Frequently Asked Questions about the 3/2 Program in Biology and Nursing at the Emmitsburg, MD campusThe nursing advisors, Dr. Robert Richman and Dr. Dana Ward, have compiled a list of FAQs regarding the 3/2 program in biology and nursing at the Mount, offered in conjuction with the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Please click on a question to view its answer. If you have a question that is not answered here, please email Dr. Richman. Does Mount St. Mary's offer a major in nursing? No, we would need a hospital to do that. But we do offer an option that is even more attractive for many students, a 3/2 program in biology and nursing offered in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. [ back to top ] What is a 3/2 program? It is a program in which a student spends three years at one college, then two years at another college, and earns two bachelor's degrees, one from each school. These programs are more common when the first degree is in the liberal arts (as is the case here) and the second is an engineering degree. See this example from another college: http://www.wesleyan.edu/physics/ugee/3-2main.html [ back to top ] That's great, but there are a lot of colleges where I can get a B.S. degree in nursing in four years. The 3/2 option takes five years. Why would I want to do that? Think of a college education as having several dimensions. The liberal arts dimension gives you skills you can use in any career – writing, reasoning, critical thinking, ethics – as well as in life beyond your job. The pre-professional dimension gives you the skills more specifically targeted toward your intended career. A 3/2 program gives both dimensions the full attention that they deserve, and it more explicitly separates them. Mount St. Mary's and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing are very different kinds of places, but they both do a very good job at what they do best, and that's what you will experience in this program. [ back to top ] But doesn't it cost me more to go to college for five years than for four years? Yes, but you are likely to derive financial benefit down the road by listing two bachelor's degrees on your resume. Most nurses will change jobs several times over the course of a career, and you will be able to claim real educational advantages over job candidates who have only a B.S. in nursing. [ back to top ] Why is a 3/2 program better than simply attending two different colleges and getting two bachelor's degrees? Because that would take six years instead of five. This specially designed cooperative program has real economies built in. The fourth year of the program (i.e., the first year at Johns Hopkins) effectively counts double. One year of your time and one year of your tuition count toward both degrees. [ back to top ] How does the Mount's 3/2 program with Johns Hopkins work? You spend the first three years at the Mount. You take our full nationally-recognized core curriculum and the pre-nursing courses that Johns Hopkins requires. You declare your major to be biology, but unlike regular biology majors, you take five full biology courses instead of eight and two chemistry courses instead of four. We count certain of your Johns Hopkins courses as the remaining science courses, and you get your Mount degree after successfully completing your first year at Johns Hopkins. You can even participate in graduation ceremonies with your classmates. After successfully completing your second year at Johns Hopkins, they award you the B.S.N. degree. [ back to top ] What courses do I take? See the suggested curriculum. It shows the courses you take and a recommended order for taking them. The courses you take at Hopkins are shown here: http://www.son.jhmi.edu/academics/academic_programs/bacc/traditional/curriculum.aspx. [ back to top ] Should I take some of these courses in summer school? For the most part, that's not necessary, and in fact, there are a lot of restrictions on what you can take at other schools. You can fulfill math and foreign language proficiencies in summer school anywhere, as well as some courses in the core curriculum. We do not offer Nutrition, but many community colleges offer it in the summer. However, many core courses are unique to the Mount, so they must be taken here -- these are often available here in summer school. We want you to take all of your science courses here, and they are not offered in the summer. [ back to top ] I finished my freshman year before deciding that I want to do the 3/2 nursing program. Am I way behind? If you have taken core courses, you are probably not behind at all. You can change the ordering in the suggested curriculum, as long as you do not take any courses before taking their prerequisites. You can get prerequisite information from the college catalog. [ back to top ] I have been invited to join the Mount's Honors Program. Since that's a four-year program and I will be at the Mount for only three years, would participation in the Honors Program be impossible? No, you can do it. The Honors Program's senior year activity is a research project with a faculty member in your academic discipline. Several faculty members from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing have expressed a willingness to work with Mount students on such a project. [ back to top ] What would be good elective courses for nursing students to take? The schedule does not have much room for electives unless you have advanced placement credit, or take overloads, or take summer school. But some students choose to make room for electives, and we offer some very good electives for future nurses. Examples are Genetics, Immunology, and Abnormal Psychology. [ back to top ] If I am accepted to Mount St. Mary's, am I automatically accepted into the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing? No. You must apply for admission in the fall of your junior year. But as part of our articulation agreement with Johns Hopkins, students from the Mount have priority for admissions if they have high enough