Master of Science in Nursing

Description
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program prepares registered nurses for advanced roles in education, leadership, and interdisciplinary healthcare practice. The program is available through a fully online, flexible delivery format or a hybrid, cohort-based progression model designed to accommodate working professionals. The hybrid format aligns with federal requirements for F-1 visa students.
The MSN program engages in interdisciplinary collaboration across nursing and healthcare leadership disciplines, fostering a systems-based approach to addressing complex healthcare challenges.
MSUM's MSN curriculum is grounded in the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) framework, which emphasizes excellence in education, leadership, and professional nursing practice and guides curriculum design, instructional methods, and student outcomes.
The 31-credit MSN curriculum includes required core courses, one 100-hour clinical practicum, and a final capstone professional portfolio.

Admission Requirements

See the Admissions & Application Requirements website.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Human Flourishing - Demonstrate leadership and facilitate change by effectively integrating current and emerging evidence from nursing and related disciplines to enhance human flourishing and continuously improve healthcare outcomes across diverse populations.
• Professional Identity - Cultivate a professional identity by leading ethically and employing a systems approach to strategically allocate resources, guide ethical decision-making, and promote evidence-based practices that ensure high-quality, safe nursing care.
• Spirit of Inquiry - Demonstrate a spirit of inquiry by formulating research questions, evaluating the impact of evidence-based interventions, and applying quality improvement tools and methods to enhance quality and safety within healthcare organizations.
• Nursing Judgment - Exercise nursing judgment by integrating research, clinical reasoning, and patient values to make evidence-based decisions, resolve practice problems, and disseminate results to optimize health outcomes.
• Informatics and Technology Integration - Evaluate current and emerging patient care, informatics, and communication technologies to enhance healthcare delivery and coordinate across diverse settings, ensuring alignment with best practices and improving healthcare outcomes.
• Health Policy, Ethics, Advocacy, Healthcare Equity, and Social Determinants of Health - Facilitate system-level initiatives to enhance healthcare outcomes through policy development, advocacy, and ethical decision-making, emphasizing healthcare equity and addressing social determinants of health to reduce disparities and improve access to care.
• Interprofessional Collaboration - Collaborate effectively as a leader and member of interprofessional teams to optimize care management and coordination, employing strong communication skills to build therapeutic relationships.
• Holistic Care including Prevention and Population Health - Design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based strategies for clinical prevention and health promotion, addressing the diverse needs of individuals, families, communities, and populations.
• Lifelong Learning and Professional Integrity - Integrate advanced nursing knowledge and competencies to influence health outcomes at individual, family, population, and systems levels, while demonstrating a commitment to lifelong professional growth and integrity.

Program Delivery Mode
Online Plus: offered entirely online with face-to-face options available for some/all sections

Core Requirements ( 31 credits )

NURS 600 Ethical, Transcultural, and Healthcare Theories (3)
NURS 605 Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Regulatory Management (3)
NURS 610 Holistic Health Promotion & Disease Prevention (3)
NURS 615 Research and Evidence-Based Practice (3)
NURS 628 Healthcare Delivery Systems, Policy, and Reimbursement (3)
NURS 629 Educational Foundations and Teaching Strategies in Healthcare (3)
NURS 638 Health Information Systems (3)
NURS 650 Organizational Strategy and Systems Leadership (3)
NURS 662 Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, & Physical Assessment for Healthcare Professionals (3)
NURS 640P MSN Capstone Practicum (3)
NURS 695 Professional Portfolio (Plan B) (1)

Program Requirements

MSN Program

The following are the degree requirements for a Master’s of Science in Nursing (including Accelerated RN-BSN-MSN pathway [once admitted to the MSN portion of the pathway] and RN-MSN Bridge track):

• Once admitted to the MSN program, all students must complete the program within ten (10) years of taking the first graduate nursing course.
• Students progress at a rate that aligns with their needs —either through the flexible full- or part-time fully online option or by following the structured pace of the full-time hybrid cohort model.
• A maximum of nine (9) graduate semester credits from nursing, all of which must be related to the program, may be considered for transfer from other appropriately accredited colleges or universities with the approval of the Graduate Nursing Program. The transfer credits must be no older than seven (7) years by the time of MSUM graduate nursing program/certificate completion and carry a grade of B or better. 
• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required to continue and graduate from the program. If the GPA falls below 3.0, the student is placed on probation for the next semester in which courses are taken. If the GPA remains below 3.0 at the end of the next semester, the student is suspended from the graduate school.
• No more than two courses with a grade of C (including C+ and C-) may be applied to the program of study.
• In the final semester of study, the student is required to successfully complete an oral examination, inclusive of the portfolio, as evaluated by the student’s committee.

