Earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN degree) can help you enter some of the best nursing careers with the highest nursing salaries. But not every nursing school can give you the level of education and training you need to truly excel.
When you’re looking at MSN programs, you want to make sure program faculty is well-prepared to teach. How can you gauge the quality of the faculty? One way is to find out how many members of the teaching faculty are doctorally prepared.
What Is “Doctorally Prepared?”
Doctorally prepared refers to any faculty member who holds either a doctoral degree, such as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), or a PhD degree, such as PhD in Nursing. Surprisingly, research suggests that only 45.7% of academic staff at higher education institutions have a doctorate.* That means a lot of universities have faculty that isn’t as qualified as it could be. You want to avoid any master’s in nursing program where a high percentage of the teaching faculty doesn’t hold a doctorate.
What Are the Advantages of Learning From a Doctorally Prepared Teaching Faculty?
You Receive Expert Knowledge
Doctoral degrees in nursing and all other doctorate level degrees require years of education. Those who’ve earned their doctorate have put in the time and work to become experts in their field. You can gain more from studying under an expert than from studying under anyone else.
You Learn From People With Meaningful Experience
Those who’ve earned a doctorate have gained a lot of experience. When they teach you, they aren’t conjecturing; they know from their own experience what it takes to achieve success in your program and in your nursing career.
You Can Take Advantage of Networking Opportunities
Holding a doctorate often earns a person a lot of respect in their field. As such, doctorally prepared faculty members can be a great source for networking. From writing meaningful recommendation letters to helping you connect with job opportunities, the best teachers can help propel your career.
Where Can You Earn an MSN Degree From a Doctorally Prepared Teaching Faculty?
At Walden University, you can earn a master’s degree in nursing from a teaching faculty that’s 100% doctorally prepared. That alone is a good reason to choose Walden, but it’s not the only reason students enroll in the school.
Walden’s Master of Science in Nursing program is CCNE accredited, offers eight different MSN specializations, and gives you the opportunity to earn your MSN online. Why is online learning such an advantage? Because, unlike at campus-based nursing schools, online nursing schools don’t require you to spend time driving to classes at set hours of the day. Instead, in an online MSN program, you can complete the majority of your coursework right from home and attend class at whatever time of day works best for you, a level of flexibility that can allow you to continue working full time while you earn your degree. At Walden, you can even choose an RN to MSN online program that allows you to go straight from RN to MSN while you continue to work.
With so much to offer, Walden attracts a lot of MSN students to its online education program, making it number one in Master of Science in Nursing graduates in the U.S.† If you’re looking for a great university with a well-prepared teaching faculty, Walden is an excellent choice.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering a Master of Science in Nursing degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
*J. Grove, Proportion of academics with PhDs, 2012, Times Higher Education, on the internet at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/proportion-of-academics-with-phds-2012/421657.article?sectioncode=26&storycode=421657&c=1.
†Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) IPEDS database. Retrieved July 2017, using CIP codes 51.3801 (Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse); 51.3808 (Nursing Science); 51.3818 (Nursing Practice). Includes 2016 preliminary data.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.