The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) has become an essential degree for today's nurses. Between 2001 and 2014, the percentage of first-time passers of the National Council Licensure Examination with a BSN increased from 36 percent to 45 percent, while the total number of test takers with a BSN surged 177 percent.
A BSN is a key requirement for many of the most desirable and best-paying nursing jobs, such as nursing manager, a position with a median salary over $90,000 in some cities. It also improves nursing skills, enabling nurses to better treat patients and take on leadership roles. Plus, nurses with BSNs are qualified for entry into Master of Science in Nursing programs.
Learn more about RN-to-BSN options on the Gwynedd Mercy University program page today.
If you're thinking about earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in the near future, you're not alone. The BSBA is a popular degree for both online and traditional students, due to its versatility and high recognition among employers as well as educational institutions.
Behind the popularity of business education
According to a 2016 survey by The Learning House, the BSBA was easily the most popular degree option for online undergraduate students. More specifically, it accounted for 26 percent of their degrees that year, a full 10 percentage points ahead of the second-place finisher, health and medicine. Business was also the number one major for online graduate students.
These numbers align with broader statistics on business education. Since the early 1980s, business has been the most frequently awarded bachelor's degree; the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics revealed that more than 363,000 such degrees were granted during the 2014-2015 school year. While there's no doubt the BSBA and related degrees – including the including the Master of Business Administration (MBA) – are popular, why are so many students eager to take the business track?
Earning a BSBA online can open many doors for your career.
The educational and professional benefits of earning a BSBA
Like other business degree tracks such as the MBA, the BSBA provides flexibility and practical background for students, which translates into many rewarding career options. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that the median salary for all business and financial occupations was more than $66,000 in May 2016, well ahead of the $37,040 median for all occupations.
In addition to the potential for relatively high earning, BSBA holders also benefit from:
Exposure to the most recent theories and practices for organizational management.
Daily practice with common financial, HR and communication tools.
Coursework in business ethics and analytical techniques.
Experience in working with other students on team projects.
Options for specific concentration areas, such as healthcare administration.
Preparation for later graduate education such as an MBA.
You can think of the BSBA as the educational equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife. A typical curriculum might include a wide variety of courses covering topics in economics, statistics, writing, accounting, marketing, information technology and supply chain management. With such a broad conceptual and practical background, students emerge with BSBAs are well-equipped to explore many career paths and additional education options.
"Think of the BSBA as the versatile educational equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife."
At the same time – as we saw in the numbers from Learning House – the BSBA is uniquely suited to an online format. It doesn't typically require any extensive in-person meetings or other activities that would necessitate a specialized setting. This is good news for students looking for maximum flexibility as they plan the next stages of their educations and careers.
Earn your online BSBA at Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Mercy University offers several options for business education, including online tracks toward a BSBA. Online BSBA students benefit from the accelerated format, in which courses are offered one at a time in five-weeks blocks.
This setup is ideal for students who need to keep working while they earn their degrees. Moreover, the experienced and friendly personnel within the program make BSBA attainment as straightforward as possible.
"The staff is very approachable and easy to get along with," stated GMercyU BSBA student Rasha Heath.
Interested in earning a BSBA from GMercyU from the convenience of your home? You can get started by learning more about your business education options on our main program page, where you can also contact counselor for additional info.
Advanced education has become a priority for today's nurses. Whereas many nurses once did not pursue credentials beyond a diploma or associate degree of nursing (ASN), they now regularly seeks a bachelor's or master's degree, usually with the overarching goal of becoming more qualified for senior-level positions.
For example, the portion of first-time passers of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) increased from only 36 percent in 2001 to more than 43 percent in 2014, according to statistics gathered by Health Affairs. Over that same period, the corresponding shares for diploma and ASN holders among NCLEX takers actually dropped.
But why stop at a BSN? Although the degree is widely recognized and serves as excellent preparation for the delivery of high-quality care, on its own it is not sufficient for many of the most prominent and rapidly growing professions in nursing. Enter the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Why should you earn an MSN?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has published positive outlooks for most nursing fields, but few are as sunny as the one for nurse anesthetists, midwives and practitioners, who are expected to see a 31 percent expansion in employment between 2014 and 2024. That growth rate is far beyond the average for all professions.