Further information on degree requirements may be found in “General Degree Requirements” near the beginning of the MSUM Graduate Bulletin.

Accelerated RN-BSN-MSN Pathway

In addition to the above MSN program requirements, RN-BSN majors admitted to the Accelerated RN-BSN-MSN Pathway will be able to substitute up to ten (10) graduate core credits (NURS 497, NURS 615, NURS 610, NURS 662) toward the requirements for the RN-BSN program. Students are strongly encouraged to work with their assigned advisor to ensure all processes are in place for optimal substitution in their plan.

These 10 credits will be substituted within the Accelerated RN-BSN-MSN Pathway.
RN-BSN Program Requirements:

• NURS 342 Interdisciplinary Care of Diverse Populations (3)
• NURS 370 Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice (4)
• NURS 462 3 Ps for the BSN: Pathophysiology, Pharmacology & Physical Assessment (3)

Accelerated RN-BSN-MSN Pathway graduate courses that will substitute for the above 10 credits include:

• NURS 610 Holistic Health Promotion & Disease Prevention (3) - taken in place of NURS 342
• NURS 615 Research and Evidence-Based Practice (3) and NURS 497 (1) (or equivalent) - taken in place of NURS 370
• NURS 662 3 Ps for the BSN: Pathophysiology, Pharmacology & Physical Assessment (3) - taken in place of NURS 462

RN-MSN Bridge Pathway

Bridge courses serve as required preparatory coursework for the MSN program. RN-MSN Bridge students must complete these courses before progressing to MSN-level coursework.

Students in the RN-MSN Bridge Track will take 12 credits of undergraduate nursing bridge courses in addition to the required MSN curriculum.

RN-MSN Bridge Courses (12 Credits)

• NURS 301: Transitions (4 credits)
• NURS 348: Public Health (4 credits)
• NURS 303: Holistic Family Nursing (4 credits)

Informatics, Evidence-Based Practice & Project Management/Strategy Graduate Certificate

Description
The Informatics, Evidence-Based Practice, and Project Management/Strategy (IEPMS) Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate prepares students to implement and lead healthcare practice projects in a strategic manner using quality indicators, dashboards, informatics-based data, national guidelines, and other forms of evidence. Credits earned can be applied toward the Master of Science in Nursing or Master of Healthcare Administration for students who would like to earn a master’s degree.

Admission Requirements

See Admissions & Application Requirements webpage.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Analyze current/emerging patient care, informatics, and communication technologies to deliver and enhance healthcare outcomes.
• Apply safety and quality principles, methods, performance measures, and standards to transparently improve healthcare outcomes across the continuum of care.
• Integrate research, evidence, theory, clinical reasoning, and patient values to positively impact patient and population healthcare outcomes.
• Utilize a systems approach as an organizational leader to effectively plan resource use, promote evidence-based practice to improve systems, and assure safe, high quality healthcare outcomes.
• Incorporate concepts, issues, and techniques for effectively managing projects.

Program Delivery Mode
Online Exclusive: must be completed entirely online; no face-to-face options available

Core Requirements ( 15 credits )

NURS 638/MHA 638 Health Information Systems (3)
NURS 605/MHA 605 Healthcare Quality, Safety & Regulatory Management (3)
NURS 650/MHA 650 Organizational Strategy and Systems Leadership (3)
NURS 615/MHA 615 Research and Evidence-Based Practice (3)
MBA 685 Project Management (3)

Restricted Electives ( 3 credits )

3 credits required. Elective Choices:

NURS 628/MHA 628 Healthcare Delivery Systems, Policy, and Reimbursement(3)
MHA 618 Healthcare Law and Ethical Decision-Making (3)
MHA 651 Healthcare Operations Management (3)
NURS 600 Ethical, Transcultural, and Healthcare Theories (3)

Note: Other options available with Program Coordinator Approval

Integrative and Holistic Health Graduate Certificate

Description
The Graduate Certificate in Integrative and Holistic Health is designed to provide current and future healthcare professionals with an understanding of integrative health practices to holistically care for individuals, families, communities, and health systems to achieve optimal health and well-being. Within this integrative approach to care, the healthcare provider combines complementary and alternative therapies with conventional medical treatments to provide a more comprehensive and person-centered approach to healthcare. An integrative and holistic health certificate can lead to various career opportunities and complement existing healthcare careers.

