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California Law (Last Updated: March 4, 2014) |
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Education Code - EDC |
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Title 3. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION |
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Division 8. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY |
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Part 55. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY |
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Chapter 2. Education Programs |
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ARTICLE 8. Entry-Level Master’s Nursing Programs |
Section 89270.5.
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The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) In order to meet a growing demand for registered nurses and nurses with master's of science in nursing degrees in this state, the number of positions in professional nursing programs must be increased.
(b) The shortage of faculty for schools of nursing is a recognized problem not only in California, but nationally.
(c) Nurses with master's of science in nursing degrees are an important academic resource in nursing and are needed to fill new positions in professional nursing programs as well as to replace retiring faculty.
(d) Qualified applicants with baccalaureate degrees in nonnursing fields who are seeking a master's of science in nursing degree must first complete a registered nurse prelicensure program. These students compete for limited positions in these undergraduate prelicensure programs and are placed on the same lists for admission as students who have not earned baccalaureate degrees.
(e) Most registered nurse prelicensure programs are oversubscribed. Applicants with baccalaureate degrees have a proven academic capability and are more academically advanced than are students who have not earned baccalaureate degrees and with whom they compete for admission to nursing programs.
(f) Currently, one campus within the California State University system offers an innovative graduate level program for students with nonnursing baccalaureate degrees. This program creates a registered nurse prelicensure program approved by the Board of Registered Nursing that qualifies the student for licensure as a registered nurse and also awards a master's of science in nursing degree upon completion of the school's master's degree program.
(g) This entry-level master's program graduates new licensees, offers greater flexibility for prospective nursing students, and adds to the pool of nurses with a master's of science in nursing degree.