Master of Science in Nursing / Master of Business Administration Dual Degree

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Mission Statement

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) 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 inpatient 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 nurse with a baccalaureate in nursing.
• Track 2 is the nurse with a non-nursing bachelor's degree.
• Track 3 is the nurse with an associate degree or diploma in nursing.

Admission requirements include:

• Completion of the Franklin Pierce University Graduate Admission online application (all tracks)
• Professional 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)

The MSN/MBA dual degree is designed to prepare nurses to develop cross-functional business management skills and leadership competencies in nursing. The integration of advanced healthcare theories and business concepts in the MSN/MBA dual degree program equips graduates to successfully manage and grow healthcare organizations of all kinds. This 48-credit dual degree program benefits nurses who are or will be employed in leadership roles, such as Director of Nursing, Vice President of Nursing, or Chief Nurse Executive.

In addition to earning a dual degree, graduates of this program would earn a Healthcare Administration Certificate and be eligible to become certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Commission (AANC) as either a nurse executive or an advanced nurse executive.

Foundational Competencies

It is expected MSN/MBA students possess competencies in financial accounting, statistics, and information technology literacy. Students who do not demonstrate proficiency based on undergraduate coursework, but who have substantially mastered the foundational competencies by other means such as life experience, may prepare documentation of these competencies at the time of application or at any time before taking the graduate level coursework requiring the competency.

Financial Accounting

This foundational competency emphasizes the interpretation, analysis, and use of key financial issues, which include an understanding of the balance sheet, the income statement, statement of cash flows, as well as cash budgeting and financial forecasting. This competency is required for GM541 and GM561. Students may demonstrate this competency through academic coursework, or by completing a program of self-study administered by the business faculty.

Statistics

This foundational competency includes an overview of the use of statistics and statistical procedures, with emphasis on probability theory and its applications. Topics covered include computational measures of central tendency; measures of dispersion; probability distribution functions; multiple and bivariate regression; decision theory; population parameters; and statistical inference. This competency is required for GM542 and GM564. Students may demonstrate this competency through academic coursework, or by completing a program of self-study administered by the business faculty.

Information Technology Literacy

Information technology literacy includes basic productivity tools: word processing, spread- sheets, presentations, Internet, and email. This competency is required before enrolling in the graduate business programs. Demonstration of competency in these areas is intended to assure the student’s success in the program. Students may demonstrate this competency through academic coursework, orby completing a short non-credit workshop administered by the business faculty.