Marquette University Nursing School Review

Marquette University (MU) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a reputation for academic excellence in many fields, ranging from the liberal arts to business to engineering to health sciences. The school, which was founded in 1881, serves just about 12,000 students; nearly half of the students are graduate students. One of Marquette University’s areas of focus is the nursing field. With undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing, Marquette University has options for both prospective nurses and nurses who wish to advance in the field. All nursing programs hold accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The College of Nursing at Marquette University is located in Emory T. Clark Hall, which is on the west side of the Marquette campus. The building includes offices, classrooms, labs and a Learning Resources Center, which is home to the computers, practice models and simulation equipment, which is needed to support the nursing programs offered at Marquette University.

The nursing programs at Marquette University are varied and include; Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Honors BSN), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with Psychology as a Second Major, Bachelor of Science in Nursing with ROTC options, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a RN Direct Entry, a Doctor of Nursing Practitioner (DNP) program and a PhD in Nursing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Marquette University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is unusual in that incoming freshmen enroll immediately in the College of Nursing. They take their first nursing class in the very first semester at Marquette University, and continue taking nursing courses throughout the next four years. The first clinical rotation takes place in the first semester of junior year. The BSN program prepares students for careers as Registered Nurses (RN). Graduates can take the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Marquette University offers six different tracks within its BSN program:

Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The traditional track of the BSN program takes four years to complete, and includes 128 credits in total. The curriculum covers all of the university’s core requirements as well as all nursing requirements.

Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The honors track of the BSN program requires 134 credits in total. Students may apply to this program in their senior year of high school or in their freshman year of college. As a BSN honors student, a prospective nurse will have additional opportunities for one-on-one interactions with professors, and the opportunity to pursue research of her own choosing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a Second Major in Psychology
By earning 139 credits, a BSN student can fulfill all the requirements needed for both the nursing major and the psychology major. Typically, a student needs to study for at least one summer semester in order to complete both majors in four years.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Air Force ROTC
Marquette University partners with the Air Force to train nurse officers. Students who wish to pursue this path must complete Air Force course requirements in addition to all the BSN requirements. In total, these students must earn at least 141 credits. They will spend at least one summer semester on campus.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Army ROTC
Marquette University is one of the Army’s Partners for Nursing Excellence. Marquette University students who prepare to enter the Army as nurses must complete an intense curriculum, consisting of 149 credits in total. They need nine semesters (which includes one summer semester) to complete this curriculum.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Navy ROTC
Marquette University has the largest group of Navy ROTC nursing students in the United States. These prospective nurses must earn at least 136 credits, and must spend at least one summer on campus.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – RN to BSN

Marquette University welcomes RNs who are graduates of associate degree nursing programs or diploma nursing programs into its BSN program. These RNs must meet the 128-credit BSN requirement, but they can receive up to forty-eight advanced placement credits toward the Phase I nursing requirements. With these advanced placement credits in place, an RN only needs to complete thirty additional nursing credits at Marquette University, as well as any missing general education requirements.

Master of Science in Nursing

Marquette University trains nurses for careers as advanced practice specialists through its Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. The traditional MSN program is open to nurses who have completed a BSN degree. (Nurses with a baccalaureate degree in a field other than nursing can enter the MSN RN Direct Entry program.) In order to provide flexibility to working nurses, the university offers some of the classes online. The classes that are offered on campus are usually scheduled in the evenings. Students may enroll full-time or part-time. On a full-time basis, the MSN program takes about two years to complete. On a part-time basis, a student may take up to six years to complete the curriculum. Marquette University offers eight different tracks within its MSN program:

Adult-Older Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The Adult-Older Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (NP) program requires forty-two credits in total. This includes both core graduate nursing classes and classes in the area of specialization. Only one of the classes is offered online; students need to come to campus for the rest of the coursework.

Adult-Older Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist
A nurse can prepare to provide primary care to adults as an NP or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) through the Adult-Older Adult Primary Care NP/CNS track of the MSN program. This requires forty-two credits.

Older Adult Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist
The Older Adult NP/CNS track of the MSN program requires forty-two credits.

Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist
A nurse can specialize in pediatric primary care as either an NP or CNS. Regardless of which certification he pursues, he must earn forty-two credits.

Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
If a nurse wants to specialize in pediatric acute care, she must work toward certification as an NP.This track of the MSN program requires forty-two credits.

Nurse-Midwifery
The Nurse-Midwifery track of the MSN program has additional accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education. Students on this track must earn at least forty-nine credits. They can do this over two years on a full-time basis. Alternatively they may complete the first part of the program on a part-time basis. Due to the clinical requirements, they must study full-time for the last year of the program.

Health Care Systems Leadership
The Health Care Systems Leadership track of the MSN program prepares nurses for certification as Nurse Administrators. They must earn thirty-nine credits in order to prepare for the certification exam. Within the Health Care Systems Leadership program, nurses can choose among four areas of emphasis: Care Management Systems, Community Health Leadership, Long-Term Care Administration, Informatics, Conflict Resolution, and Staff Development. Each area of focus requires six credits.

