Four-year colleges and universities offer nursing programs for candidates to attain a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). BSN candidates receive numerous hours of clinical experience as part of their nursing education. Students who complete a BSN program and pass the NCLEX-RN national exam will gain official licensure as registered nurses (RNs). RNs make independent patient care decisions and supervise the healthcare activities of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs).
As nursing employers place greater emphasis on bachelor’s- and master’s-level education, an increasing share of Maryland’s nurses are graduating from these four-year institutions. For example, the state has a dozen colleges and universities with BSN programs. These include large public institutions like University of Maryland Baltimore and Towson University, as well as prestigious private schools like Johns Hopkins University and Sojourner-Douglass College. Most of these universities also provide graduate nursing education, with master’s specializations like nursing education and public health nursing.
Maryland’s BSN-educated nurses will find a vibrant job market and very competitive compensation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s RNs earn a median annual salary of $70,810. However, nurses with a BSN degree typically earn top-quartile pay of $83,830 or higher. The state’s broad network of healthcare employers includes private facilities like Meritus Health and Mercy Medical Center, as well as government providers like the Department of Veterans Affairs.
To learn more about Maryland’s four-year nursing programs, interested candidates should consult our list below of the state’s top colleges and universities for nursing.