Nurses' attitudes toward the advantages of master's degree preparation in nursing

The first objective of this study was to measure attitudes and opinions regarding master's degree preparation in nursing. The second objective was to identify important characteristics of graduate nursing education programs. The researcher developed Educational Attitude Questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of members of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses and the Oncology Nursing Society. Five hundred twenty-four completed questionnaires were used for data analysis. Study findings revealed the bachelor's prepared nurses surveyed held a generally positive attitude toward graduate education in nursing. Fifty percent of the subjects indicated an intention to obtain a masters degree in nursing. For the majority of subjects the characteristics of graduate programs considered most important included faculty with high academic standards who offer challenging specialty area programs on a flexible time schedule.