Nurses have the opportunity to work in an incredibly rewarding career where they help others with their health care needs. Nurses are critical to the delivery of quality healthcare in hospitals, clinics and private practice settings, to name a few options.

Demand continues to grow across Montana and the United States for educated and highly skilled nursing professionals. Students graduating from Great Falls College MSU nursing programs have the opportunity to help others, make a difference in healthcare delivery, earn competitive wages, grow and advance professionally. The Nursing programs at Great Falls College MSU give students the opportunity to choose a nursing pathways that is right for them. Both the Practical Nurse and the Registered Nurse programs educate, train and prepare students to take and pass the national licensure exams (NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN) and enter the workforce ready to work and make a difference. Once the NCLEX exam is successfully passed, a graduate may be eligible to apply for licensure by endorsement in any of the 50 states.

Montana is one of 34 states who belong, via state legislative ruling, to the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). "The NLC increases access to care while maintaining public protection at the state level. Under the NLC, nurses can practice in other NLC states, without having to obtain additional licenses." Information about the NLC and the participating states can be found at: www.ncsbn.org/compacts.htm. When a student nurse graduates from Great Falls College and passes the National Council Licensure Exam (RN or PN-NCLEX) in Montana, the Registered Nurse can legally work in Montana as a Registered Nurse as well as 33 other states, so long as they applied and met criteria for a multi-state license. The licensee must continually hold an unencumbered license in order to meet the requirements of the NLC. See additional information available for nursing licensure from NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact.

Students who wish to practice in a state other than Montana will likely have additional licensing requirements to complete prior to practicing in a state outside of Montana. Nursing regulatory boards outline standards for safe nursing care and issue licenses to practice nursing. Prior to enrollment, students should review the Great Falls College MSU State Authorization (NC-SARA) webpage Great Falls College MSU State Authorization (NC-SARA) | Great Falls College MSU (gfcmsu.edu) to determine whether this program meets the licensing requirements in a specific state. It is important to note that all states determine their own requirements. The NCLEX exam is a national test, so students that have passed would not have to retest. Varying continuing education (CEU) hours may apply.

For specific state agencies offering nursing licensure, please see the professional licensure directory for nursing.

What Our Graduates Say

Registered Nursing Program Estimated Costs

Practical Nursing Program Estimated Costs

Figure Out Your Finances

Students seeking federal financial aid (which includes grants and loans) must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which online at fafsa.ed.gov. As a result of completing a FAFSA, an applicant will receive a federal Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail or online. An electronic version of the SAR is automatically sent to the schools listed on the FAFSA. To list Great Falls College MSU, use our school code: 009314.

Students applying for financial aid may also be required to provide proper federal income tax information, completed verification materials, and any other information requested by the Financial Aid Office. Students must apply for financial aid annually.

Assistance is available to prospective students applying for financial aid. In addition, financial aid counseling for new students is an integral part of the admissions and orientation process. Once enrolled, students may receive counseling and assistance as needed. For assistance, please call 406-771-4334, or write to the Financial Aid Office, Great Falls College MSU, 2100 16th Ave S, Great Falls, MT 59405, or email finaid@gfcmsu.edu.

Great Falls College MSU also offers a wide variety of different scholarships to assist you in paying for your college. To view a list of current scholarship offerings, please see our scholarship page.

Registered Nursing Program Course Lists

Practical Nursing Program Course Lists

Students must be admitted to Great Falls College prior to submission of either the Associate of Science Nursing, Registered Nurse program application or the Certificate of Applied Science, Practical Nursing program application. Students must be in good academic standing with the institution. Therefore, no applications will be reviewed unless the applicant applies first to the Great Falls College and the official transcripts are reviewed by the Registrar.

Acceptance to Great Falls College requires a completed admissions application file. For more information on applying to Great Falls College please visit the Admissions page.

