University of Massachusetts Boston Nursing School Review

The University of Massachusetts Boston is one of the five University of Massachusetts campuses. It dates back from the Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1863 when it was changed to the University of Massachusetts in 1947.  The University of Massachusetts Boston was born out of a deliberative vote by the States Legislature to establish a new campus in the area around Boston.

It started offering academic programs in 1974 and is commonly known as UMASS Boston. The college of nursing and Health sciences is one of the eight colleges in UMASS Boston located in a scenic waterfront site near the famous John Kennedy Library.

College of Nursing and Health Sciences-UMASS Boston

The college has remarkably diverse students enrolled via its undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. As a college of a public university, it offers very comprehensive yet affordable nursing programs for students to choose from. It is has collaboration with key players in the healthcare field in Boston to ensure students get the best training and experience through co-operation before they leave campus. Below is a closer look of the programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education at UMASS Boston:

Undergraduate Programs

A total of three accredited and approved undergraduate nursing programs are given at the college of nursing ie

i)        Bachelor of Science in Nursing- Accelerated

This program is designed for non- nursing BS or BA holders with admission being accepted every summer. It requires a lot of commitment as it is offered in a blended mode of learning; online and classroom sessions. It takes a total of fifteen months to complete upon which, a Bachelor of Science degree is awarded and eligibility to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam.

ii)      Bachelor of Science in Nursing- Traditional

There is no major difference in the curriculum requirements of the traditional and accelerated BSN. The only difference is that the traditional route to get the BSN take four years to complete and encourages entry level nursing students. The outcome is the same; the award of a BSN degree and eligibility to sit for the NCLEX-RN for licensure as a RN.

iii)    RN to BS- Online

This is an exclusive online nursing program from UMASS Boston College of nursing and health sciences. The Program as the name suggests is designed for registered nurses who may have an associate or diploma in nursing. It builds upon prior nursing experience and reduces the commuting time to campus almost by a 100%.

Graduate programs

At UMASS Boston, three graduate nursing programs are offered under the college of nursing and health sciences. Two of these are master-level programs while one is a doctoral program.

i)        Master of Science in Nursing

Three tracks of the MSN fall under this level and students are required to complete 48 credits for any track chosen. The program is dynamic and courses are taken from both online and classroom sessions. In addition, students are able to choose between full time study which takes two years and part time which takes 3 to four years to complete. Students choose from the following advanced practice nurse tracks:

  • Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Acute/Critical Car Clinical nurse Specialist
  • Adult/gerontology Nurse Practitioner 

ii)      Nursing MS to DNP-Online

It is also an exclusive online nursing program designed for advanced practice nurses who some substantial experience in advanced practice. It is also available in a part time-online format for which, students takes up-to three years to graduate. Students only visit campus for a number of appearances.

iii)    Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

The PhD in nursing focuses on either Population Health or Health Policy. There are also three post-master certificate programs in nursing offered in the college ie:

  • Nurse practitioner Post-Masters certificate
  • Clinical nurse Specialist Post- Masters Certificate
  • Nurse Educator Graduate certificate


Contact:

University of Massachusetts at Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.,
Boston, MA 02125