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Nursing Major in Pennsylvania

Our CCNE-accredited Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree program, designed to meet the rapidly changing healthcare environment, will prepare you to become a successful registered nurse (RN) as you study in a Christian environment.

Study Nursing at a Christian University

The BSN program will help you develop a broad base of scientific knowledge, excellent communication skills, critical thinking and value-based decision-making capabilities, all while integrating your faith in a Christian college environment. 

As a graduate of Messiah University’s demanding, yet highly rewarding nursing degree program, you’ll meet the requirements and prepare to sit for licensure to become a registered nurse. You will also be fully prepared to enter the largest healthcare profession in the United States—one that is projected to continue to grow well into the next several decades.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, the master’s degree program in nursing, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Messiah University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Test optional policy for undergraduates

Messiah University's test-optional policy enables first-year students to receive admission, secure scholarships and compete for the Messiah University Honors Program without submitting standardized tests. Students applying to the nursing major must refer to requirements for admission to the nursing major

Learn more when you check out our Test Optional Policy FAQ.

Graduate Program in Nursing

Advance your nursing career at Messiah University with flexible degree programs and online coursework designed to fit the lifestyle of busy professionals. The Graduate Program in Nursing has a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, one of Pennsylvania’s only predominantly online programs in this field, with a family nurse practitioner, nurse educator or nursing leadership track; a Master of Science in Nursing degree with a nurse educator or nursing leadership track; and a Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Business Administration dual degree.   

Integrative classroom learning

We emphasize the Christian aspects of commitment, compassion and patient care across the BSN degree curriculum, along with rigorous liberal arts and science courses. Throughout the nursing program you will practice life-like simulations using our state-of-the-art clinical simulation labs, including one advanced simulation lab, a maternal-child simulation lab, a psychiatric-mental health lab equipped with state-of-the-art high and medium fidelity human simulators and audio-visual equipment; and a physical assessment lab. Our program has a full-time simulation nurse educator available to oversee student learning in the simulation labs. 

While working toward your BSN you will participate in a disaster drill as part of the community health course and you will complete an evidence-based practice project with nurses from regional hospitals during your nursing research course.

Clinical-based learning

Outside the classroom you will apply what you’ve learned in some of south-central Pennsylvania’s most outstanding clinical settings, such as general and specialty hospitals (including several Magnet-designation hospitals); skilled nursing facilities for long-term care; schools; churches; free clinics; nurse-managed health centers; and many more. You’ll be well prepared to pass your licensure exam the first time and to find an exciting job in nursing.

In the Nursing program, you will take a selection of courses that successfully prepare you for a career in a related field. Hands-on experiences and classroom learning within the framework of Christian faith will give you the skills and knowledge to achieve your goals. Our programs offer a wide variety of courses that will not only help you excel in your future career, but challenge you to develop a deeper understanding of your field of study.

Course options for Nursing:

Nursing (B.S.N.)

Careers and outcomes

Where our grads work

Graduates of the Nursing program work in positions of leadership in their places of employment, using the tools and knowledge a Messiah University education prepared them with. Each year, eager employers and some of the nation's best graduate schools welcome Messiah graduates into their organizations.

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Where they work

  1. UCLA Medical Center
  2. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
  3. UPMC
  4. WellSpan York Hospital
  5. Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center
  6. Hershey Medical Center
  7. University of Colorado Hospital
  8. Lehigh Valley Health Network
  9. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  10. University of Rochester
  11. Johns Hopkins Children's Center
  12. University of Maryland Medical Center
  13. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  14. Magee Women's Hospital
  15. Christiana Hospital
  16. Georgetown University Hospital
  17. Strong's Memorial Hospital
  18. University of Connecticut Health Center
  19. Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
  20. Columbia University Medical Center
  21. Eastern Maine Medical Center
  22. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  23. Mennonite Central Committee
  24. Fox Chase Cancer Center
  25. Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
  26. University of California San Diego Medical Center
  27. UCLA Medical Center
  28. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
  29. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
  30. Beth Israel Medical Center
  31. Children's Hospital of Atlanta
  32. Boston Children's Hospital
  33. Georgetown University Hospital
  34. Massachusetts General Hospital
  35. Hackensack University Medical Center
  36. TEST

What they do

  1. Nurse practitioner
  2. Nurse anesthetist
  3. Nurse midwife
  4. Clinical specialist
  5. Nurse education
  6. ER Nurse
  7. Labor and delivery nurse
  8. Registered nurse
  9. Med-surg nurse
  10. Pediatric intensive care nurse
  11. Trauma care nurse
  12. Staff nurse
  13. Medical intensive care unit nurse
  14. Cardiac nurse
  15. Hematology/oncology nurse
  16. Orthopedic nurse
  17. Psychiatric nurse
  18. Surgical nurse
  19. Neurosurgical nurse
  20. Dialysis nurse
  21. Pharmacy technician
  22. Nurse Manager
  23. Neonatal nurse
  24. Respiratory /toxicology nurse
  25. Clinical nurse

Graduate school

  1. South Alabama University
  2. Bridgeport Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program
  3. Messiah University
  4. Thomas Jefferson University
  5. The Pennsylvania State University
  6. Widener University
  7. Mansfield University
  8. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
  9. Fairfield University
  10. University of Maryland
  11. Salisbury University

95% of the Class of 2024 respondents were employed or in graduate school within 6-9 months of graduation.

Our Alumni

Regional and national employers seek out Messiah graduates for their academic preparation, work ethic and personal character. The transformation you experience at Messiah readies you to transform the lives of others through your chosen career path.

MEET ALUMNI FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

Messiah's unique approach to hands-on learning

Learning in the classroom is important but actually applying that knowledge in a hands-on way can make all the difference. At Messiah University, the Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) allows Messiah to take this hands-on learning to a new level by giving students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to various real world contexts--such as an internship/practica, service learning, off-campus program, holding a student leadership position, or participating in undergraduate research.

Learn More

Integrative classroom learning

We emphasize the Christian aspects of commitment, compassion and patient care across the BSN degree curriculum, along with rigorous liberal arts and science courses. Throughout the nursing program you will practice life-like simulations using our state-of-the-art clinical simulation labs, including one advanced simulation lab, a maternal-child simulation lab, a psychiatric-mental health lab equipped with state-of-the-art high and medium fidelity human simulators and audio-visual equipment; and a physical assessment lab. Our program has a full-time simulation nurse educator available to oversee student learning in the simulation labs. 

While working toward your BSN you will participate in a disaster drill as part of the community health course and you will complete an evidence-based practice project with nurses from regional hospitals during your nursing research course.

Clinical-based learning

Outside the classroom you will apply what you’ve learned in some of south-central Pennsylvania’s most outstanding clinical settings, such as general and specialty hospitals (including several Magnet-designation hospitals); skilled nursing facilities for long-term care; schools; churches; free clinics; nurse-managed health centers; and many more. You’ll be well prepared to pass your licensure exam the first time and to find an exciting job in nursing.