As the need for qualified nurses and health care specialists rises, accredited nursing degree programs in Georgia will become even more popular among prospective students who want a rewarding career. With the nursing degree that you earn in one of these programs and the license you get after taking the national test, you may find work in dozens of health care settings all across the state. Georgia is also home to some programs designed for students who want to go to graduate school after working in the nursing profession or those who want to do more after completing an undergraduate nursing degree.
Brenau University
College of Health Sciences
Established in 1878 as a private college for women, Brenau University is still private but now offers equal opportunities for both male and female students. It was one of the first private colleges in the state to introduce a program for adult learners. This program offered night and weekend classes for those who never had the chance to go to college. Though it still has a program for adult learners, most of its adult students now take their classes online. The university's enrollment, which now tops more than 3,500 students, is almost equally split between graduate and undergraduate students.
MSN Nurse Leadership and Management
The Master of Science in Nursing program offered by Brenau University is a general program open to students who graduated from an accredited nursing program with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students entering the program must also show they have at least one year of nursing work experience and that they took at least one research class. This program has several concentrations available and lets students graduate with an MSN Nurse Leadership and Management degree. It features a combination of core nursing courses and specialized management classes. The core nursing courses include pharmacology and advanced principles of nursing management, while the management courses that students take include financial management of health care organizations, evidence based practice and introduction to project management. All nursing graduate students must also take a nursing management practicum. This course allows you to show instructors in the program how you translate your classroom skills into real settings.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
500 Washington St SE
Gainesville, GA 30501
(800) 252-5119
[email protected]
https://www.brenau.edu/healthsciences/
Georgia State University
School of Nursing and Health Professionals
One of the oldest and largest public colleges in Georgia is Georgia State University. Founded in 1913 as a school of technology, it initially only offered courses at night. The college became an extension school attached to a larger college in the 1930s before finally becoming part of the GSU school system. This new system now lets students transfer classes between campuses and take courses during the day, at night, on weekends or online. GSU is both globally and nationally ranked by several publications, including U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and Washington Monthly.
Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Innovations
When looking at accredited nursing degree programs in Georgia, you may find yourself pulled towards the Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Innovations degree program available from Georgia State University. This is one of the six special degree programs that GSU offers for graduate students. You can apply for a space in the program immediately after finishing your RN degree or after you gain some work experience. The deadline to enroll in this program is around the start of spring in the same year you want to start. GSU created this program for nurses who want to stay up to date with new innovations in the field and those who need a refresher on some of these new forms of technology. The university offers reduced tuition rates for Georgia residents, but if you lived in the state in the past and want to move back for school, you may qualify for this lower rate.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
33 Gilmer St. SE
Atlanta, GA 30302
(404) 413-2000
[email protected]
http://snhp.gsu.edu/
Kennesaw State University
WellStar School of Nursing
Kennesaw State University opened in the 1960s as a junior college that offered introductory and lower level courses for its students. During the 1970s, the college expanded its curriculum, became a full university and found itself joining the University System of Georgia. This system provides students with the chance of taking classes from multiple campuses to work on their degrees. Though its enrollment now tops more than 30,000 students, not all of those students take classes on the main KSU campus. Through partnerships with other schools, KSU now lets students gain course credit for classes taken on campuses across the state.
Master of Science in Nursing in Leadership in Nursing
Nursing graduate students enrolling in the Kennesaw State University Master of Science in Nursing in Leadership in Nursing program will need to choose between two different concentrations. The first is a concentration in nursing education leadership in the digital world. This program focuses on preparing nurses for educating other students. They may work with students in colleges or in practical settings. The second concentration is in nursing administration and transformational leadership. KSU designed this program for busy nurses and lets them finish their degrees in 15 months. Though the program is available online, students will still need to come to the main campus at least once every semester. Some of the courses found in this program cover topics relating to conflict resolution and management, nursing ethics and medical decision making. KSU only accepts students who submit scores from the GRE, have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and graduated from an accredited college.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
1000 Chastain Road
Kennesaw, GA 30144
(470) 578-6000
http://wellstarcollege.kennesaw.edu/nursing/
University of West Georgia
Tanner Health System School of Nursing
Though the University of West Georgia opened in 1906, it was originally a mechanical and agricultural school that offered a limited selection of classes. Many of its early students attended classes there instead of going to a more traditional high school, but it also offered diploma programs for high school graduates and older students. Now known as the University of West Georgia or UWG, it offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as some doctoral degree programs. The Princeton Review named UWG one of the best colleges in the American Southeast for 10 straight years.
RN-MSN Health Systems Leadership Track
As you look into accredited nursing degree programs in Georgia, you may want to look closer at the RN-MSN Health Systems Leadership Track program that the University of West Georgia offers. Called one of the top schools for health care administration graduate programs in the country, UWG designed this program for students who already have an RN degree and some nursing experience. The health systems leadership track, which takes two years to complete as a full time student or three years as a part time student, has two different concentrations attached. You can pick a concentration in leader and manager studies or clinical nurse leader studies. Clinical nurse leader students take 36 credits of classes, including the role of nursing in health care fields, health care informatics, epidemiology for nurses and pharmacology. Though the leader and manager studies concentration also requires that students complete 36 credits of courses, it includes different classes like leading HR systems and a health leadership practicum.
Accreditation
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
1601 Maple St.
Carrollton, GA 30118
(678) 839-5000
http://nursing.westga.edu/
No matter what type of nursing goals you have for the future, going to college can help you achieve those goals. Georgia is home to programs that are perfect for all types of students. Each of the top accredited nursing degree programs in Georgia offer something different for enrolled students.