These nurses are sometimes categorized as advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). They have MSNs, which provide the necessary background in anatomy, pharmacology and other sciences as well as clinical practices and concepts. They also possess RN licensure.
With an MSN, you're ready for advanced nursing positions.
The credentials of a practicing APRN open the doors to leadership roles, especially now that physicians are in short supply across the U.S. In many states, it is legal for nurse practitioners to diagnose, treat and prescribe medications to patients, making them de facto doctors.
With the MD shortage expected to be as high as 104,900 by 2030 – according to an IHS Markit report prepared for the Association of American Medical Colleges – nurse practitioners will be in high demand. Even the combination of BSN and an MSN offers a more straightforward path to a top-tier healthcare career than the many years that would have to be spent in medical school and residencies to be a traditional physician.
"Nurse practitioners will be in high demand in the coming years."
In this context, it's easy to see why APRN positions are growing so rapidly in the BLS projections. Earning an MSN is an essential step on the journey to generally stable and high-paying jobs.
Earn your MSN at a Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Mercy University offers a comprehensive set of degree options for nurses. From our online RN-to-BSN completion track to our specialized MSN programs, we help you get the credentials you need to pursue the positions you want.
Our MSN options include specializations for nurse practitioners ( adult gerontology or pediatrics), nurse educators and clinical nurse specialists (adult gerontology). You must be a registered, licensed nurse to be admitted to these programs, which will provide extensive background in research, core courses and 500 hours of practice.
Visit the main nursing page today for an overview of the available paths. From there, you can also contact a counselor for additional information on the MSN and other programs.
Online degrees are relatively new creations, having only emerged during the 1990s alongside consumer-grade internet service in many parts of the world. These degree programs now offer many of the same subjects, credentials and accreditations as their traditional counterparts. Accordingly, they have become very popular options for attaining degrees of all kinds, due to their convenience as well as their increasing quality and parity with classroom-based instruction:
The 2016 "Online Report Card: Tracking Online Education in the United States" report, from Babson Survey Research Group, estimated that 5.8 million students were enrolled in online classes in 2014. That represented a 3.9 percent increase from the previous year.
Growth in online/distance learning programs is strongest among not-for-profit public and especially private institutions. It is much weaker among for-profit colleges and universities, which actually saw their online enrollments drop by almost 3 percent between 2013 and 2014.
The percentage of academic leaders who rated online learning outcomes as similar or superior to face-to-face equivalents was 71.4 percent in 2015. That is a drop from 77 percent in 2014, but a dramatic improvement over the 57.2 percent reading from 2003, when online education was still in its infancy.
It is clear that online degrees are generally held in high regard by academic institutions and by the students who benefit from the added flexibility. But how are these credentials assessed by employers?
Online degrees offer rigor combined with convenience.
How employers look at online degrees
The good news is that employers usually view online degrees in a similar light to traditional degrees, as long as several key criteria are satisfied. Not all online degrees are created equal (and neither are in-person degrees); so much depends upon the institution granting the degree and whether it is accredited. Some employers may also prefer a degree from a not-for-profit school to one from a for-profit college or university.
"Employers usually view online degrees in a similar light to traditional degrees."
Depending on the hiring process, it may not even emerge that your degree was earned online, unless you volunteer the information. The similarity in curricula between online and on-campus programs is such that, with a legitimately earned degree from a reputable institution, you should have equivalent knowledge and skills to anyone who attended all of his/her classes in-person.
However, if your online degree does become the center of conversation during an interview, be prepared to explain why you took the distance learning route. Honest answers usually reflect well here, in some cases transforming an interviewer's initial skepticism into admiration of your dedication. For example, selecting an online degree track for its elimination of long-distance travel to and from campus might demonstrate your ability in finding a program that can fit into your busy work schedule. Time management and self-motivation are other skills that online learners are often well-positioned to show during interviews.
What online degrees should you earn?
Regardless of what field of study most interests you, there is an educational institution that offers a related online degree program. Many degrees that open up a lot of high-paying career options are available online; these credentials include the popular Master of Business Administration (MBA), the similar Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), RN-to-BSN completion tracks for licensed nurses and the various master's degrees required for administrative positions in education (such as school principal).
Ideally, these online degrees and all others will offer a convenient format, rigorous curricula and accessible instructors who can be consulted along the way. We offer these benefits at Gwynedd Mercy University. Learn more by visiting our main online programs page today.
