California is home to hundreds of hospitals and even more doctors' offices, which is why there are so many accredited nursing degree programs in California. Students enrolling in these programs spend some time working on campus and nearly as much time working in those facilities. They do clinical rotations that give them hands on experience working with and attending to real patients. Students who complete those programs can then take the N-CLEX, which is the examination they must pass to get a nursing license in the state. Look carefully over all the top rated programs before deciding where to attend college.
California State University Dominguez Hills
College of Health, Human Services & Nursing
California State University is the state's largest public school system and has several campuses across the state. One of the largest campuses in California State University Dominguez Hills. This campus also goes by the names of CSU Dominguez Hills and CSUDH. Founded in 1960, the university originally opened as a small state school or junior college. As the number of students entering its professional programs increased, the school slowly changed to incorporate more traditional course offerings. CSU later absorbed the school and added the campus to its own school system, which led to enrollment rising to more than 14,000 students.
MS/MSN Nurse Administrator
California State University Dominguez Hills offers an MS/MSN Nursing degree program. Students interested in enrolling must have an RN license prior to applying. The university also requires that all students meet with an admissions counselor before enrolling. This gives students the chance to ask any questions they might have, learn more about the program and discover the requirements necessary for graduation. This program also allows students to pick a concentration in nurse educator, nurse administrator, clinical nurse practitioner or family nurse practitioner. The concentration you select will have some baring on the type of classes you take. Each of these programs generally requires the completion of 36 credit hours, which will include some type of fieldwork component. You might spend a semester working in a hospital or in another clinical setting. Some of the concentrations require that you spend up to 300 hours working in the field and getting feedback from a professional supervisor.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
1250 Bellflower Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90840-0301
(562) 985-4463
[email protected]
http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/nursing/
California State University Long Beach
School of Nursing
One of the largest campuses in the California State University school system is the campus located in Long Beach. Established in 1949, this campus served as a small independent state school that saw a number of veterans from World War II enrolling in classes. The state choose Long Beach because it afforded the college more room to grow. It wasn't until the 1960s that it adopted its current name after becoming a branch of CSU. CSU Long Beach, which is what locals often call the school, now has more than 37,000 students enrolled across all program levels.
Master of Science in Nursing/Nursing and Health Systems Executive Management
Accredited nursing degree programs in California are often open to students who have a nursing license and a bachelor's degree, including the one at CSU Long Beach. Its Master of Science in Nursing/Nursing and Health Systems Executive Management is a unique program designed for students who want to work in management positions within the health care industry. The program consists of 11 key classes that all nursing students must take. The core courses focus more on management and finances, while the clinical courses include some element of practical learning. For example, you will take a practicum on improving nursing and health care systems that will require you do some independent research in a facility near campus. You will also take a course on executive management in the nursing industry. This program is only open to students with an RN license and a college transcript that shows the student earned a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, CA 90747
(310) 243-3696
http://www4.csudh.edu/chhsn/
Holy Names University
Graduate Programs
Holy Names University is one of just a small handful of private Roman Catholic colleges in California. The Sisters of the Holy Names originally founded the college as the Convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. When it first opened in the 1860s, the school offered teaching programs for female students. When the school moved to a new location in the early 1900s, it changed its name to the College of the Holy Names. Though the school also offered some classes for high school students, it shifted its focus to college courses after becoming Holy Names University is more recent years.
Master of Science in Nursing with an option for preparation as an administrator/manager
Since beginning its Master of Science in Nursing program, Holy Names University looked for ways to make the program more accessible for all types of students. It accomplished this through the use of a hybrid program. When you enroll in its Master of Science in Nursing with an option for preparation as an administrator/manager, you have the option to take classes that work around your own specific schedule. Students generally take a combination of longer evening or weekend classes with online classes. You can also earn an additional certification in a field like family nursing. This lets you sit for the family nurse practitioner examination to earn a license that lets you work more specifically with families and younger children. This accredited university also offers a dual degree program for those interested in management that lets them earn an MS in Nursing and an MBA in three years or less.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
3500 Mountain Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94619
(510) 436-1000
https://www.hnu.edu/academics/graduate-degrees
University of San Diego
Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science
The Roman Catholic Church helped found and establish the University of San Diego, which opened in the 1950s as the San Diego College for Women. Though there were a number of coeducational schools operating within the state at the time, the Church wanted to open a school that would let female students focus on their faith and earn a degree. A separate college for men opened just a few years later. When those two colleges merged in the 1970s, the university changed its name to USD to show that it was an equal opportunity college open to all students.
Master of Science in Nursing Program in Executive Nurse Leader
The University of San Diego offers its Master of Science in Nursing Program in Executive Nurse Leader through its Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science. Though the university typically requires that students have an RN license before starting classes, it offers a program for students without their licenses that lets them meet all the basic requirements before starting the advanced nursing program. All students must take 33 credit hours, but they can enroll as a full-time or part-time student. If you take a full course load each semester, you can finish the program in just three semesters. Some of the courses you might take include health care policies and systems, medical theory and research, financial management and resource management. Part-time students typically take one or two classes and finish the program in two years. You'll also take a practicum course that requires the completion of an independent research project in your last semester.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 260
[email protected]
http://www.sandiego.edu/nursing/
Western University of Health Sciences
College of Graduate Nursing
The Western University of Health Sciences is one of the only colleges in the country that specifically offers medical and health care programs and classes. Founded as a small medical school in the 1970s, it offered just one degree program when it first opened. The popularity of that program led to the school introducing new programs that focused on surgery and other aspects of health care. The university later added its own veterinary sciences program for those who wanted to work with animals and a nursing program that now ranks as one of the top graduate level nursing programs in California.
Administrative Nurse Leader (MSN-ANL)
Citing the need for programs for professionals, the Western University of Health Sciences added flexible programs that allow students to continue working while earning a graduate degree. One of the flexible programs now available is its Administrative Nurse Leader (MSN-ANL). This program consists of two different types of classes. Students will take some of their courses online, but they will also visit the campus twice a month to take weekend classes. This ensures that students get help with any problems that they might have and that they have the chance to work with professors who have practical experience in the nursing field. You take 41 semester units that include courses on nursing leadership, epidemiology and research methods. Though the university designed this program for students to finish in two years, there is also an extended track that lets students take fewer classes each semester and graduate in three years.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Contact
309 E. Second St.
Pomona, CA 91766-1854
(909) 623-6116
[email protected]
http://www.westernu.edu/nursing/
The need for trained and qualified nurses will grow at a fast rate in the coming years. Attending one of the accredited nursing degree programs in California is the best way to ensure that you have all the skills that professional nurses need and that you can get your license.