MSN Program
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program at Gardner-Webb University offers two programs of study designed to meet the needs of nurses seeking expanded roles in their profession: Nursing Education, Nursing Administration. The MSN Degree with specialty concentration requires 30 to 36 semester hours of graduate credits. In addition to the three areas of concentrated study, the MSN program offers the MSN/MBA dual degree and the RN to MSN option.
The Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Education is designed to prepare students to become professional educators in an academic or health care setting. This program of study allows students the opportunity to enhance their clinical expertise from a theoretical perspective and to apply nursing education and learning principles in practice settings.
The Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Administration is offered in collaboration with the Graduate School of Business. This program of study seeks to prepare the professional nurse for leadership roles in health care organizations.
The RN to MSN program is designed to facilitate an accelerated and integrated progression from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curriculum to the Master of Science in Nursing curriculum. This program of study allows nurses to apply six hours of graduate course credit to the BSN degree.
The MSN/MBA dual degree program is a 63 semester hour program. This interdisciplinary program combines nursing leadership with a working knowledge of business and managerial skills.
The courses in the MSN programs of study are offered in a logical sequence from the core requirements of theory, issues, research, statistics, and caring to courses in the major area of concentration. Elective requirements allow students to expand their educational perspective to other disciplines. The MSN educational experience culminates in a capstone course requiring the application of knowledge in a thesis or project.
Purpose
The Master of Science in Nursing program is designed to provide opportunities for students to practice professionally within a global environment from an interdisciplinary perspective with a diverse population. Furthermore, the specialization of practice areas allows the nurse to integrate knowledge from administration and education with the theoretical underpinnings of nursing.
Goals
The MSN Program is designed to meet the following program goals:
Provide nurses with an opportunity to:
Practice advanced nursing in direct and indirect provider roles in a variety of health care and educational settings.
Apply advanced knowledge of nursing theory, research, and health policy from a caring perspective in a Christian environment.
Synthesize multidisciplinary knowledge and scientific research to accomplish evidence based nursing practice.
Integrate nursing knowledge and experiences in varied health care and educational settings.
Implement competent practice to meet the challenges of the changing health care environments through application of advanced knowledge, critical thinking, and decision making.
Communicate effectively with health care providers both locally and globally.
Acquire the knowledge and expertise that meet basic requirements for entry into doctoral study.
CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION
Application for admission to the MSN Program should be made through the Graduate Office. Application for admission to the MSN/MBA Program should be made to the Graduate Office and the MBA Program. In order to enroll students from a variety of backgrounds with the greatest potential for successfully completing the program the following criteria for acceptance will be used:
A Baccalaureate Degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program.
Current unrestricted licensure as a Registered Nurse.
GPA of 2.7 on all undergraduate work.
Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) (GMAT or GRE required for the MSN/MBA Program).
Transcripts of all previous college studies.
Three letters of reference.
Evidence of a satisfactory criminal background check.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REGISTERED NURSE WITH A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE IN ANOTHER FIELD
A Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited institution.
Current unrestricted licensure as a Registered Nurse.
GPA of 2.7 on all undergraduate work.
Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) (GMAT or GRE required for the MSN/MBA Program).
Transcripts of all previous college studies.
Three letters of reference.
Completion of a graduate or undergraduate general statistics course which includes probability theory, inferential statistics, and descriptive statistics.
Completion of a nursing health assessment course at the BSN level
For admission to the Masters in Nursing Education: completion of a community health course.
For admission to the Masters in Nursing Administration: completion of a nursing leadership/management course.
Evidence of a satisfactory criminal background check.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Required Common Core
NURS 500 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Practice 3 hrs.
NURS 501 Nursing and Health Care Systems and Issues 3 hrs.
NURS 502 Methods of Advanced Research 3 hrs.
NURS 503 Perspectives of Caring 3 hrs.
STATS 501 Statistical Techniques for Graduate Research 3 hrs.
REQUIRED COURSES BY CONCENTRATION
Nursing Education
NURS 600 The Nurse Educator 3 hrs.
NURS 601 Curriculum Theory and Application 3 hrs.
NURS 602 Instructional and Evaluation Strategies 3 hrs.
NURS 613 Nursing Education Practicum 3 hrs.
NURS 614 Advanced Clinical Theory and Practice 3 hrs.
NURS 610 Project/thesis 3 hrs.
Elective Course relevant to degree focus 3 hrs.
Nursing Administration
NURS 606 Nursing Economics and Finance 3 hrs.
NURS 607 Adm of Nursing and Health Care Organizations 3hrs.
NURS 617 Administration Practicum 3 hrs.
BADM 641 Health Care Law and Ethics 3 hrs.
NURS 610 Project/thesis 3 hrs.
Elective Course relevant to degree focus 3 hrs.
Elective Restricted to BADM courses 3 hrs
MSN / MBA
Nursing component
NURS 606 Nursing Economics and Finance 3 hrs.
NURS 607 Administration of Nursing and Health Care Organizations 3 hrs.
NURS 617 Administration Practicum 3 hrs.
NURS 610 Project/thesis 3 hrs.
b. Business courses
BADM 600 Managerial Accounting 3 hrs.
BADM 610 Managerial Economics 3 hrs.
BADM 620 Managerial Finance 3 hrs.
BADM 625 Marketing Management 3 hrs.
BADM 630 Organizational Behavior 3 hrs.
BADM 631 Quantitative Methods 3 hrs.
BADM 635 Production and Operations Management 3 hrs.
BADM 640 Business Law and Ethics 3 hrs.
BADM 650 International Business 3 hrs.
BADM 690 Strategic Management 3 hrs.
