Bethel University Nursing School Review

For students who want to learn in an environment with an evangelical perspective, Bethel University (BU) offers that. The university was established in 1871 and was then called Baptist Union Theological College. It remained a seminary center, training ministers and pastors until 1989 when the first non-theological programs were introduced. Shortly afterwards, adult-targeted bachelor degrees were introduced which saw the change of the name from the initial name to Bethel University; a world class private university. It still maintains its initial seminary as one of its colleges alongside the recently introduced colleges.

Bethel University-Department of Nursing

The department of nursing at Bethel University offers undergraduate and master level nursing degree programs. The department maintains the mission and vision of the founder of the university which was to bring a Christ-like presence in the nursing profession. Due the strong affiliation to the Converge Worldwide church, students must take a curriculum that integrates Christian faith into nursing profession.

The curriculum has a huge percentage of liberal arts courses that emphasizes spirituality, caring, integrity, value for life. Three programs have been approved and accredited by the Minnesota Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education as outline below:

Pre-Licensure Undergraduate Degree (BS in Nursing)

The degree takes the form of the traditional four-year program of study. Students are expected to have full time commitment to the program for both the practical and classroom instructions. The program aims at preparing nurses who will be eligible to write the NLEX-RN as part of becoming registered nurses. It requires 125 credits to complete, with a good number having a Christian faith and liberal arts outlook.  The program also takes in transfer students from other colleges and universities who wish to complete their BSN.

BS in Nursing (RN to BS)

The program is meant for already registered nurses as it aims at building on prior nursing experience. Students are enrolled in a cohort and move on as so to the completion of the program. Students who hold associate and diplomas in nursing are the targets of the 12 courses program.  Since most of the admitted students are adults, the classes are designed to be flexible to cater for working RNs. In this case, students meet in either Arden Hills or Bloomington campuses or the North Hennepin Community College. Classes happen in the evenings only once for four hours per week for a duration of 20 months for which 37 credits are covered.

M.A. in Nursing

This program at Bethel University welcomes both BS in nursing students and other non-nursing baccalaureate holders. For the BS in nursing graduate, the curriculum is short and they graduate with a Master of Arts in Nursing with concentrations in either Nursing Education or Nursing Healthcare Leadership. The other group of students graduates with two parallel degrees, a BS in Nursing and a Master of Arts in nursing with options of the same specialties as above. The latter option, also known as a combined degree option takes 3 and 4 years to complete for the Education and Leadership concentrations respectively.

Contact:
Bethel University
3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul,
MN 55112