grades and the recommendation of the pre-nursing advisor. [ back to top ] What constitutes 'high enough grades'? Imagine writing down all of your Mount courses and drawing concentric circles around them. The biggest circle encompasses all of your courses. You must have at least a 3.0 average for these courses. A smaller circle encompasses just the pre-nursing courses. You must have at least a 3.0 average here also. A smaller circle encompasses just the science courses. You must have at least a 3.0 average here also. Finally, you must have at least a B in each of the three most important courses: Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology. Every student who has met these requirements has been accepted. [ back to top ] Should I repeat courses in which I got poor grades so I can meet these standards? It can’t hurt, but it probably won’t help. Hopkins looks at all of your grades and expects you to do well in courses the first time. [ back to top ] How many students enter the Mount each year to do the 3/2 nursing program? About a dozen students in each class express an interest in nursing at one time or another. Some change their minds, and some never do want the 3/2 program with Hopkins. But others are discouraged from applying because of their grades. So even though Hopkins is not rejecting our students, they are still being very selective by publicizing and maintaining high standards. [ back to top ] Do most Mount students who apply to Johns Hopkins get accepted? Every student in the 3/2 program who has applied to John Hopkins who met the standards described above has been accepted. But students who come up short in one or two categories are not likely to be accepted. [ back to top ] How many students have gone to Johns Hopkins from the Mount in the 3/2 program? 28 students in 13 years. [ back to top ] Do most Mount students who go to Hopkins in the 3/2 program successfully graduate from both colleges with both degrees? Yes, we have a perfect record so far. Every student has successfully earned both degrees. [ back to top ] Will my financial aid from the Mount transfer to Johns Hopkins? No. The 3/2 program is simply a cooperative agreement between two independent institutions. Most students will not receive financial aid from Johns Hopkins, so plan your finances carefully. But you will be in demand due to the nationwide shortage of nurses, so you may be able to find creative ways to pay for your education. Current costs at Hopkins are found here: http://www.son.jhmi.edu/apply/finaid/info/cost.aspx. [ back to top ] I am completing my freshman year at another college. Can I transfer to the 3/2 program at the Mount? You can certainly transfer to the Mount, but you are not admitted into a particular program. Transfer students will find it more difficult to be accepted by Hopkins if their courses elsewhere are deemed to be less rigorous than Mount courses. Also, they will have less time at the Mount to impress people and get strong recommendations. So we discourage transfer students from being in the program. [ back to top ] Is the 3/2 program available in the evening at the Mount’s Frederick or Hagerstown campus? No. It is available only in our regular program on the Emmitsburg campus. [ back to top ] I am a sophomore in the 3/2 program, but my grade point average is only 2.4. What should I do? Develop a back-up plan. This is good advice for all pre-professional students, no matter how strong their grades, because you are never guaranteed admission to a professional school, but it is especially important for this student. Unless those grades improve substantially, this student will not be admitted to Johns Hopkins. [ back to top ] What is a good back-up plan if I cannot get accepted into Hopkins (or do not choose to go there)? You could transfer to a four-year college or university that offers a nursing degree, but nursing is now very popular, so those colleges are becoming very selective. If you want to graduate from the Mount, you can do that, then go for two more years to a college that offers a nursing degree. You can have any major you want at the Mount, but you should also take the pre-nursing courses that most nursing schools will require (Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Foundations of Sociology, Foundations of Psychology, and a developmental psychology course; the chemistry requirements will vary). [ back to top ] So if I am not in the 3/2 program, it will take two more years to get a nursing degree after graduating from the Mount? Normally, yes, but for very good students, both Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland offer accelerated programs that take a little over a year. We have had graduates who successfully completed these programs. [ back to top ] I am in the 3/2 program, but I have become very attached to the Mount and to my classmates, and I don't want to miss my senior year. What should I do? We had a student who had such a change of heart. She had already been accepted to Johns Hopkins, and it was the summer before she was to start there! The people at Johns Hopkins advised her to finish at the Mount and guaranteed her a spot in their accelerated program after she graduated. So there was a happy ending – in a little more time than the 3/2 program would take, she had her two bachelor's degrees. [ back to top ] Does the Mount have a pre-nursing advisor? Yes, we have two. Dr. Robert Richman and Dr. Dana Ward advise students in the 3/2 program after their freshman year. Feel free to contact them with any additional questions. Be sure to mention that you have already seen this web page. [ back to top ] I would like a career as a midwife. Can you give me information about that? A specialization in midwifery is available not as part of the Johns Hopkins program, but rather after you obtain your nursing degree. But in general, for questions like this one which are more specific to the nursing degree, contact Johns Hopkins directly. See their web page at http://www.son.jhmi.edu/ or call (410) 955-7548. [ back to top ] | 
