Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Overview

For registered nurses seeking to advance in their careers, South University offers the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). This online master's in nursing program can enable you to:

• Enhance the knowledge you use as a registered nurse
• Develop clinical teaching skills
• Learn to utilize research in the nursing practice
• Pursue your educational goals while continuing your career and meeting your personal and family responsibilities

This nursing master's degree program blends nursing theory with the advanced practice concepts graduates need to successfully work within the structure, culture, and mission of virtually any healthcare organization or educational setting.

The MSN degree program prepares students for leadership in professional nursing practice and patient-centered healthcare delivery. This program is designed for RNs who have already obtained a BSN degree. If you do not yet have a BSN degree but would like to pursue an master's degree, please see our Accelerated RN to MSN online degree program.

Innovative Healthcare Concepts

Graduates of the MSN program will gain the skills they need to be prepare for clinical practice. As a student in this program you can:

• Study current healthcare issues such as ethical decision making strategies, multicultural educational needs, and the impact of the organization in the healthcare delivery system
• Design teaching plans that integrate advanced care concepts
• Learn how to develop and evaluate curriculum for academic and other environments and learn clinical teaching skills
• Utilize concepts from pathophysiology in nursing practice
• Demonstrate the ability to design valid and reliable testing

Nurse Educator Specialization

Students in the MSN program will have the opportunity to focus on the Nurse Educator specialization.

This specialization is designed for RNs who want to develop and train nurses to meet the challenges of a rapidly developing and continually changing healthcare environment. This is a good choice for those RNs who:

• Have a desire to be on the leading edge of clinical practice
• Hope to shape the future of healthcare
• Feel their strengths lie in the ability to encourage and educate others who are working in or entering the healthcare field
• Want to work in an intellectually stimulating environment

The MSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036-1120; www.aacn.nche.edu; telephone: 202.887.6791.

Employment Opportunities

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "Enrollments in nursing programs at all levels have increased more rapidly in the past few years as students seek jobs with stable employment. However, many qualified applicants are being turned away because of a shortage of nursing faculty. The need for nursing faculty will only increase as many instructors near retirement."

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Registered Nurses, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm

Academic Requirements

To be admitted to South University's online MSN degree program, prospective students must meet the following requirements:

1. Completion of a bachelor's degree program in nursing from a regionally accredited school and accredited nursing program (i.e., either NLNAC or CCNE accredited).
2. Overall GPA of 2.7 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) undertaken.
3. Official transcripts from every college or university attended.
4. Evidence of a current, unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student completes all assignments for the program.
5. Successful completion of a three-credit-hour undergraduate course in descriptive and inferential statistics with a grade of C or better.
6. Three letters of recommendation: one academic, one clinical, and one other.
7. Admissions essay relevant to the program objectives.
8. Resume describing relevant work experience, along with professional and volunteer experiences.

Getting Started

Set a course for your own career growth by enrolling in our online MSN program. Click here to get started.

Acceptance into a South University nursing program or its completion does not imply or guarantee that a student will be able to obtain licensure or certification. The student should contact the state licensing board or professional certification body in each state in which the student intends to practice for specific requirements and the application process.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) - 48 Total Hours

Students pursuing the Master of Science in Nursing are required to take a total of 12 courses as follows:

• 6 core courses
• 1 capstone courses
• 5 specialization courses

Core Curriculum - 24 Credits

NSG5000 - Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse: Transformational Leadership in Advanced Practice

This course examines the role of the advanced practice nurse in the clinical, primary care, education, administration, health policy, and research arenas. The historical role of the nurse, change theory and leadership models are emphasized. Self-reflection, self-mastery, professional integrity, empowerment, and ethical decision making will be discussed to help the student transition from clinical nurse to the role of advanced practice nurse.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

NSG5002 - Advanced Theoretical Perspectives

This course explores theories related to nursing, health care and learning. Students will have the opportunity to analyze and critique various theories. Students will demonstrate how theory is applied to research.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

NSG5003 - Advanced Pathophysiology (11-week course)

This course will examine common pathological conditions of the human. Pharmacologic, medical, and nursing interventions will be included.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

NSG6001 - Advanced Nursing Practice I

In this course, the learner will synthesize content from physiology, pharmacology, and nursing treatment modalities in order to develop expertise in nursing and collaborative practice. This course will focus on common health problems across the life span.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5000 NSG5003

Credits: 4

NSG6002 - Advanced Nursing Practice II

In this course the learner will synthesize content from physiology, pharmacology and nursing treatment modalities in order to develop advanced practice skills in health promotion and disease prevention using the focus areas of Healthy People 2010.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5000 NSG5002 NSG5003 NSG6001

Credits: 4

NSG6101 - Nursing Research Methods (11-week course)

This course prepares the student to critique research studies, identify researchable problems within the clinical setting, and design research projects to generate and apply new knowledge. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs will be addressed.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5000 NSG5002

