Nursing, M.S.

Degree Information

Priority Admission Application Deadlines: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

Minimum Total Hours: 40
Level: Masters
CIP Code: 51.3801
Dept Code: NUR
Major Codes:  NUR (BS to MS); NBM (RN to MS)
College Code: NR
Approved: 1980

Concentrations:

Contact Information

College: Nursing

Contact Information: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

The major in Nursing leading to a Master of Science degree prepares its graduates for careers as nurse practitioners and  nurse educators. 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 master’s practitioners program qualifies students to take appropriate national certification examinations and apply for licensure as an APRN in Florida and other states.  Nurse Educator graduates are eligible for national certification from the National League of Nursing, and the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing.

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.

Major Research Areas

Nursing, Health, Healthcare, Practice, Clinical Prevention, Health Assessment, Health Management, Acute Care, Nursing Education

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’s in Nursing or RN with Bachelors in relevant field.
• Current unencumbered license as a registered nurse in the United States upon matriculation. Current license as a registered nurse in the state of Florida before the first clinical course. Three letters of recommendation, indicating potential for graduate study, from persons who can attest to the applicant’s academic ability, clinical competence, and commitment. (Optimally, these letters will be from nursing professors, or clinical supervisors.)
• Current resume or curriculum vita.
• A personal interview with a designated faculty member is required
• Applicants to the M.S. program are required to complete both a NursingCAS application and a USF Graduate Studies Application. 
• It is recommended, but not required, to submit competitive GRE scores.
• Applicants interested in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care concentration must have at least one year of ICU /acute care work experience prior to matriculation to meet professional practice requirement for clinical placements.
• Registered nurses who have a bachelor’s degree in another discipline will  be required to complete the following bridge courses with a letter grade of “B/S” or greater and a GPA of 3.00 or better before progression:

• NUR 3078 - Information Technology Skills for Nurses Credit(s): 1
• NUR 3805 - Nursing as a Profession Credit(s): 2
• NUR 4169C - Evidence Based Practice for Baccalaureate Nurses Credit(s): 3
• NUR 4634C - Population Health Credit(s): 3
• NUR 4828C - Foundations of Nursing Leadership & Management Credit(s): 3
• NUR 4895 - Educational Role of Nurse in Healthcare Credit(s): 3

Please note before starting the application process, international students may have additional restrictions stipulating course delivery format for their program of choice. Please refer to USF World for further information on these requirements.