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10 Best Accredited BSN Programs in Missouri – 2023

Nursing is a challenging profession that offers job security, the chance to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the ability to work in a variety of different settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for nurses in Missouri and other states will grow by a factor of 7 percent by 2030. If you’re thinking about attending nursing school in the Show Me State, here are some Bachelor of Nursing programs you might want to consider.


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Following are 2023’s 10 Best BSN Programs in Missouri

1) College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout

The College of the Ozarks views nursing as a Christian ministry: an avocation rather than a vocation, and an avocation to which individuals are specifically called. Freshmen are not admitted into the Armstrong McDonald School of Nursing but may apply to the BSN program after taking one year of nursing program prerequisites. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and pass the Test of Essential Academic Skills as well as a Medical Terminology Competency Test in order to be considered. They will also need to produce character references and pass both a criminal background test and a drug screen.

This Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum uses the theoretical framework first developed by Florence Nightingale. The curriculum incorporates all the innovative technological advances that have revolutionized nursing science in the last 150 years, however, and features a cutting-edge simulation lab where aspiring nurses hone their practical skills. All full-time students, including nursing students, must participate in the College’s unique Work Education Program.

2) Missouri State University, Springfield

Missouri State University’s BSN program is one of several four-year nursing programs in MO that begins specialized nursing education during the sophomore year. The application deadline is January 31st, and nursing coursework starts at the beginning of the summer semester. Candidates must complete 45 credit hours of general education coursework with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.

Students complete a total of 624 hours of clinical rotation at health care facilities in the greater Springfield region. Forty percent of those clinical experiences take place in acute care settings at Mercy Hospital, Cox Hospital and Select Specialty Hospital. Aspiring nurses spend their remaining clinical hours in community care settings such as assisted care facilities, clinics for underserved populations and nonprofits that serve individuals with special needs like Camp Barnabas and The Kitchen.

3) University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City

Students at the School of Nursing and Health Studies at University of Missouri – Kansas City will have completed 1,200 hours of clinical work by the time they graduate. That’s more hours of clinical rotation than any other nursing school in the Kansas City area offers. This high number of clinical hours gives would-be nurses the opportunity to get comfortable interacting with a diverse mix of patients in a wide range of medical-surgical, pediatric, obstetric, mental health, community health, critical care and emergency settings.

The University admits students coming directly out of high school into its pre-nursing program. Specialized nursing coursework begins at the start of the sophomore year. The School of Nursing also admits transfer students who complete their nursing prerequisites at other institutions of higher learning. Applicants must pass The Test of Essential Academic Skills prior to admission into the nursing program.

4) Truman State University, Kirksville

Truman State’s four-year BSN curriculum begins at the start of the freshman year with a class that looks at the dimensions of professional nursing. Although January 15th is not a hard deadline for application, candidates who apply after that date will only be considered on a space-available basis. You will have to submit separate applications to the University and to the nursing program. The program of study begins the following fall.

The nursing simulation center at Truman State University where nursing students learn hands-on skills has been designed to mirror a high-tech hospital environment. Once students have mastered critical-thinking skills, they’ll go on to work with actual patients in a variety of clinical settings throughout Kirksville and the surrounding areas. Truman State University’s nursing program is one of the few that offers study-abroad opportunities: You’ll have the opportunity to enhance your nursing skills in the Philippines, South Africa, Costa Rica and other locations.

5) St. Louis University, St Louis

Would-be nurses at St. Louis University start the institution’s four-year nursing curriculum at the very beginning of their freshman year. By the start of their sophomore year, students will have acquired enough a strong enough foundation of theoretical knowledge to begin learning practical skills in the University’s simulated health care environment. Nursing program candidates will only be considered if they maintained a GPA of 3.2 or higher in high school and if they scored 1160 or higher on their SATs.

Class sizes are small so that nursing students can receive plenty of individualized attention. Clinical rotations take place in a number of different health care settings throughout St. Louis. “St. Louis Magazine” has consistently commended St. Louis University nursing faculty members in its annual Excellence in Nursing awards.

6) University of Missouri - Columbia, Columbia

University of Missouri’s Sinclair School of Nursing is one of several nursing schools in Missouri that offer the traditional BSN curriculum option. Pre-nursing freshmen and sophomores complete 60 hours of general education requirements during their first two years at the University and are admitted into the clinical nursing major in either their junior or their senior year.

Students supplement 60 hours of nursing coursework with more than 700 hours of clinical experiences, first at the School of Nursing’s state-of-the-art Simulation Center, and then at health care facilities throughout the region where they have the option to work on medical-surgical, pediatric, obstetric, critical care and mental health wards. Aspiring nurses will need to pass a criminal background check and a drug screening before they will be allowed to participate in clinical rotations.

7) Maryville University of St. Louis, St Louis

The Catherine McAuley School of Nursing at Maryville University of St. Louis admits entering freshmen into its BSN program as well as transfer students who have completed 65 hours of liberal arts, science and other general education requirements. Applicants will only be considered if their cumulative GPAs in high school or college coursework are 3.25 or higher. The program begins in the fall semester of each year.

Skills labs take place in a simulated technology laboratory where nursing students face clinical challenges in a dynamic virtual environment. Clinical internships take place at a variety of acute and long-term settings throughout St. Louis and surrounding communities, thereby giving students the opportunity to work closely with professional nurse preceptors and to refine their hands-on abilities still further.

8) Avila University, Kansas City

Avila University is one of the oldest nursing degree programs in the Show Me State. The University offers a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree that admits students into its School of Nursing at the beginning of their junior year. Candidates must maintain a GPA of 2.8 or higher in their prerequisite coursework and sit for the Test of Essential Academic Skills. While January 10th is not a hard deadline for admission into the class that begins the following fall, applications submitted after that date will only be considered if there are still program spaces.

High-fidelity simulation labs are used to prepare students to respond to clinical situations and emergencies. Nursing students participate in clinical learning experiences in a variety of health care settings throughout the greater Kansas City metropolitan region.

9) Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau

The Bachelor of Science Nursing program at Southeast Missouri State University admits students twice a year. For programs starting in the fall, the application deadline is March 1; for programs starting in the spring, the application deadline is October 1. Applicants must pass a criminal background check. This degree track follows a traditional curriculum in which the first two years are dedicated to general education requirements and specialized nursing coursework commences at the start of junior year.

The city of Cape Girardeau is just outside St. Louis, and health care is one of its biggest industries, so students have many options for clinical rotations. Clinical internships at Center Point Hospital, the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, the Mississippi County and New Madrid County Health Departments the Rural Alliance for Better Family Health and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital are just a few of the choices that are available.

10) Missouri Southern State University, Joplin

Missouri Southern State University in Joplin uses the multidisciplinary Neuman Systems Model as the focus for the nursing education it provides. The nursing program offered through the School of Health Sciences requires 47 hours of general education credits and 97 hours of specialized nursing coursework for completion. The program also has a sophisticated simulation laboratory in which aspiring nurses are introduced to hands-on skills.

Applicants are admitted into the program twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. BSN candidates must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and pass a criminal background check. The BSN track admits 35 students per class, so courses are small, and students can expect a lot of personal attention from their instructors. Clinical learning experiences take place at hospitals, assisted living facilities, community health clinics and schools in Joplin and the surrounding communities.


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