Credits: 4

Nurse Educator Specialization - 20 Credits

NSG6003 - Teaching and Learning Strategies

This course provides content to assess and motivate learners. Classroom, clinical, simulation and other technology methods will be addressed. The emphasis is on developing the creativity of the nurse educator.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5000 NSG5002 NSG5003

Credits: 4

NSG6102 - Evaluation of Educational Outcomes in Nursing

This course covers content relevant to testing and evaluating learners in classrooms, skills labs, and clinical practice settings. Content includes test construction and design; performance based assessment, assessment of critical thinking and standardized testing.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5000 NSG5002

Credits: 4

NSG6103 - Curriculum Design & Evaluation in Nursing Education

This course prepares the learner to design, examine, revise, and evaluate nursing curriculum. Connecting nursing curricula content to philosophy, objectives, and outcomes will be analyzed.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5000 NSG5002

Credits: 4

NSG6201 - Practicum in Nursing Education I (11-week course)

In this course the learner enacts the role of the nurse educator. The focus of this course is health across the life span. Content will include both didactic and clinical teaching experiences. This course involves obtaining a local mentor and practicing the role of the nurse educator. The learner will synthesize caring and wholism into teaching experiences. The majority of course time will be spent in an educational setting mutually agreed upon by the instructor and the student. Online time will be used to analyze and evaluate this experience. This course will run concurrent with MSN6999.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

NSG6202 - Practicum in Nursing Education II (11-week course)

This course gives the learner the opportunity to choose an area of nursing education. The learner will obtain a local mentor and enact the role of the chosen nurse educator. The learner will synthesize the five pillars of caring, communication, critical thinking, professionalism, and wholism into clinical teaching experience. This course will run concurrently with NSG6999.

Prerequisite(s): All nursing courses except NSG6999 Research Project.

Credits: 4

Capstone - 4 Credits

NSG6999 - Graduate Project in Nursing (11-week course)

The research project course is a cumulative experience where students demonstrate the integration of research, practice, and theory by formalizing their research project proposal.

Prerequisite(s): NSG5001 NSG5002 NSG6101

Credits: 4

Software Requirements:

• Adobe Acrobat Professional
• Microsoft Office Professional
• Norton Antivirus

Minimum Technology Requirements:

• PC: As a general guideline, students should not have computer specifications less than a Pentium III CPU, Windows XP with Service Pack 2, and 512 MB of RAM.
• Mac: As a general guideline, students should not have computer specifications less than a G3, G4, or G5 processor, MAC OS, and 512 MB of RAM.

Internet Requirements:

56K or faster Internet connection is required for online courses, however broadband is strongly encouraged.

Web Browser Requirements:

PC: At least one of the following browsers with Java enabled:

• Internet Explorer 6.0 (supported)
• Internet Explorer 7.0 (recommended)
• Internet Explorer 5.5 (supported)
• Firefox 1.x (supported)
• Firefox 2.0 (recommended)
• Firefox 3.0 (supported)

Mac: At least one of the following browsers with Java enabled:

• Safari 3.0 (supported for OS X)
• Safari 2.0 (recommended for OS X)
• Safari 1.2 (supported for OS X)
• Firefox 1.x (supported)
• Firefox 2.0 (supported)
• Firefox 3.0 (supported)

 

Software may be purchased through JourneyEd.

Dr. David O’Dell

Dr. O'Dell earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, a Master of Science in Nursing, which qualified him to earn the license of an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, Family Practice Focus, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. His clinical specialty is Neurology, specifically neurocognitive disorders.

Dr. O'Dell's clinical work in neurology has been in the community setting, acute and critical care. His doctoral residency was with the University of Florida College of Medicine Neuroscience Institute at Shands Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida. He has taught part-time at Jacksonville University, the University of Phoenix, the University of North Florida, and is now full-time faculty at South University at the West Palm Beach campus.

Dr. O’Dell co-authored and contributed to textbooks specific to DNP role development, and is a founding member of Doctors of Nursing Practice, LLC and Doctors of Nursing Practice Professional Development, Inc.

Dr. DarLene Stevens

Dr. Stevens received a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Miami, a Post-Master’s Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Florida International University, Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Winston-Salem State University. She has worked as a Registered Nurse for more than ten years, primarily in critical care and emergency medicine. She has worked for more than ten years as an Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner and more than seven years as a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner.

Today, Dr. Stevens holds ANCC certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She remains committed to excellence and quality in nurse practitioner education via distance education.

Dr. Donna Borré

Dr. Borré is a registered nurse with a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with a focus on Nursing from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Science in Nursing (adult and aging as well as nurse educator) from Viterbo University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has practiced as a registered nurse for over thirty-five years in the areas of critical care, geriatrics, infection control, patient/staff education, and academia. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and has been with South University since 2005.