MSN, Nursing Educator
Nursing, Master of Science Degree
Nurse Educator (NE) Program
The Nurse Educator (NE) Graduate Nursing Program is designed for students who have already earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from an accredited program and who wish to continue their education and earn their Master of Science in Nursing in order to work within an academic or healthcare setting as faculty/clinical instructors or staff-development specialists, respectively.
The application process for this program is as follows: Students should apply to the Graduate School for admission for the Summer semester, designating Nursing as their preferred major. Students should simultaneously apply for the NE program itself via the "Nursing Application" section, being mindful of the application period. Please note that while the deadlines for Graduate School applications and documentation are later than those of the graduate program, students intending to begin the NE program in the Fall should submit their application to and documentation for the Graduate School by NO LATER THAN February 28/29. While we will honor the Graduate School's deadlines, submission prior to this deadline will ensure that students receive ample time to schedule their required interviews with our program director(s) before their Summer courses begin. Beginning in April, students who have completed both application processes detailed previously will be eligible to arrange an interview with the Graduate Nursing Programs Director, during which their application will be reviewed and their admission status determined.
In whole, the NE program is designed to last five (5) semesters (comprising 36 credit hours), which includes the first Summer semester spent taking the courses necessary for student to become eligible to begin the NE program in the Fall. The semester progression proceeds as follows: Summer, Fall, Spring, Fall, and final Spring. This program culminates with the student earning a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization as a Nurse Educator, which grants them eligibility to take the National League for Nursing (NLN) examination.
Nurse Educator (35 Hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED UNDERGRADUATE COURSEWORK (12 hours) | ||
| Pathophysiology (BSN) | ||
or NURS 3620 | Pathophysiology for RNs (RN-to-BSN) | |
| Assessment in Health Care (BSN) | ||
| Research (BSN) | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| CORE (18 hours) | ||
| NURS 5100 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 5110 | Nursing Roles and Theory | 3 |
| NURS 5120 | Advanced Nursing Research | 3 |
| NURS 5210 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NURS 5910 | Pharmacology in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 6920 | Scholarly Project | 3 |
| SPECIALIZATION (17 hours) | ||
| NURS 6400 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| or NURS 5950 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | |
| NURS 6420 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| or NURS 6001 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | |
| NURS 6440 | Teaching Education in Practice (MSN-NE) | 6 |
| or NURS 6625 | Teaching Education in Practice | |
| NURS 6460 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | 5 |
| or NURS 6620 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | |
| Total Semester Hours | 35 | |
Comprehensive Examination Policy
The purposes of the comprehensive examination is to: (a) evaluate the student's theoretical and analytical knowledge of nursing, research, and other critical scientific concepts, issues, and processes presented in advanced core courses; and (b) evaluate the student's ability to apply critical nursing and other scientific theory in clinical decision making at the advanced level of nursing practice. To be eligible to take the departmental comprehensive examinations, the student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or greater.
The departmental comprehensive examination is administered by Graduate Faculty representing the student's area of clinical concentration or specialization at the completion of clinical coursework and prior or the same semester the student will be completing enrollment in Thesis/Project.
The student has one opportunity to retake the comprehensive examination. Additional study may be required before the exam maybe retaken, as determined by the faculty advisor and the student. A student who does not pass the examination on the second attempt is not permitted to continue in the program.
A student must be registered during the semester in which the comprehensive examination is taken. A letter of intent to write the examination must be filed with the Graduate Nursing Programs Director during the semester for the term in which the examination is to be written. The comprehensive examination can be taken only once in a given semester with a maximum of [two] attempts permitted. The student will be notified in writing of the date, time, and place of the examination. Examination objectives will be given to the student prior to scheduled testing.
Degree Requirements
To earn the Master of Science in Nursing degree, a student must meet the criteria identified below:
- Earn a 3.00 grade point average calculated on all graduate work attempted, including transfer credit approved in advance of enrollment.
- Complete a minimum of a 35 semester hours (Nurse Educator program), 44 hours (Family Nurse Practitioner program), or 33 hours (Nursing Informatics) of prescribed curriculum with an overall grade point average of 3.00 or better.
- Earn a 3.0 grade point average calculated on all graduate work attempted, including transfer credit approved in advance of enrollment in the program.
- Earn a minimum of 26 semester hours (Nurse Educator program), 35 (Family Nurse Practitioner program), 24 (Nursing Informatics) in residence.
- Complete all course work within 6 years of the date of admission or beginning of the first clinical nursing course, whichever is later.
- Pass all departmental comprehensive examinations and complete a thesis or major research project.
Nurse Educator, Program Maps
Full-Time Plan of Study, Fall Entry
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Year One | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 5100 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 5210 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NURS 5910 | Pharmacology in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5110 | Nursing Roles and Theory | 3 |
| NURS 5950 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| NURS 6001 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 5120 | Advanced Nursing Research | 3 |
| NURS 6625 | Teaching Education in Practice | 6 |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 6620 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | 5 |
| NURS 6920 | Scholarly Project | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 35 | |
Part-Time Plan of Study, Fall Entry
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Year One | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 5100 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 5210 | Advanced Pathophysiology (or take in spring semester) | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5110 | Nursing Roles and Theory | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 5120 | Advanced Nursing Research | 3 |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 5910 | Pharmacology in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 6920 | Scholarly Project | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5950 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| NURS 6001 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 6625 | Teaching Education in Practice | 6 |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 6620 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | 5 |
| Total Semester Hours | 35 | |
Part-Time Plan of Study, Spring Entry
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Year One | ||
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5110 | Nursing Roles and Theory | 3 |
| NURS 5210 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 5100 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 5120 | Advanced Nursing Research (or take in fall of year two) | 3 |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 5910 | Pharmacology in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5950 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| NURS 6001 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 6625 | Teaching Education in Practice | 6 |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 6620 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | 5 |
| NURS 6920 | Scholarly Project | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 35 | |
Part-Time Plan of Study, Summer Entry
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Year One | ||
| Summer | ||
| NURS 5100 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 5210 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NURS 5910 | Pharmacology in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5110 | Nursing Roles and Theory | 3 |
| NURS 5950 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| NURS 6001 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 5120 | Advanced Nursing Research (or take in fall of year two) | 3 |
| NURS 6625 | Teaching Education in Practice | 6 |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| NURS 6620 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | 5 |
| NURS 6920 | Scholarly Project | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 35 | |
Post-Master Certification, Spring Entry
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ||
| NURS 5950 | Curriculum Development in Nursing (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| NURS 6001 | Instructional Strategies and Evaluation (MSN-NE) | 3 |
| Summer | ||
| NURS 6625 | Teaching Education in Practice | 6 |
| Fall | ||
| NURS 6620 | Advanced Teaching Practicum (MSN-NE) | 5 |
| Total Semester Hours | 17 | |