Master of Science in Nursing

Program Outcomes:

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program, graduates will be able to:

Integrate advanced nursing knowledge and theories/models with a focus on improving direct/indirect person-centered and population health outcomes.
Synthesize, translate, apply, and disseminate scientific evidence to improve health and health care delivery.
Appraise and utilize healthcare technology and information systems to enhance nursing decision making and quality of care, including risk reduction and patient safety.
Use leadership and systems thinking skills to collaborate with interprofessional team members and stakeholders to coordinate safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse individuals and populations.
Demonstrate role specific professional identity, ethical practice, and personal/professional development.

Master of Science in Nursing (Online)

Role Option Specific Outcomes:

Clinical Nurse Specialist – Adult/Gerontology

Demonstrate advanced clinical practice for the adult-gerontology population in the three spheres of the clinical nurse specialist: client/patient, nursing, and organization/system.

Clinical Nurse Specialist - Neonatal

Demonstrates advanced clinical practice for the Neonatal population in the three spheres of the clinical nurse specialist: client/patient, nursing, and organization/system.

Clinical Nurse Specialist – Pediatric

Demonstrate advanced clinical practice for the pediatric population in the three spheres of the clinical nurse specialist: client/patient, nursing, and organization/ system.

Family Nurse Practitioner

Demonstrate competency in utilization of technology to find current evidence based information to guide diagnosis and treatment for the health, prevention and treatment of disease, in their patient populations.
Utilize their advanced practice nursing and primary care knowledge and skills to assess, diagnose and provide safe and effective primary care to families and patients of all ages.
Analyze data from psychosocial, cultural, ethical, and current scientific research to develop plans for individualized patient care.
Be prepared to take national certification examinations for Family Nurse Practitioners.

Nurse Administrator

Apply concepts and theories of organizational management and nursing administration to the design of complex healthcare delivery systems.
Integrate concepts of health policy, regulation, and financing to the organization of healthcare delivery, with a focus on responsible management of resources.

Nurse Educator

Synthesize nursing and other scientific knowledge in the design, implementation, and evaluation of nursing education programs across academic and clinical settings.
Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical and academic nursing education including learner assessment, educational theories and models, measurement and evaluation strategies, instructional strategies, curriculum development, and achievement of learning outcomes.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Nursing (Online) program requires a total of 30-48 units of approved graduate study that includes five role options. The curriculum consists of core courses, role emphasis courses, role performance (clinical/practicum) courses and the Culminating Activity.

MSN coursework must be completed within the 5 year time period designated by program policy. Students must enroll in courses each semester or obtain an approved leave of absence to maintain continuous enrollment. Grade averages are calculated each semester by University Admissions and Records. To maintain acceptable standing in the MSN program, a "3.0" average and a minimum of "B" grade in each course are required. See the Nursing section of the University Catalog.
Satisfaction of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)
All core courses are non-sequenced except for MSN 502 which must be taken in the first core semester. All courses within the option (except for the role option courses) must be completed prior to starting the role option portion of the curriculum. Those courses are positioned at the end of the program and are sequenced over 2-4 semesters. Refer to the plan of study for each option.
FNP students must complete their clinical hours in the state of California. A California RN License is required. Additionally, the FNP specific courses are hybrid in nature and not fully online; regular visits to campus are required. Any deviation from the plan of study must be approved by the FNP Director

Culminating Activity

Students are eligible to participate in the MSN Culminating Activity if the following are satisfied:

Enrollment in the final semester of graduate coursework or has completed all course requirements and is enrolled in MSN 600.
Grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Fulfilled the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)
No incomplete grades (Inc) are present on the transcript.
Student has submitted the graduation application via their MyCSUDH account and paid all required graduate fees.
Student has submitted the Culminating Activity Eligibility Form [Word Doc.]

The purpose of the Culminating Activity is for the graduating student to demonstrate achievement of the MSN Program Objectives. The student will accomplish this by delivering an oral presentation supported by a PowerPoint presentation and submitting a professional resume.

The oral presentation is delivered via conference call with faculty. MSN students who elect to do the culminating activity in the semester following completion of MSN coursework must register in MSN 600 to meet the continuous enrollment requirement.

It is strongly recommended that students retain copies of all course syllabi and assignments, including individual postings to discussion boards in Blackboard, submitted for courses to aid in the development of the presentation.

For more information, please email SONdepartment@csudh.edu