The program was founded in 1953 as an integral part of the Department of Anesthesiology. The clinical program is sponsored by St. John's Clinic - Anesthesia, a division of St. John's Health System. The didactic portion of the program is administered through the Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Graduate College of Missouri State University. the Department of Biomedical Sciences is located in the College of Health and Human Services of Missouri State University.

The Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia (MSNA) program is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, the official accrediting agency for nurse anesthesia educational programs. Our program was awarded the maximum 10-year accreditation in the fall of 2006. The council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs may be contacted at :

222 South Prospect Avenue - Suite 304
Park Ridge, IL 60068-4010
(847) 692-7050

Missouri State University is accredited to offer Masters, Specialists and clinical Doctorate degrees by the Higher Learning Commission - North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

The 30 month MSNA full-time program is available only to qualified registered nurses admitted simultaneously to Missouri State University and St. John's School Of Nurse Anesthesia. Students are matriculated into the MSNA program in August and January of each calendar year. Students receive approximately 1400 hours of clinical anesthesia experience and, by completion of their training, have administered 1000-1200 anesthetics. The clinical teaching faculty of the St. John's School of Nurse Anesthesia hold adjunct graduate faculty status at Missouri State University. These physicians and nurse anesthetist specialists share classroom teaching, participate in, and closely supervise the students' clinical education.