Alaska MSN Programs

University of Alaska-Anchorage: RN to MSN Program Review
University of Alaska-Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4614
The University of Alaska-Anchorage (UAA) is one of three University of Alaska System colleges. It was established in 1954 and became a four-year university in 1976. Today, master’s degrees and doctoral degrees in affiliation with other universities are also offered. A Masters of Science in Nursing is offered at UAA and there are three specialty tracks including Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, or Nursing Education. UAA is the only university in the state to offer a Registered Nurse (RN) to Master of Science (MSN) program.

Nurses interested in training for an advanced nursing career should apply to the School of Nursing.  Admission requirements are that applicants must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a minimum grade point average of 3.0. The GRE is required with an analytic writing score of at least 3.5 and a combined score of at least 800 on the verbal and quantitative. Applicants must have current licensure in Alaska, along with three professional recommendations and a minimum of one year’s clinical nursing experience. Admission to the program is competitive, and preference may be given to residents of Alaska. Students admitted to the RN to MSN program must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 while in the program.

UAAs Family Nurse Practitioner track requires completion of 32 credits of specialty courses plus 18 credits of core courses. A thesis or individual project is the culminating activity of the program. Graduates may sit for the national certification exam from the American Nurses Association (ANA) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Nurses that choose training for careers in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty must also complete the 18 core course credits plus 32 credits in their track. In the Nursing Education concentration, it is necessary to complete 24 credits in addition to the 18 core course credits.

The master’s in a nursing program can be completed either full-time or part-time. It takes six semesters or more part-time. Clinical training is completed in cohort groups.