Tuesday, August 28, 2001

Master’s program goes online
Degree plan lets working nurses enhance education
by Aaron Chimbel
staff reporter

The Harris College of Nursing is offering a new master’s degree, without students ever setting foot inside the Bass Building.

The master of science in nursing program is designed to give working nurses the chance to enhance their education and their careers. All the course work for the degree can be completed online.

This program will put more highly educated nurses on the front lines, working with the community, said Kathleen Baldwin, director of graduate studies for the college.

“Nursing is a 24-7 job and notoriously classes are eight to five, Monday to Friday,” Baldwin said.

For those with a bachelor’s degree it takes only two years to complete a master’s. A nurse with an associate’s degree can earn a master’s degree in three years, but will need to take 24 semester hours of leveling courses.

Baldwin said typically a full-time master’s degree in nursing takes a year to a year and a half to complete.

Traditionally, nurses who had to work full-time couldn’t work and continue their education, Baldwin said.

As part of the degree, the nurses will be required to complete 500 hours of clinical work, which will be supervised by a clinical nurse specialist in their home area. This will be the outside portion of their job, so many will be doing this on their vacation time, Baldwin said. Sixteen students are enrolled in the two-year program, while three with associate’s degrees are enrolled in the three-year program.

The program will be admitting 12 students with bachelor’s degrees and 12 with associate’s degrees each year, Baldwin said.

Most students are in their 30s or 40s. None currently enrolled are from out of state, but two are from the Houston area.

Although the degree is designed to be completed in two or three years, Baldwin says potential students have already asked if they can take longer on their degrees. Baldwin said they will be able to take as long as they need.

The flexibility of the program may help students, but instructors will face new challenges.

“I really think it is more work for the faculty,” said Pat Bradley, associate professor of nursing. “You have to get (course materials) online in a readable format, you can’t just go to class with notes.”

Bradley has taught undergraduate courses online previously and will teach students in the master’s program.

She said professors who may have jotted notes down before class will be forced to plan ahead.

“There is a lot of preparation done getting the course online and making it interesting for the students,” Bradley said.

Technical support for the program will come from eCollege a Denver based software and service provider, said Leo Munson, associate vice chancellor for academic support.

Harris College of Nursing received a $120,000 grant from eCollege for the new program. Munson said the grant will help offset the cost of using eCollege. Students currently enrolled in online programs at TCU do not pay any additional fees.

A decision will have to be made to determine if students in the online programs will pay the additional cost or if that money will come from the program’s budget, Munson said.

Aaron Chimbel
aaronfrog05@hotmail.com