Interested in a nursing career path? After earning your bachelor’s degree at Beloit, you can continue on to earn a MSN degree. While some nurses begin to practice immediately after earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing, it is becoming more common for nurses to enter the nursing field with a MSN.

A MSN degree can open up a wide range of career opportunities, including becoming a nurse educator or nurse practitioner (NP). Nurses can specialize in many areas (e.g. pediatrics, surgery, cardiology, public health) and work in a variety of settings including hospital, clinics, schools, government, and community health. Nurses typically work scheduled shifts and enjoy healthy work-life balance and competitive salaries. To learn more about the responsibilities of a nurse, consult the Nursing Code of Ethics, set by the American Nurses Association.

Program Admission Prerequisites

Most masters programs in nursing require:

• Two Introductory Biology courses: Introductory Biology (BIOL 111 or 172) and Microbiology (BIOL 208)
• Three advanced Biology courses: Biometrics (BIOL 247), Anatomy (BIOL 256), and Human Physiology (BIOL 257)
• Three courses in Chemistry: Introductory Chemistry (CHEM 117), Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 230), and Nutrition and Metabolism: Biochemical Mechanisms (CHEM 260)
• Two courses in Psychology: Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 100) and Life-Span Developmental Psychology (PSYC 210)
• English with intensive writing

Individual schools may have specific requirements. Check the website of schools that you are particularly interested in applying to. NursingCAS.org offers a wealth of information regarding different nursing degrees.

Beloit College has a partnership with the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Contact an HPAC committee member for more information.