Associate of Science Nursing, Registered Nurse program

The Registered Nurse program is a limited enrollment program with an intake of 30 students once per year. Interested students must apply for entry into the program. An application packet with the criteria for admission is available on the Registered Nurse program website. Applications become available the second Friday of February and are due the second Friday of May every year. Students are notified of acceptance or denial late June to early July for an anticipated program start in the Fall.

Certificate of Applied Science, Practical Nursing program

The Practical Nurse program is a limited enrollment program with a total intake of 30 students once per year. There are a small number of these spots reserved for distance/hybrid students. An application packet is available on the Practical Nursing program website. Applications become available the second Friday of February and are due the second Friday of May every year. Students are notified of acceptance or denial late June to early July for an anticipated program start in the Fall.

For students that live more than 30 miles from Great Falls, Great Falls College MSU offers Practical Nursing as a distance/hybrid program with distance learning options. Great Falls College MSU also offers a part-time option for the Practical Nursing program, available to both traditional face-to-face and distance/hybrid students. For more specific information about these options, please refer to the Practical Nursing program website.

MT-Board of Nursing Approval

In order for a nursing graduate to be eligible to take the NCLEX exam, the nursing program needs to be regionally approved by the presiding Board of Nursing and needs to meet the curriculum requirements for that particular state. Both Associate of Science Registered Nursing (ASN-RN) and Certificate of Applied Science Practical Nursing (CAS-PN) programs are based on statewide curriculums and are fully-approved by the Montana Board of Nursing, meeting all the requirements to make students eligible to take the appropriate licensing exam (the NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN).

National Accreditation

Great Falls College MSU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education. GFC-MSU has both Associate of Science Registered Nursing (ASN-RN) and Certificate of Applied Science Practical Nursing (CAS-PN) programs. The ASN program began in the Fall of 2016 and the CAS PN program began in the Spring of 2017. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the goal of accreditation is to assess and ensure the quality of academic programs at institutions of higher education is acceptable. This accreditation process is completed by an accrediting agency, a private educational association of regional or national scope.

Great Falls College-Montana State University Associate Degree in Nursing program holds pre-accreditation status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20037. 202-909-2526. Holding pre-accreditation status does not guarantee that initial accreditation by NLN CNEA will be received.

Part of the mission of the GFC MSU Nursing Programs is that our “Nurses will value team work, Evidenced-Based Practice, continuous quality improvement, patient safety and a pattern of lifelong learning.” We encourage our students to continue to pursue further education if they desire and help to facilitate their endeavors.

Already an LPN looking to pursue an RN?

Current LPNs looking to become RNs are required to complete and meet all competitive entry requirements for consideration of their application into the ASN-RN program. Pre-requisite coursework needs to have been completed within the appropriate guidelines, without exception. If an LPN is selected for one of the 30 competitive entry spots within the ASN intake, specific courses are waived in lieu of previous coursework or experience. The courses an LPN-to-RN student would not be required to take include:

• First Year - Fall semester
• NRSG232 Foundations of Nursing
• NRSG233 Foundations of Nursing lab
• First Year - Second semester
• NRSG234 Adult Nursing I
• NRSG235 Adult Nursing I Clinical

For more information about the ASN-RN program, please visit the Registered Nursing Program website and the Nursing Pathways website.

Interested in pursuing a BSN or beyond after completing the ASN-RN program?

After graduation from a nursing program, the entry level wages and locations of employment are often very similar for RNs with either an ASN (Associate of Science in Nursing) or a BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing). Some facilities may have precedents that require employees to obtain their BSN within a set number of years. After completing our ASN-RN program, students looking to pursue a BSN should anticipate taking additional courses in leadership and management, research, community/global health, and ethics. Great Falls College has an Articulation Agreement in place with Montana Tech, establishing a partnership to help facilitate this transition beyond Great Falls College. While this streamlines continuing a student’s education beyond Great Falls College, it does not limit a student’s ability to attend other universities.

Information about Montana Tech’s ASN-BSN program can be found here: https://www.mtech.edu/nursing/BS_Nursing.html