Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Catalog | 2017-2018 
    
Graduate Catalog | 2017-2018 Previous Edition

Nursing, M.S.N.


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The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited Master of Science in Nursing degree is designed to prepare nurses for advanced practice in Nurse Anesthesia Across the Lifespan, Advanced Clinical Nursing, or Systems/Populations Nursing.  Active specialties in Advanced Clinical Practice include Family Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.  Inactive specialties include Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.  Specialties in Systems/Population include Community/Public Health Nursing; Nurse Administrator; and Nurse Educator.  Three post-master’s certificates are available: Nurse Anesthesia Across the Lifespan, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Family Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan.  Two graduate certificates are available: Nurse Administrator and Nurse Educator.  Offerings of specific specialties are dependent on sufficient enrollment.  Each specialty is individually described.

Program Accreditation


The MSN Program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates of the program will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) advanced examination for relevant specialties and/or other professional certification exams. The Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA) and graduates will be eligible to take the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist Certification exam.

Additional Admission and Progression Requirements


In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the following are required for graduate study in Nursing (see additional requirements for specific major):

  1. Current unrestricted licensure as a Registered Nurse. Current license in North Carolina or a compact state or the state identified by faculty for clinical practice before enrollment.
  2. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited university.  If the degree is not in Nursing and courses in Research, Leadership/Management, Aging and Health and Community Health are lacking, they will be required as part of the program of study (option available only to Nurse Administration, Community/Public Health Nursing, and Nurse Educator majors).
  3. Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination or the Miller Analogies Test or a previous Graduate degree with documentation of test scores.
  4. One year of professional nursing practice is recommended.
  5. An essay (statement of purpose) describing the applicant’s experience and objective in undertaking graduate study in the chosen specialty.
  6. Overall GPA of at least 3.0 in the last degree earned. 
  7. Completion of a statistics course with a grade of C or above.
  8. See specialty track admission requirements for application dates that vary from those published by the Graduate School.

Early Entry Program

Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte may apply for the Early Entry Program and begin work toward the graduate degree (Advanced Clinical Nursing and Systems/Populations Nursing only) before completion of the baccalaureate degree.  See the Undergraduate Catalog for details and requirements.  Also see theDegree Requirements and Academic Policies  section of the Graduate Catalog for more information about Early Entry Programs.

Degree Requirements


The MSN degree requires completions of 36 to 67 graduate credit hours, depending on the specialty.  All specialties require a Capstone Project.  Specific requirements and prerequisites for each specialty are listed below.  Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Anesthesia are designed to accommodate full-time study.  Part-time study is available for some majors.  Many classes are held in the late afternoon or evening.

Up to a total of six graduate credit hours may be accepted from another accredited institution or from a post-baccalaureate program at UNC Charlotte.  All courses must be approved prior to transfer by the student’s advisor, the Associate Director of the Graduate Division, and the Dean of the Graduate School.  All coursework, including accepted transfer credits, must be completed within a six-year period prior to graduation.

Assistantships


A limited number of graduate assistantships are available. Information is available in the School of Nursing, and from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Health and Human Services.

Additional Financial Aid


Scholarships from the North Carolina Nurse Scholars Program - Master’s Program (M-NSP) are available to part-time or full-time students admitted to the nursing program for up to two years of study. The M-NSP scholarships are competitive and preference will be given to full-time students. Awards are not based on financial need. The application deadline is early May. Further information and application forms are available on the School of Nursing webpage for Student Resources or in the College of Health and Human Services Advising Center.

A limited number of Professional Nurse Traineeships are available to full-time nurse practitioner students. The traineeship awards fund a portion of tuition and fees. Students in the nurse anesthesia major are eligible for Nurse Anesthesia Traineeships. Further information and application forms are available from the School of Nursing.

Early Entry Program


An Early Entry Program is available for well-qualified UNC Charlotte undergraduate students majoring in Nursing.  The Early Entry Program allows students in the RN-to-BSN degree program to begin work toward the MSN graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree.  For details, see the UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Catalog.

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