Admission Requirements

See Admissions & Application Requirements webpage.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Apply integrative and holistic health principles to promote the well-being of individuals, families, communities, and health systems.
• Incorporate a variety of evidence-informed integrative and holistic modalities and therapies to achieve optimal care outcomes.
• Formulate integrative and holistic interventions to positively impact health behavior, health promotion, disease prevention, and condition-related symptoms.
• Integrate person-centered care considering the mind-body-spirit connection to foster resilience and healing.
• Demonstrate high standards of ethical and legal conduct when utilizing integrative and holistic practices.
• Employ a collaborative, holistic approach to ensure the attainment of diverse and culturally unique health needs and preferences.

Program Delivery Mode
Online Exclusive: must be completed entirely online; no face-to-face options available

Core Requirements ( 9 credits )

NURS 610 Holistic Health Promotion & Disease Prevention (3)
NURS 654 Foundations of Integrative and Holistic Care (3)
SOC 661 Historical Trauma and Resilience (3)

Restricted Electives ( 3 credits )

Choose one course below:

NURS 552 End of Life (3)
HLTH 580 Mindfulness (3)

Nurse & Healthcare Educator Graduate Certificate

Description
This graduate-level certificate prepares professionals with a baccalaureate degree—nursing and other healthcare disciplines—for educator roles across academic, clinical, and professional development settings. The curriculum is grounded in the art and science of teaching and learning within the evolving contexts of health care, nursing, interprofessional education, and evidence-based practice. Students develop foundational knowledge and applied skills for designing, delivering, and evaluating educational experiences for diverse learners in nursing and other healthcare disciplines.

Admission Requirements

See Admissions & Applications Requirements webpage.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Facilitate meaningful learning by integrating educational theory, evidence-based strategies, innovative technology, and reflective practice to meet diverse learner needs.
• Create learner-centered, inclusive educational experiences that foster professional growth, self-awareness, and socialization into the nursing profession.
• Develop and implement evidence-based, valid, and reliable assessment and evaluation strategies to measure learner performance and guide educational improvement.
• Participate collaboratively in curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation to advance innovative educational programs responsive to healthcare trends.
• Demonstrate leadership and change-agent skills through active engagement in academic and healthcare settings to improve education and patient outcomes.
• Commit to continuous quality improvement and lifelong learning to advance nursing and/or healthcare education, scholarship, and the professional development of self and others.
• Engage in scholarship that advances the science of nursing and/or healthcare education and informs practice, including research, quality improvement, and evidence dissemination.
• Demonstrate professionalism, ethical conduct, and leadership while navigating the complexities of education environments and fostering an inclusive, supportive educational climate.

Program Delivery Mode
Online Exclusive: must be completed entirely online; no face-to-face options available

Core Requirements ( 9 credits )

NURS 629 Educational Foundations and Teaching Strategies in Healthcare (3)
NURS 639 Curriculum/Course Design and Evaluation in Healthcare Education (3)
NURS 649 Assessment, Testing, and Evaluation Strategies in Healthcare Education (3)

Nurse Leader Graduate Certificate

Description
The Nurse Leader (NL) Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate prepares early career and current nurse leaders in the areas of nursing and healthcare leadership. The certificate program emphasizes the key areas of leadership essential to successfully navigating complex healthcare systems while in a leadership role. Credits earned can be applied toward the Master of Science in Nursing Nurse Leader emphasis track for students who would like to earn a graduate degree.

Admission Requirements

See Admissions & Application Requirements webpage.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Apply advanced leadership, communication, and relationship management strategies to foster interprofessional collaboration and guide ethical decision-making, enhancing patient care quality and healthcare outcomes.
• Analyze the impact of healthcare economics, reinbursement, policy, legal frameworks, and population health trends to lead system-level initiatives promoting quality, safety, and equity in healthcare delivery.
• Integrate systems thinking and transformational leadership principles to initiate and manage organizational change, foster a culture of safety, and optimize healthcare outcomes across diverse settings.
• Exemplify professional integrity, accountability, and ethical leadership by fostering continuous personal and professional development and cultivating environments that support legal compliance, ethical practice, and reflective lifelong learning.
• Employ business acumen and data-informed decision-making to strategically manage human, fiscal, and technological resources, leveraging informatics and analytics for operational excellence and strategic planning in healthcare organizations.

Program Delivery Mode
Online Exclusive: must be completed entirely online; no face-to-face options available

Core Requirements ( 6 credits )

MHA 619 Applied Financial Management (3)
MHA 618 Healthcare Law and Ethical Decision-Making (3)

Restricted Electives ( 3 credits )

Choose One (3 credit) Restricted Elective Course
NURS 605 Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Regulatory Management (3)
NURS 628 Healthcare Delivery Systems, Policy, and Reimbursement (3)
NURS 650 Organizational Strategy and Systems Leadership (3)