CIP Code: 51.3203
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program will provide students with the advanced skills necessary to provide direct patient care at an advanced level, conduct research, teach online and in the classroom, impact public policy, lead health systems, consult with corporations, and implement evidence-based solutions that revolutionize health care. These highly skilled providers are in great demand to fill established and emerging roles that allow nurses to focus on a variety of practice areas, such as geriatrics, pediatrics, public health, administration, informatics, forensics, systems improvement, and genetics/genomics.
The MSN program has three tracks – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse Educator, and Executive Leadership. The FNP track is a 46 credit hour program, and the Nurse Educator and Executive Leadership tracks are 35 credit hour programs.
Using a Christian perspective, the MSN graduate will:
- Apply leadership skills and decision making in the provision of culturally responsive and high-quality nursing care (MSN Essential 2, 8).
- Analyze information about quality initiatives recognizing the contributions of individuals and interprofessional healthcare teams to improve health outcomes across the continuum of care (MSN Essential 3).
- Practice independently and collaboratively with an interprofessional team while delivering direct and indirect care services in various types of health care systems (MSN Essential 2, 7, 9,)
- Use research findings from nursing and other disciplines as a basis for clinical decision-making to improve practice and to formulate health policy (MSN Essential 4, 6).
- Demonstrate communication skills, including health information management to enhance the quality of care provided at individual and aggregate levels (MSN Essential 5, 7).
- Use ethical decision-making to promote the well-being of individuals, families, and health care professionals in local, state, and national communities (MSN Essential 6).
- Provide culturally competent care to all persons regardless of race, sex, age, socioeconomic status, culture, health care beliefs, and religion (MSN Essential 7, 8).
- Assumes the direct and indirect roles and functions of advanced nursing practice to promote health, prevent illness, and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities (MSN Essential 9).
- Integrate personal faith and Christian values in the development of professional and advanced practice nursing.
Each course will include learning objectives mapped to the program outcomes and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials. The FNP track will also include mapping to the Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies. The systematic evaluation plan that is currently in place for the School of Nursing will be used for assessment and evaluation of the MSN program.
The student must have an earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from a college or university approved by a state Board of Nursing. Students must have a current, unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the United States. The student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA in the BSN degree.
Students must earn a grade of A or B in their MSN program courses.
