Montana State University-Bozeman Nursing School Review

Montana State University-Bozeman (MSU) has it history dating back to 1893 as an agricultural college. It was one of the states’ land-grant colleges and was offering programs in agricultural studies and mechanic arts. In 1965, the college had advanced in regard to the number of programs and its commitment to scientific research. With this advancement came a new name; Montana State University.  It serves as the flagship campus of the Montana State University system.

Montana State university Bozeman-College of Nursing

The college of nursing is devoted to offering healthcare education and providing nurse training to the rather rural state of Montana. As a rural state, the nursing programs at the university have a focus on training nurses to cater for underserved citizens. Two baccalaureate nursing tracks and three Master of Science in nursing tracks are offered at the university.  Nursing programs are offered at five campus locations of the university and are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the States Board of Nursing. Montana State University-Bozeman also prides itself to be the only educator of graduate level nurses in the state.

Baccalaureate Program (BSN)

The Bachelor of Science in nursing degree at the university is offered at five locations of the university namely Bozeman, Great falls, Billings, Missoula and Kalispell.  It is designed to take eight semesters of full time study whereby, in the first two years, students complete pre-nursing and core curriculum courses. During the junior and senior years, students take upper division courses and clinical practicum sessions in the above mentioned campuses. A minimum of 120 credits is required to prepare for the NLCEX-RN exam and graduation with a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree

Accelerated BSN Option

The program at Montana State University was developed to cater to for the increasing needs of nurses in the underserved, rural and remote areas of the state. It is designed to help graduates of other non nursing degrees to complete a bachelor of science in nursing degree in a short time.  Candidates for this option enter the BSN program only at Bozeman campus as nursing majors, if they have completed core pre nursing courses

Once admitted into the nursing major, students take 15 months to complete the program. The 15 months include four semesters of year-round study, a full time study plan and a highly intense and fast paced study commitment.  Completion leads to the award of a second degree in nursing and eligibility to apply and write the NCLEX-RN exam.

Distance Master of Nursing (MN) Graduate Degree Program

The Master of Nursing (MN) at Montana State University has focus on the delivery of healthcare to sparsely populated locations. It is the only Master of Science in nursing program in the state and has a focus on the challenges on management of health and wellness for people living in rural areas. As mentioned above, the program delivers curriculum in a variety of teaching methods including synchronous, asynchronous, webinars, intensives and teleconferencing. The intensive modes requires students to attend the main campus at Bozeman for two days every fall semester and not more than 2 times per semester at their respective coordinating campuses mentioned earlier. BSN prepared students interested in this program can choose from the following tracks on the Master of Nursing:

  • Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) with2 or 4-year study plans
  • Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP) with 2 or 3-year study plans
  • Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) with 1.5 or 2.5-years study plans

A Doctor of Nursing Practice is pending approval at Montana State University and the first class is expected to start very soon.

Contact:
Montana State University-Bozeman
1501 South 11th Avenue, Bozeman,
MT 59715