Clinical Nurse Leader
Marquette University offers a CNL track in its MSN program. Students can choose to focus on adult health, pediatrics, or obstetrics. Each area of focus requires thirty-three credits, which includes twenty-one credits in the chosen area of focus.

Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration

Marquette University offers a joint MSN/Master of Business Administration (MBA) program through its College of Nursing and its College of Business Administration. A nurse on this track must complete sixty credits. On a full-time basis (earning between six and twelve credits per semester), this will take five semesters to complete. The MSN classes include all the classes required for the Health Care Systems Leadership track of the MSN program, and graduates are eligible to take the Nurse Administrator certification exam.

Master of Science in Nursing – RN Direct Entry

The MSN RN Direct Entry program is designed for RNs who have both an associate degree in nursing and a baccalaureate degree in a field other than nursing. It is not open to RNs who do not have a baccalaureate degree. A nurse on this track must complete twelve credits (four classes) of undergraduate nursing coursework as preparation for the MSN coursework. These courses are called bridge courses. Once these are complete, the RN can begin the coursework for his chosen track of the MSN program. All eight tracks, as well as the join MSN/MBA track, of the MSN program are open to an RN Direct Entry student.

Master of Science in Nursing – Direct Entry

The Direct Entry MSN program prepares students who have no nursing background for careers as advanced practice nurses. In order to be eligible for this program, a student must have a baccalaureate degree in a field other than nursing and must complete the following prerequisites: five or six credits in the sciences, three credits in psychology or sociology, and three credits in statistics. A Direct Entry MSN student begins in the summer semester, and spends the next fifteen months studying on a full-time basis. At the end of this time period, she is finished with all the undergraduate nursing requirements (sixty-three credits) and can take the NCLEX-RN. (She does not receive a BSN degree.) From here, she progresses into her chosen MSN area of specialization. She can complete the MSN portion of the program on either a full-time or part-time basis.

Post-master’s Certification

The post-master’s certification programs are open to MSN-prepared nurses. In order to prepare for a new graduate-level certification, these nurses do not have to repeat coursework that they have already completed as part of their previous MSN program of study. They only need to complete courses in their chosen area of specialization. Marquette University offers seven different post-master’s certification tracks. An MSN-prepared nurse can train to become an Adult Acute Care NP (thirty credits), Adult NP or CNS (thirty credits), Older Adult (Gerontology) NP or CNS (thirty credits), a Nurse Administrator through the Heath Care Systems Leadership track (twenty-one credits), Nurse Midwife (thirty-three credits), Acute Care Pediatric NP (twenty-seven credits), and Primary Care Pediatric NP (twenty-seven credits).

Doctor of Nursing Practice – BSN to DNP

After completing a BSN degree, an RN can enroll in Marquette University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, in the BSN to DNP track. If he chooses to study on a full-time basis, he will need three to four years to complete all the coursework. The program includes master’s-level coursework in a chosen area of specialization, leading to advanced practice certification. In addition, the program includes DNP coursework that will help him to achieve the highest level of clinical responsibility in his chosen area of certification. A nurse on the BSN to DNP track must earn between sixty-three and sixty-seven credits. He can pursue certification as an Adult-Older Adult Primary Care NP (sixty-six credits), as an Adult-Older Adult Acute Care NP (sixty-six credits), as an Older Adult NP (sixty-six credits), as a Pediatrics Primary Care NP (sixty-six credits), as a Pediatric Acute Care NP (sixty-six credits), as a Nurse-Midwife (sixty-seven credits), and as a Nurse Administrator through the Health Care Systems Leadership track (sixty-three credits). Most of the coursework for the DNP program is only offered on campus; a few classes are available online.

Doctor of Nursing Practice – Post-master’s (Bridge)

If a nurse enrolls in the DNP program after completing an MSN degree and earning advanced practice certification, she only needs to earn twenty-seven credits. Like the students in the BSN to DNP track, she can study either full-time or part-time. She needs to travel to campus to take most of the classes in the post-master’s DNP program (also called the DNP Bridge program).

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing – Post-baccalaureate

An RN who has a baccalaureate degree (either in nursing or in a field other than nursing) can apply to Marquette University’s Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD in Nursing) program. Before beginning the PhD in Nursing coursework, he must complete eighteen credits of transition courses. After completing these, he can progress to the fifty-one credit PhD in Nursing curriculum. In total, he must earn sixty-nine credits. The length of the program can vary, depending on whether the student enrolls part-time or full-time, and depending on how quickly he completes the required dissertation. Generally, the fifty-one credits of the PhD in Nursing curriculum take two years to complete on a full-time basis. This does not include the time required for the transition courses or the dissertation.

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing – Post-MSN

A nurse who has already earned an MSN degree can complete the PhD in Nursing program by earning fifty-one credits. She can enroll either full-time or part-time. On a full-time basis, she needs at least two years to complete the fifty-one credits, plus additional time to work on her dissertation. The majority of the courses in the DNP program are only available on campus.

Contact:
Marquette University
College of Nursing
530 N. 16th Street,
Milwaukee, WI 53233