Department of Nursing

Chair and Associate Professor Harrison
Associate Professors Bell, Sato
Assistant Professors Arvidson, Colledge, Hayward, Hyde, Jacobson, Mitchell,

Master of Science in Nursing

The program requires the successful completion of 36-48 credits including a thesis or a master's project. Full and part-time study programs are available. All students are required to enroll in four core nursing courses (13 credits). To develop clinical expertise, students are introduced to advanced knowledge and practice of family nursing. To develop a specific role, students may select from four functional options: administration, education, family nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist in an area of family nursing.

For admission to the Master of Science in nursing program, applicants must be accepted by the Graduate School and must have completed application on file in the Department of Nursing. Preference is given to applicants whose completed application forms are in the department by May 1 or December 1 prior to the semester in which they plan to enroll. Deadline for application to the Family Nurse Practioner option is January 15. Each applicant will be individually reviewed by the Graduate Committee and notified in writing about his/her status in relation to admission to the graduate program.

Applicants whose admission materials are not complete by the deadline dates may be granted conditional admission status by the Graduate School. Degree-seeking students may remain in this status only one semester. However, applicants will not be eligible for consideration for traineeship or other financial assistance administered through the Department of Nursing until all materials have been received. Preference is given to Idaho residents. A completed application consists of:

  1. Application form
  2. GRE scores
  3. Transcript of undergraduate work
  4. Three professional or educational references with specific information regarding the applicant's capacity for graduate study in selected areas, administration, or teaching.

Requirements for Admission

  1. Descriptive or inferential statistics with a "C" or better.
  2. Graduation from an NLN accredited bachelor of science nursing program.
  3. Undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in the last two years of undergraduate study.
  4. Minimum of 35th percentile on one of the 3 GRE sections.
  5. Minimum of one year of work experience preferred.
  6. Submission of completed application forms to the Graduate School and to the Department of Nursing.
  7. Active Idaho Registered Nurse's license is required for those students enrolled in clinical courses.

Progression of Master's Students

Progression of a master's student will be subject to the following:

  1. Progression criteria established by the Graduate School.
  2. Maintenance of a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  3. No more than three credits of "C" grade in nursing coursework.
  4. No "D" or "F" grade in any course.
  5. Removal of incompletes by midterm of the subsequent semester.
  6. Students may not retake a course to improve their grade.
  7. Students must have completed a course in statistics with a minimum grade of "C" by the end of the first semester in the program.
  8. Students must complete the GRE by the end of the first semester in the program.

Graduation Criteria

To qualify for graduation from the M.S. program, a student must:

  1. Successfully conduct and defend a thesis OR
  2. Successfully pass a written examination and complete a scholarly master's paper AND
  3. Meet Graduate School requirements.

Curriculum Sequence

First Semester (All students)

NURS 602	Nursing and the Health Care System	3 cr
NURS 607	Theoretical Foundations in Nursing	3 cr
NURS 608	Theoretical Foundations 
		of Family Nursing			4 cr
ELECTIVE	(core cognate)				3 cr
		TOTAL 					13 cr
Second Semester

Clinical Nurse Specialist Track

NURS 610	Research Formulations in Nursing	3 cr
NURS 615	Seminar: Principles of Teaching 
		for the Clinician			1 cr
NURS 616	Nursing Administration I		1 cr
NURS 630	Advanced Clinical Practice I		5 cr
		(1 cr. seminar; 12 contact 
		hours per week practicum)		4 cr
NURS 650	Thesis 	2-3 cr
		***ELECTIVE				2 cr
		TOTAL 					12-13 cr
Administration Track

NURS 610	Research Formulations in Nursing	3 cr
NURS 613	Family Nursing Assessment		2 cr
		(6 contact hours per week practicum) 
NURS 616	Nursing Administration I		1 cr
NURS 622	Nursing Administration I Practicum 
		(1 cr. theory; 2 cr. or 6 contact 
		hours practicum)			3 cr 
NURS 650	Thesis	2-3 cr
		***ELECTIVE				2 cr
		TOTAL 					11-12 cr
Education Track

NURS 610	Research Formulations in Nursing	3 cr
NURS 613	Family Nursing Assessment 
		(6 contact hours per week practicum)	2 cr
NURS 623	Curriculum Development in Nursing	4 cr
NURS 650	Thesis					2-3 cr
		***ELECTIVE				2 cr
		TOTAL 					11-12 cr
***Students who choose to write a master's paper (NURS 651) will have a 2 cr elective.

