Graduate Degree Requirements
Master's
In This Section:
The Master's curriculum is designed to ground students in the fundamental political and economic issues of health care/advanced practice and to prepare them in the application of theoretical perspectives and research methods. The MS Program Core courses are required of all MS students, and include:
ALL STUDENTS
N501 Issues in Nursing & Health Care (3)
N510 Theoretical Foundation of Nursing (3)
N512 Nursing Research (3)
Total: 9 credits
The Advanced Practice Core is comprised of the didactic and clinical experiences required to build competency in the advanced practice role. Specific requirements for the CNS Option and the NP Option include:
CNS OPTION
Specialization / Minor*: 6 credit intensive or 10 credit graduate minor in area of specialization. Recommended CNS Intensive courses include:
N502 Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan (3)
N503 Pathophysiology (3)
N504 Pharmacologic Therapy in the Primary Care Setting (3)
N518 Clinical Nurse Specialist I: Concepts & Theory (4)
N519 Clinical Nurse Specialist II: Analysis & Application (4)
Total: 14-18 SH; 10-14, 4
NP OPTION
N502 Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan (3)
N503 Pathophysiology (3)
N504 Pharmacologic Therapy in the Primary Care Setting (3)
N570 Nursing Management of Healthy Individuals & Families Across the Lifespan (4)
N572 FNP Practicum I (4)
N571 Nursing Management of Individuals & Families with Chronic/Long-Term Health Problems Across the Lifespan (5)
N573 FNP Practicum II (5)
Total: 27 SH; 18, 9
Finally, Capstone Experiences provide evidence of advanced role competency and the application of knowledge. All students complete the 8 credit clinical capstone course designated for the selected option (as shown below). In addition, students may choose to complete a Scholarly Paper (3 credits) or a Thesis (6 credits) under the supervision of a faculty member.
CNS OPTION
N521 Advanced Nursing Practicum (8)
NP OPTION
N574 FNP Rural Integrative Practicum (8)
N594 SCHOLARLY PAPER or N600 THESIS (3-6 credits)
Clinical Experiences
Students experience a range of diverse clinical experiences across the curriculum. Clinical placement is driven by the student's needs, course objectives, and availability of preceptors/services.
Qualified preceptors supervise the clinical experience in coordination with the course instructor and Option Coordinator. It is not uncommon for graduate students to travel to clinical sites to gain unique or specialized experiences that my not be offered in their local communities.
Credit/Clock Hours
University course listings designate the number of credits assigned to each course in the curriculum. In Nursing, the designation of semester hours (SH) is synonymous with credit allocation (i.e., a 3 credit course is called a 3 semester hour course).
Semester hours are further designated for both the didactic (i.e., classroom/instructional sessions) and the clinical (i.e., supervised lab or clinical experiences) components of the courses.
- Didactic hours are calculated using a 1:1 ratio. For every semester hour of didactic instruction, you can estimate one hour of class time per week of the 15-week semester.
- Clinical hours are calculated using a 1:3 ratio. For every semester hour of didactic instruction, you can estimate three hours of clinical time per week of the 15-week semester. Using this rubic, each semester hour of clinical experience yields 45 hours of clinical practice time during that semester (1 SH x 3:1 ratio x 15-week semester).
Course syllabi in nursing designate the credit load as follows: SH (didactic hours, clinical hours). A course listed as 4 SH (2,2) would be interpreted as a 4 credit course with 2 hours per week in classroom/instructional session and 6 hours per week in clinical experiences. Over the 15-week semester, this course would include 30 hours in class (2 SH x 15 weeks) and 90 hours in clinical (2 SH x 3:1 ratio x 15 weeks).
The MS Options exceed minimum requirements for certification. The prescribed coursework in the CNS Option provides a minimum of 540 hours in supervised clinical experiences and the FNP provides 765 hours in supervised clinical experiences, plus 45 hours in clinical lab.