MSN role specialization and CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Nursing Graduate Program offers the M.S.N education in two role specializations:

• Comprehensive M.S.N. (Major Code 5703) 
  The Comprehensive M.S.N. program prepares students to function at an advanced nursing practice level in complex environments. This degree allows students to tailor their nursing education with a variety of elective courses. Students will take the advanced clinical nursing courses of Pathophysiology, Pharmacotherapeutics, and Advanced Assessment to enhance clinical practice at an advanced level. Praxis coursework is personalized to address each student's specific learning objectives.Graduates work in hospitals, outpatient settings, administrative positions, educator positions, and in collaborative practice with physicians and other health care providers, and schools of nursing. This program of study is available all online.

• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) M.S.N. (Major Code 5707)
  A Nurse Practitioner is a registered nurse with advanced education who is able to assess, diagnoses (nursing and medical), manage (including prescribing), and evaluate care for persons who are ill, injured, and / or have chronic diseases. Health promotion and disease prevention are integral in the NP's practice. The FNP practices independently and autonomously within the nurse practitioner scope of practice, and collaboratively with physicians and other health care providers. The FNP specialization program prepares students for advanced practice nursing providing primary healthcare in diverse areas (e.g. underserved areas, clinics, occupational settings, independent practice.) This results in improved access to primary healthcare. The program is available on-campus only and graduates are eligible to sit for the Advanced Practice Family Nurse Practitioner Exam from the Board of Nursing.
   
• POST Master Family Nurse Practitioner M.S.N. (Major Code 5702)
  The Post MSN FNP is designed as a certificate course of study that enables a practicing nurse who holds a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree to prepare for credentialing as an FNP. Upon completion of the prescribed course of study, the student's transcript indicates that he/she has completed the educational preparation as regulated by the Texas Board of Nursing. The students are eligible to take a national FNP certification exam.

 MSN admission information

• Submit applications to:
  • Graduate School
  • Graduate Nursing Program Application; (Nurs App Word Doc)
    •  Applications will be accepted beginning June 1 through September 1 to start the spring semester (January) each year.
      (Each of the two applications has a separate application fee.)
• Additional information regarding the application process:
  • The Applicant will have an unencumbered nursing license (RN)
  • The Applicant will provide one official copy of all transcripts to the Graduate School.
    • Applicants must have a cumulative GPA for the last 60 hours of college credit of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Failure in any nursing coursework will be taken into consideration. A Nursing GPA will also be calculated and taken into consideration.
    • The Applicant for the nurse practitioner role must document 2 years of experience as an RN. Applicants may submit a resume to document this requirement.
  • The Applicant will be scheduled for a phone interview with the Associate Department head for Nursing Graduate Programs or a designee once application paperwork is complete.
  • The Applicant will provide the Department of Nursing contact information for two (non-academic) clinical supervisory references. This must be accomplished in a timely manner, so that responses from references can be included in the Committee's consideration.
  • The Applicant will write a goal statement that will be evaluated based on:
    • Clear focus related to a goal statement
    • Supportive detail regarding the goal statement
    • Organization of goal statement (clear introduction, body and conclusion)
    • Clarity, grammar and punctuation
    • Goal statement is typed with a word count of between 500-750 words
  • Degree seeking students will have admission preference over non-degree seeking students (i.e. post-MSN FNP).