Third Semester

Clinical Nurse Specialist Track

NURS 631	Advanced Clinical Practice II
		(1 cr. seminar; 4 cr. or 12 contact 
		hours per week practicum)		5 cr
ELECTIVE	(functional cognate)			3 cr
NURS 650	Thesis					2-3 cr
	OR
NURS 651	Master's Paper				3 cr
		TOTAL 					10-11 cr
Administration Track

NURS 624 Nursing Administration II 3 cr NURS 626 Nursing Administration II Practicum (9 contact hours per week) 3 cr ELECTIVE (functional cognate) 3 cr NURS 650 Thesis 2-3 cr OR NURS 651 Master's Paper 3 cr TOTAL 11-12 cr Education Track

NURS 628 Evaluation in Nursing Education 2 cr NURS 634 Practicum in Nursing Education (1 cr. theory; 3 cr. or 9 contact hours per week practicum) 4 cr ELECTIVE (functional cognate) 3 cr NURS 650 Thesis 2-3 cr OR NURS 651 Master's Paper 3 cr TOTAL 11-12 cr Nurse Practitioner Option - Full-Time Curriculum Pattern

First Year, Fall Semester

NURS 602	Nursing and the Health Care System	3 cr
NURS 607	Theoretical Foundation in Nursing	3 cr
NURS 608	Theoretical Foundations of 
		Family Nursing				4 cr
		TOTAL 					10 cr
First Year, Spring Semester


NURS 610	Research Formulations in Nursing	3 cr
NURS 611	Advanced Health Assessment 
		and Practicum				4 cr
NURS 612	Rural Community Seminar and 
		Practicum				3 cr
		TOTAL 					10 cr

Second Year, Fall Semester


PHAR 645	Pharmacology in Primary Care		3 cr
NURS 614	Adult Primary Nursing I/
		Chronic Illness				3 cr
NURS 617	Adult Primary Nursing II/Acute Illness	3 cr
NURS 618	Maternal-Child Primary Care		3 cr
NURS 650	Thesis
	OR
NURS 651	Master's Paper in Nursing		2 cr
		TOTAL 					14 cr
Second Year, Spring Semester


NURS 619	Nurse Practitioner Practicum I		5 cr
NURS 620	Nurse Practitioner Practicum II		5 cr
NURS 621	Nurse Practitioner Roles		1 cr
NURS 650	Thesis
	OR
NURS 651	Master's Paper in Nursing		3 cr
		TOTAL 					14 cr

		
Nurse Practitioner Option_Part-Time Curriculum Pattern

First Year, Fall Semester


NURS 602	Nursing and the Health Care System	3 cr
NURS 607	Theoretical Foundation in Nursing	3 cr

First Year, Spring Semester


NURS 608	Theoretical Foundations 
		of Family Nursing			4 cr
NURS 610	Research Formulations in Nursing	3 cr

First Year, Summer Session


NURS 611	Advanced Health Assessment 
		and Practicum				4 cr
NURS 612	Rural Community Seminar 
		and Practicum				3 cr

Second Year, Fall Semester


PHAR 645	Pharmacology in Primary Care		3 cr
NURS 614	Adult Primary Nursing I/
		Chronic Illness				3 cr

Second Year, Spring Semester


NURS 617	Adult Primary Nursing II/Acute Illness	3 cr
NURS 618	Maternal-Child Primary Care		3 cr
		Second Year, Summer Session
NURS 650	Thesis					3 cr
	OR
Elective if writing Master's Paper in Nursing		2 cr


Third Year, Fall Semester


NURS 619	Nurse Practitioner Practicum I		5 cr
NURS 621	Nurse Practitioner Roles		1 cr

Third Year, Spring Semester


NURS 620	Nurse Practitioner Practicum II		5 cr
NURS 650	Thesis					2 cr
	OR
NURS 651	Master's Paper in Nursing		3 cr


Certificate Program

The Certificate Program is a master's level offering in which the person completing the program is awarded a certificate in one of the four function options:  clinical nurse specialist, family nurse practitioner, nursing administration , or nursing education.  The program is designed for nurses who have a master's degree in nursing and seek advanced preparation in another specialty area of nursing.

Prospective Candidates must:


    

  1. 	Possess a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from an accredited program and meet all requirements for admission to the Master of Science program in the Department of Nursing.

  2. 	Apply for admission to graduate study according to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research admission requirements for degree-seeking students.

  3. 	Apply for admission to the Master of Science in nursing indicating option to which they wish to be admitted.

Requirements for the Clinical Nurse Specialist Certificate:


    

  1. 	Complete a minimum of 15 credits at the Master's level.

  2. 	Meet all progression and graduation requirements for the Master of Science in Nursing.

  3. 	Complete the following courses:  NURS 615, 616, 630, 631, and a 3-credits elective related to the area of focus. (15 credits total)

Requirements for the Nursing Administration Certificate:


    

  1. 	Complete a minimum of 13 credits at the Master's level.

  2. 	Meet all progression and graduation criteria for the Master of Science in Nursing.

  3. 	Complete the following courses:  NURS 613, 616, 622, 624, 626, and a 3-credit elective related to the area of focus.  (13 credits total)

Requirements for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate:


    

  1. 	Completion of a minimum of 30 credits at the Master's level.

  2. 	Meet all progression and graduation criteria for the Master of Science program in the Department of Nursing.

  3. 	Complete the following courses:  NURS 611, 612, 614, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, PHAR 645.  (30 credits total)