University of Central Missouri Nursing School Review
Established in 1871, University of Central Missouri (UCM) first served the residents of Missouri as a Normal School training teachers for school systems. It was then known as Central Missouri State College with its main campus in Warrensburg. The university has expanded to reach out to students beyond the state and even globally. Still maintaining the strong pioneer education program, it has diversified in other academic fields including professional programs like nursing.
Nursing at University of Central Missouri
The nursing department at University of Central Missouri has three tracks of nursing programs. It prepares student nurses who come in as pre-licensure and registered nurses who want to complete their baccalaureate nursing degrees. It also offers a pre-nursing program that is transferable to other universities and colleges that offer four-year BSN degrees. The university also has a unique Master of Science in nursing program that focuses in Rural Family Nursing with a number of specialty tracks under it. Accreditation for the nursing programs has been granted by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and has been approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing.
Pre-Nursing
The pre-nursing program at Central Missouri University is meant to prepare students for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing major. Students need to complete 60 credits of lower division to be allowed to apply again and progress into the BSN major. On a further note, this program can be completed by students who do not anticipate joining the UCM BSN, but looking forward to complete the freshman and sophomore years for transfer purposes.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The Bachelor of Science in nursing program at Central Missouri University accepts applications from students who have completed a pre-nursing program at the university or transfer students from other colleges. Those students who meet that requirement apply again to take a minimum of 60 upper division semester credits to be allowed to graduate with a BSN degree and become eligible to apply for the NCLEX-RN exam.
Upon acceptance into the program, students spend their junior year at Warrensburg campus and then proceed to complete the senior year at the Kansas City Campus giving students the chance of experiencing both urban and rural clinical settings. It is a full time program with classes starting every fall and spring semesters.
Online Registered Nurse to Baccalaureate
This is a flexible professional advancement opportunities for registered nurses. The RN to BSN program requires 30 nursing credits of upper division courses, which are designed to be completed in one calendar year on a full time basis. On the other hand, students can choose the part time study plan and complete the program within four years. Courses for the RN to BSN start at any of the three semesters and all coursework is completed entirely online for 8 weeks. Including the transfer component, all credit hours must total to 120.
Master of Science in Rural Family Nursing
The Master of Science program at University of Central Missouri focuses on nursing concepts in rural family settings. From this focus point, BSN-prepared students can take emphasis on:
- Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP)
- Nurse Educators (NE)
On a further note, all coursework for the MSN programs is offered entirely online on a full time or part time basis. It is good to note that the clinical component of the FNP track can only be taken in the State of Missouri. UCM also has post master’s certificate programs for the MSN prepared nurse in both the Nurse Educator and Family Nurse Practitioner tracks.
Contact:
University of Central Missouri
208 East South St, Warrensburg,
MO 64093
