Simmons University Reviews of Master's in Nursing

Just horrible, flaky and lazy instructors, they will retaliate if you complain, they do not teach you. For the money they charge, you can finish 2 FNP programs somewhere else. I do regret being lured into this program, will transfer into another program. They are not capable of designing sound test questions, always some mishap, questions end up being thrown out, they keep it secret too. I think they do not have their stuff together. In your online lectures you end up being split into groups and... Read More do nothing in those groups. You just sit there until they return you back to class. It is a scam program, they are just money hungry, no actual value.

Simmons does an excellent job of recruiting. They discuss how "rigorous" the program is and the successes of the brick-and-mortar college (which have been plentiful). The online MS-FNP program, however, is NOT what it appears (or what you are told) to be. As someone with another graduate degree from another college, and a 3.98 GPA, I am not "disgruntled" because of "failing," I am not happy with the entire way this program is set up. The online weekly live sessions have the potential to be a wonderful... Read More tool -if they were used appropriately - yet they are not and the two hours are generally spent wasting time in "break-out" groups or discussing things we've already read/watched in the asynchronous material not actually teaching. While I understand that all online/distance programs have some issues, Simmons knows (as they are currently bombarded with complaints from current students who are now tens of thousands in debt) what they should improve and CHOOSES to not improve it. Asynchronous material has major mistakes (pharmacology) and often contradicts textbook material. Exam and quiz questions often have multiple correct answers and have to be "thrown out" (mostly because the contradictory information from asynchronous and textbook) - then they change the exam policy where students are not allowed to review the concepts they got incorrect (how can one learn if they don't know what they did wrong?). Then they change the policy halfway through the semester, but many of the instructors aren't aware of the new policy. Then they had to revamp the policy at the end of the semester. One of the most unnecessarily stressful situations I have ever been in - and for the $$$$ they charge, I can be in another program somewhere else and teach myself. I think the instructors themselves really WANT to teach, but find their hands tied by the policies in place by Simmons. Had I known (or had access to) reviews of this online program, I would not have spent what I have and would have chosen another school. Tuition is ridiculously expensive for students to teach themselves primary care healthcare without much guidance. As it is, I will cut my losses and transfer out. Please do yourself a favor and ask the real questions (about the ONLINE FNP program) - what is their attrition rate? how many students from each cohort are forced to retake classes? Of the # who started in a cohort, how many graduate? How many of them graduate with their ORIGINAL cohort? How many people transfer out to another FNP program? I cannot speak for the other programs that Simmons offers (as there are reviews on here from other programs that speak highly of Simmons, not sure if they are online, brick-and-mortar, graduate, undergraduate, etc). I just know that the FNP online program (aka nursing@simmons) needs some serious revamping/overhaul.