Elective Graduate Business courses 6 hrs.
Foundational Courses as required for MBA program
Dual Degree Statement
Candidates for the dual degree must complete the requirements for both degrees prior to graduation. Should a student opt not to pursue one of the degrees before completion, he or she will be responsible for paying any difference in the per course rate(s) actually charged based on pursuing the dual degree and the rate(s) which would have been charged for courses applied toward the selected degree. The student will also be responsible for repaying any scholarships or grants received based on pursuing a dual degree that the student would not have been eligible for based on the selected degree. Additional financial obligations must be satisfied before the student can be awarded the selected degree. In no case will the University refund money when a student opts out of a dual degree program.
RN to MSN
Registered Nurses must be accepted into the Gardner-Webb University BSN Program. The student should notify their BSN advisor of their intent to enter the RN to MSN accelerated course of study. Upon approval by the BSN advisor two courses in the MSN curriculum (NURS 502 Methods of Advanced Research and NURS 501 Nursing and Health Care Systems and Issues) will be substituted for two courses in the BSN curriculum (NUR 301 Research in Nursing and NUR 303 Trends in Health Care.) Students will receive the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree upon completion of the BSN requirements with the substituted courses. Students may then enter the MSN program to complete the remaining 30 hours of MSN course requirements.
MSN Program Course Descriptions
NURS 500 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Practice
3 semester hours
An analysis and evaluation of nursing theory and the relatedness of theory to nursing research. Application of theory in nursing research as the basis for the provision of evidence based practice.
NURS 501 Nursing and Health Care Systems and Issues
3 semester hours
Examination of local, national, and global health care delivery systems and the societal issues and trends which impact the delivery of health care. Analysis of the impact of nursings’direct and indirect role in changing health care policy.
NURS 502 Methods of Advanced Research
3 semester hours
A critical analysis of nursing research and methodological approaches utilized in health care. Utilization of computer information systems as a method of inquiry into nursing research in order to describe, analyze, problem solve, and/or initiate change to provide evidence based nursing practice in a variety of settings.
NURS 503 Perspectives of Caring
3 semester hours
Consideration of the concept of caring as it relates to culturally competent holistic nursing and nursing interventions within the context of the human experience. Examines the perspective of caring in the practice of relationship-centered care from the standpoint of the nurse and the client as individuals, families, communities, and/or populations.
NURS 555 Special Topics
1-3 semester hours
A specialized study of current issues, trends, and/or problems in nursing education,
administration. Topics will vary according to student interest and need.
NURS 600 The Nurse Educator
3 semester hours
Examines the roles of the nurse educator in academic and practice settings. Explores educational theories and principles which provide the foundation for nursing education. Application of innovative, evidence based, teaching/learning strategies in academic, staff development or similar settings. Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504
NURS 601 Curriculum Theory and Application
3 semester hours
Analysis of the concepts of curriculum development, curriculum design, and curriculum theory in relationship to nursing education. Application of the process of curriculum development in practice.
Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504
NURS 602 Instructional and Evaluation Strategies
3 semester hours
Methods and theory of measurement and evaluation as applied in nursing education. Consideration will be given to developing, scoring, and evaluating various assessment techniques.
Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504
NURS 613 Nursing Education Practicum
3 semester hours
Application of education principles and theories in nursing academic or health organization education settings. Preceptor guided experiences, seminars, and conferences.
(1 class hour/6 hours practicum) Pre-or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504,600
NURS 614 Advanced Clinical Theory and Practice
3 semester hours
Study and application of selected knowledge and concepts from nursing theories appropriate to clinical practice. Includes seminars, conferences and a student practicum in a clinical setting with a preceptor. (1 class hour/6 hours practicum) Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500.
NURS 606 Nursing Economics and Finance
3 semester hours
An introduction to the basic monetary and economic concepts of nursing. Emphasis on budget development, and management functions related to economics and patient outcomes. Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504
NURS 607 Administration of Nursing and Health Care Organizations
3 semester hours
Analyzes organizational structure and behavior of complex, integrated health care systems. Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504
NURS 617 Administration Practicum
3 semester hours
Experiences in advanced management, leadership, and administration within and across complex integrated organizational and institutional boundaries (1 class hour/6 hours practicum). Pre- or Co-requisite: NURS 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 607
NURS 608 Independent Study
3 semester hours
The study of a particular aspect of nursing or health care that relates to the student’s major focus.
NURS 610 Project/thesis
3 semester hours
NURS 611 Project/thesis
1 semester hour
NURS 612 Project/thesis
2 semester hours
Analysis of research as a response to a problem related to nursing practice in a variety of settings. Culminates in a written thesis or project that serves as a capstone experience reflecting synthesis of concepts related to the student’s graduate focus to be taken in the student’s last two semesters/terms of the program. The student will receive a grade of pass/fail for the course.
Post-Master’s Nursing Education
Certificate Program
The purpose of the nursing education certificate program is to facilitate the education of master’s prepared nurses for roles as nurse educators in an academic or clinical setting. Students will receive academic credit for all courses taken in the certificate program. A grade of B or better is required to receive course credit. The certificate requires 9 hours of course work as described below:
REQUIRED COURSES:
Nursing 600 Nurse Educator 3 hrs.
Nursing 601 Curriculum Theory and Application 3 hrs.
Nursing 602 Instructional and Evaluation Strategies 3 hrs.
These courses are currently offered at the Boiling Springs site or online during spring and summer semesters.
Admission Requirements:
Current, unrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse.
Official transcripts documenting completion of master’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution.
Completed application to the Graduate School at Gardner-Webb University.