Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.)
Director of Nursing/Associate Professor: Catherine Cuchetti
Assistant Professors: Lisa R. Chicko, Wendy J. Klein
Instructors: Kayla Gallagher, Mandy June
Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) Mission Statement
The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program is committed to preparing ethical
leaders of conscience who demonstrate high level critical thinking, professional competencies
in nursing education and nursing leadership, and who make significant contributions
to the local and global communities. Graduates are change agents in diverse healthcare
arenas who collaboratively effect improvements in patient outcomes through education
of healthcare workers and leadership in healthcare delivery systems.
The curriculum is rooted in the generation, evaluation, and utilization of evidence to support best practices in nursing education and nursing leadership. Graduates are prepared to utilize scholarly inquiry to provide evidence-based healthcare.
Admission Prerequisites
Admission prerequisites to the Master of Science in Nursing program are track dependent:
• Track 1 is the Registered nurse with a baccalaureate in nursing.
• Track 2 is the Registered nurse with a non-nursing bachelor's degree.
• Track 3 is the Registered nurse with an associate degree or diploma in nursing.
Admission requirements include:
• Completion of the Franklin Pierce University Graduate Admission online application
(all tracks)
• Resume (all tracks)
• Statement of professional goals including reasons for pursuing graduate study (all
tracks)
• Receipt of all official transcripts from colleges and/or universities previously
attended (all tracks)
• Unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S. (all tracks)
• Achievement of a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or
higher on a 4.0 scale (all tracks)
• Successful completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a C or higher (all
tracks)
• Interview with nursing faculty (Tracks 1 and 2)
Application Requirements for the Nursing Education Certificate
• Completion of the Franklin Pierce University Graduate Admission online application
• Professional resume
• Achievement of a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or
higher on a 4.0 scale
• Receipt of all official transcripts from colleges and/or universities previously
attended
Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Master of Science in Nursing program, a graduate
will be able to:
• Demonstrate critical thinking and decision-making based on biopsychosocial and organizational
sciences to improve healthcare quality and outcomes in a variety of settings.
• Integrate organizational and systems leadership to guide and direct clinical decision
making and evaluation of patient outcomes and safety.
• Advocate for ethical and culturally sensitive strategies in the design of high quality
and cost-effective healthcare delivery.
• Apply clinical scholarship and implementation of best practices for the improvement
of healthcare delivery.
• Incorporate technology to support and coordinate delivery of high quality, safe
patient care.
• Demonstrate advocacy strategies to influence healthcare policy to improve health
of the public.
• Collaborate with the inter-professional team to influence the shared goals of disease
prevention, health promotion, and patient-centered care to diverse populations.
The Nurse Educator concentration prepares the graduate to:
• Practice as a nurse educator in an academic or healthcare delivery setting, applying
principles consistent with evidence based practice.
• Apply teaching and learning theories, current research findings, and knowledge of
educational trends and professional standards to curriculum and instructional design.
• Utilize knowledge of continuous quality improvement methodology to evaluate all
components of instructional design and delivery.
• Design and implement change projects in health care delivery systems and evaluate
their impact.
• Incorporate knowledge of evidence in clinical and organizational management to improve
client outcomes.
The Nurse Leader concentration prepares the graduate to:
• Assume leadership roles in healthcare organizations.
• Integrate leadership skills that facilitate collaborative relationships while functioning
as a member of the team.
• Apply knowledge of healthcare payment systems to improve the utilization of clinical
and fiscal resources.
• Design and implement change projects in healthcare delivery systems and evaluate
their impact.
• Incorporate interdisciplinary knowledge of evidence in clinical and organizational
management to improve client outcomes.
Master of Science in Nursing Program Requirements
Graduation from the M.S.N. program requires successful completion of general core
courses and specialty concentration courses. The program may be completed as a full-time
student taking 2 courses per graduate term or as a part-time student taking 1 course
per term. Courses are offered 100% online format.
