission requirements as well.
