Colleges That Offer Nursing Degrees

Finding a first-time nursing school or even a place to advance your education can be quite a challenge. With different priorities and a lot of schools to choose from, it may prove to be a difficult experience.

While looking for colleges that offer nursing degrees, future student nurse should keep the following points in mind:

i)        What is your financial ability

ii)      What learning mode do you prefer?- traditional or online

iii)    How busy are you? Do you want to give-up your job?

iv)    What many years can you allocate for study?

v)      What level is the degree you want? 2-year ASN,4-year BSN, Masters or doctorate?

With these questions in mind, you can go about doing elimination until you get the best college offering your nursing degree of choice. Below are some of the choices you would have to choose from:

1)     Online Colleges That Offer Nursing Degree Programs

This category of nursing collges is designed for students who wish to have distance learning modes. If you are a RN or freshmen who still want to keep your day job while studying, these are the nursing colleges for you. Renowned and accredited online colleges in US include:

  • University of Phoenix
  • Kaplan University
  • Keiser University
  • Walden University
  • Western Governors University among others

2)     Historically black nursing colleges

These are for students who want to have high quality education yet at an affordable fee. At the HBCUs, there are numerous financial aids, hence a good fit for students who would find much strain in paying college fees. Examples of such nursing colleges offering nursing degrees include:

  • Prairie View A&M university
  • Howard University
  • Hampton University
  • Tuskegee University
  • Bowie University

3)     Colleges That Offer Accelerated Nursing Degrees

Accelerated nursing degrees are designed for students who wish to finish their study in a record short duration. They arrange crush programs for nursing students by offering highly paced curriculum. These types of nursing colleges usually discourage future students from having a side job as the curriculum is not easy. A few examples of such nursing colleges in the US are:

  • Purdue University
  • University of Wisconsin
  • Marian university-Indianapolis
  • Texas Tech University

4)     Traditional Nursing Colleges

These are the most preferred nursing colleges and universities especially among fresh nursing entrants. Their curriculum is designed to ensure students study on campus. Both practical and theory nursing classes are taken on-campus. Usually, these types of schools are university hospitals where students have ample time interacting with patients. There are hundreds of these in US but just to mention a few award winning colleges:

  • Boston College for Best dual MSN/MA program
  • John Hopkins University for best PhD
  • University of California for best post doctorate fellowships
  • University of Texas at Austin as best nursing school for male nurses
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel hill for most specialty nurse masters programs.

5)     Nursing Schools with Graduates Programs

Not all nursing schools out there offer nursing programs up-to the postgraduate level. There are especially few colleges that offer doctorate degrees in nursing unlike masters programs which are quite numerous. PhDs in nursing can be found in the following schools:

  • John Hopkins University
  • University of Miami
  • College of nursing at Rush University
  • New York University
  • American Sentinel University
  • Regis University

What to Look For in Nursing Colleges

Before enrolling in any colleges that claims to offer nursing degrees, future nurses should ensure the college is accredited to offer the nursing degrees they list. Such information can be retrieved from your states board of nursing. The board of nursing can also advice the aspiring nurses on schools to avoid and the reasons for doing so.

For nurses who must be licensed, the board of nursing in each state is capable of providing the prerequisites a student needs before being eligible for licensure. The student must, in return confirm that the nursing colleges they want to enroll with meets all the boards requirements.

Curriculum coverage is also an essential part in qualifying a potential school. You can consult from alumni of the school about its ability to deliver the outlined curriculum in a comprehensive manner.