Programs of Study
Students apply to the MSN program and select either the Nursing Education or the Nursing
Leadership track. Graduates from the Leadership Track will also earn a Healthcare
Administration Certificate. Graduates from the Education Track will be prepared to
take the NLN Certified Nurse Educator Exam. All students admitted to the MSN program
will complete the following courses based on their chosen track:
NR510 Nursing Science in Practice 3 Credits
NR520 Health Policy and Population Health Issues 3 Credits
NR530 Inferential Statistics 3 Credits
NR540 Evidence-Based Practice 3 Credits
NR690 Nursing Capstone Seminar and Project 6 Credits
NR009 Precourse for Capstone 0 Credits
Total Core Credits 18
Track 1: For the Registered nurse with a baccalaureate degree in nursing (36 Credits)
NR510 Nursing Science in Practice 3 Credits
NR520 Health Policy and Population Health Issues 3 Credits
NR530 Inferential Statistics 3 Credits
NR540 Evidence-Based Practice 3 Credits
6 Concentration Courses (Leadership or Education) 18 Credits
NR690 Nursing Capstone Seminar and Project 6 Credits
NR009 Precourse for Capstone 0 Credits
Track 2: For the Registered nurse with a non-nursing baccalaureate degree (39 Credits)
NR501 R.N.-M.S.N. Bridge Course 3 Credits
NR510 Nursing Science in Practice 3 Credits
NR520 Health Policy and Population Health Issues 3 Credits
NR530 Inferential Statistics 3 Credits
NR540 Evidence-Based Practice 3 Credits
6 Concentration Courses (Leadership or Education) 18 Credits
NR690 Nursing Capstone Seminar and Project 6 Credits
NR009 Precourse for Capstone 0 Credits
Track 3: For the Registered nurse without a baccalaureate degree (150 credits)
Track 3 students are required to complete a combination of core, baccalaureate, and
graduate nursing courses. All baccalaureate course requirements must be completed
before registering for graduate courses.
Nursing students who have completed an associate’s degree at another institution and transfer to Franklin Pierce University will not need to meet the requirements of the General and Liberal Education program at Franklin Pierce University. The general education curriculum can be transferred and accepted as a stand-alone general education block. Completion is defined as all courses completed with a grade of “C” or higher.
Core Requirements-Track 3
BI260 Human Anatomy & Physiology I* 3 Credits
BI261 Human Anatomy & Physiology II* 3 Credits
BI325 Microbiology* 3 Credits
Chemistry or other science 3 Credits
MT260 Statistics 3 Credits
PS101 Introduction to Psychology 3 Credits
PS234 Human Growth and Development 3 Credits
*BI260, BI261 and BI325 are waived with an Associate's Degree in Nursing or proof
of RN license.
Baccalaureate Requirements-Track 3
NR200 Holistic Health 3 Credits
NR300 Transition to Baccalaureate Nursing Practice 3 Credits
NR320 Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: Understanding Nursing Research 3 Credits
NR330 Clinical Decision Making 3 Credits
NR400 Health Policy and the Role of the Professional Nurse 3 Credits
NR420 Health Promotion Across the Lifespan 3 Credits
NR445 Community Health Nursing: Individual and Family Client 3 Credits
NR446 Community Health Nursing: Groups and Populations 3 Credits
NR490 Leadership in Professional Nursing Practice, Seminar & Project 6 Credits
NR001 Precourse for Capstone 0 Credits
Cultural Awareness—Choose One of the Following (3 Credits)
PA209 Ethical Reasoning
PA250 World Religions
SO205 Race and Ethnicity in Society
SO220 Families in Society
SO421 Inequality in Society
M.S.N. Courses-Track 3
NR510 Nursing Science in Practice* 3 Credits
NR520 Health Policy and Population Health Issues* 3 Credits
NR530 Inferential Statistics 3 Credits
NR540 Evidence-Based Practice 3 Credits
6 Concentration Courses (Leadership or Education) 18 Credits
NR690 Nursing Capstone, Seminar and Project 6 Credits
NR001 Precourse for Capstone 0 credits
*6 credits of Nursing Elective courses (NR510 and NR520) can be applied to the baccalaureate
degree.
Concentrations
Nursing Education
NR545 Clinical and Classroom Teaching Strategies in Nursing 3 Credits
NR547 Evidence-Based Curriculum Design in Nursing 3 Credits
NR549 Evaluating Learning and Assessing Competencies in Nursing 3 Credits
NR575 Advanced Pharmacology 3 Credits
NR580 Advanced Pathophysiology 3 Credits
NR585 Advanced Health Assessment 3 Credits
Nursing Leadership
GM510 Seminar in Leadership 3 Credits
GM520 Legal and Ethical Issues in Organizations 3 Credits
GM594 Healthcare Payment Systems 3 Credits
GM596 Quality Improvement Models in Healthcare 3 Credits
NR565 Strategic Planning & Project Management For Nurses I 3 Credits
NR570 Strategic Planning & Project Management For Nurses II 3 Credits
Nursing Education Certificate (15 credits)
The Certificate in Nursing Education is intended for Master’s degree prepared nurses
who desire more education in the process of nursing education. Normal time to completion
is 1 year.
NR545 Clinical and Classroom Teaching Strategies in Nursing 3 Credits
NR547 Evidence-Based Curriculum Design in Nursing 3 Credits
NR549 Evaluating Learning and Assessing Competencies in Nursing 3 Credits
NR690 Nursing Capstone Seminar and Project 6 Credits
NR001 Precourse for Capstone 0 credits
