In some ways, this is much ado about nothing, because the only Ivy that offers a BSN is U. Penn.
What about MSNs? Several Ivies and Ivy-level schools offer these… Penn, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins… Would a masters (or doctorate) in nursing from one of these schools be more valuable than the same degree from a state school?
I’ll throw out a couple guesses, even though I don’t know the answer. The academic prestige you gain probably would not make up for the fact that most people would need to quit their current nursing job and relocate to attend one of those universities. Most metropolitan areas have at least one excellent local graduate nursing program where you can attend part-time, and hopefully get your employer to help pay for it.
Also, graduate tuition varies greatly among schools, and often varies from what the same college charges undergrads. Often there is little need-based aid for many types of graduate education.
Someone might say that a prestigious university would be useful if you want to teach nurses. However, there is shortage of nurse educators, and I think most nursing colleges would be more interested in your ability to work with students. The exception would be for nurse researchers at large research universities, but that is not a huge field.
Post-bachelors certifications are valuable, but you don’t need to go to Columbia to earn them. After you earn those certifications or degrees, few people are going to ask where you went to school.
Well, I’d think it wouldn’t matter at all for an MSN, DNP or other ARNP degree, but for a PhD, there might be some benefit to attending a more well known college.
^^^ ordinary lives, can you go in to more detail about your reasoning on this? thanks…
Because academia is a funny place with a unique pecking order, and the specific degree you hold matters, sometimes a lot. MSN, DNP, and other types of ARNPs are professional degrees. You get them in order to perform specific jobs/tasks. You’ll have clinicals, make connections, and likely get hired for a job before or shortly after the credential is complete. But inside academia, a DNP is not considered the equivalent of a PhD because the DNP did not write a dissertation and has not made a significant contribution to the field of study.
So, in academia, the gold standard is a PhD, and in many places, from whence that PhD came can make a difference. PhDs in academia, whether teaching or in research, need to publish. Who you know gets your name on the articles that get into the journals that lead to rank, promotion, and tenure… But, it’s kind of that way for all fields, not just nursing.
Some good points in that thread. However, not a fan of the posts that imply that a nurse does not need to be very “educated” because who wants a “know it all” nurse? Like nurses should now their “place”. My kids are currently interested in business, engineering, nursing and science…I try to help them find colleges that are good fits and that we afford. I do not differentiate between majors. If I tell the kid that chose nursing that I will chose the absolutely cheapest school (or path) while I am paying for better schools for brothers and sisters I can see a change of major overnight 