Nursing (BSN to MSN), M.S.N.

Concentrations:

• Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with Occupational Health Nursing Sub-specialty
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The Major in Nursing leading to a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree prepares its graduates for careers as nurse practitioners. Students choose from a variety of nursing specialty options in advanced practice roles and enroll in a prescribed set of core courses central to all specialty options as well as courses specific to their concentration.  Successful completion of the M.S.N. program and comprehensive exam qualifies students to take appropriate national certification examinations as shown below and apply for licensure as an APRN in Florida and other states.  

Master’s Program Goals

The Master’s Program prepares graduates:

• for advanced practice with diverse populations at the individual, family and community level
• to use patient-care and communication technologies to enhance and coordinate the delivery of high quality, culturally appropriate care
• to translate research outcomes, resolve problems, and disseminate results in the educational and clinical practice settings
• to utilize organizational and systems leadership skills in the promotion of culturally responsive, high quality and safe patient care
• to analyze and intervene at the system level through the policy development process
• to understand health professions’ scope of practice employing collaborative strategies to design, coordinate and evaluate care
• to develop a more extensive and in-depth understanding of current and evolving practice issues, interprofessional and collaborative practice models, innovative health care strategies, nursing, and the related sciences; and in turn how to integrate this knowledge into education and practice.
• to critique, advocate, and integrate the knowledge created by researchers, translationalists, and theoretical scholars
• to use data from technology systems to evaluate and enhance health care delivery.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements, as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below. Certain concentrations are highly competitive.  Admission criteria include:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing or the equivalent degree in nursing from a foreign institution.
• Must meet University Admission GPA requirements.
• Current unencumbered license as a registered nurse in the State of Florida before October 30th.  Studnets must have a RN license in the United Statesprior tp admission.
• 3.00 minimum Nursing GPA.
• Three letters of recommendation, indicating potential for graduate study, from persons who can attest to the applicant’s academic ability, clinical competence, and commitment. These letters must be from a nursing faculty, clinical supervisor, and/or healthcare provider (APRN, PA, DO, or MD). Letters from acquaiantances, friends, or family are not acceptable for submission.
• Current resume or curriculum vita.
• Applicants interested in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner concentration must have at least one year [12 months] of full-time experience in critical care (intensive care unit) or high-acuity patient care before matriculation to meet professional practice requirements for clinical placement. Clinical experience will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by faculty.

The USF College of Nursing does not require the GRE Exam for our BSN-MSN applicants. Please send all official transcripts from every institution attended directly to NursingCAS. Do not send official transcripts to USF Admissions. Once a student is admitted, the College of Nursing will move all official transcripts and documents from NursingCAS to USF Admissions.

Applicants that have less than 12 months of RN experience will be automatically placed on a part-time program plan so that they can continue gaining work experience while enrolled in the graduate nursing program. Students with a year or more of relevant RN experience based on the concentration they apply for will be considered competitive.

Please note before starting the application process, international students may have additional restrictions stipulating course delivery format for their program of choice.  Applicants attending USF on F-1 student visa are not eligible for admission to the MSN or DNP programs due to regulatory limitations for online study. Please refer to USF World for further information on these requirements.