The University of California San Francisco operates a number of graduate and post-graduate programs in the field of nursing. The school offers a master of science in nursing for candidates without nursing experience as well as nurses with bachelor's or associate's degrees. Post-graduate programs include a doctor of philosophy in nursing or sociology. The school also provides specialized training for post-graduate or doctoral nurses not seeking a degree with an individualized program that can include research and methodology or a fellowship.
San Francisco State University's School of Nursing offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The school's bachelor of science in nursing program is open to licensed nurses who have a diploma or associate's degree in nursing and undergraduate students or those with a non-nursing associate's or bachelor's degree. The master of science in nursing offers similar options for RNs and students without a nursing degree and specialties include clinical nurse specialist, nursing administration and community/public health nursing. The school also offers a family nurse practitioner concentration that prepares graduates to obtain California certification.
California State University East Bay in Hayward, 21 miles from San Francisco, offers a bachelor of science in nursing. The pre-licensure program is designed for students entering an undergraduate program from high school and includes general education requirements and well as nursing theory and clinical practice. The school also has an advanced track for licensed nurses with an associate's degree or diploma to obtain their bachelor's degree. The school's clinical practice takes place at area hospitals, community centers and retirement homes and for advanced clinical practice, graduates may participate in the three-month RN residency program.
City College of San Francisco offers a two-year program to prepare students to become RNs. The program includes nursing theory, clinical skills practice in the school's clinical skills laboratory, and patient care exposure in local hospitals and care facilities. Graduates earn an associate of science in nursing and are prepared to take the California State Board of Registered Nursing licensing exam.
Hayward's Chabot College offers a two-year program that culminates in an associate in arts in nursing. The program aims to prepare graduates to work in a variety of settings in the healthcare system, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, community health facilities and schools. An accelerated associate in arts program is available for Licensed Vocational Nurses already practicing in the field of nursing.