The graduate programs emphasize productive scholarship and research in the development of nursing knowledge and the translation of knowledge into practice. Advanced study is in human health and development throughout the life span, and in nursing's role in providing health services to individuals, families, and communities.
The Ph.D. program, the dual-title Ph.D. program in nursing and bioethics, and the dual-title Ph.D. program in nursing and clinical and translational sciences prepare scientists to provide leadership in nursing education, practice and research. Individualized curricula prepare graduates to assume positions as faculty, researchers and leaders in educational, community, governmental, or institutional settings.
The D.N.P. degree program consists of a base program and four options. The options include:
- Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Leadership
The Nurse Practitioner options are designed to help prepare the professional nurse to function in an expanded nursing role providing direct care to specific groups of clients in a variety of health care settings. Since that practice is inherently interdisciplinary in nature, advanced knowledge and research from nursing is combined with knowledge from science, medicine, and related disciplines. The Nurse Practitioner may also function in supervisory, consultative, education, and research roles.
The Leadership option prepares nurses to assume leadership roles in practice settings in the community, governmental agencies, or healthcare institutions.
The M.S.N. and D.N.P. degree programs in Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
The M.S.N. degree in Nursing consists of a base program and two options. The options include:
- Nurse Administrator
- Nurse Educator
The Nurse Administrator option enables the student to acquire advanced knowledge of organizational leadership, health policy, and evidence-based health care delivery. The program is designed to prepare students for leadership and administrative roles in a variety of health care settings.
The Nurse Educator option enables the student to acquire advanced knowledge of evidence-based teaching and learning principles, curriculum development, and evaluative techniques. The program is designed to prepare students for educator roles in a variety of academic and health care settings.
The M.S.N. program outcomes are to prepare M.S.N. nurses to:
- Lead change to improve quality outcomes (Graduate School Goals 1 and 2)
- Advance a culture of excellence through lifelong learning (Graduate School Goal 5)
- Build and lead collaborative interprofessional care teams (Graduate School Goals 2, 3, and 4)
- Navigate and integrate care services across the healthcare systems (Graduate School Goals 1 and 2).
- Design innovative nursing practices (Graduate School Goal 2)
- Translate evidence into practice (Graduate School Goal 2)
- Demonstrate option-specific competencies based on the national guidelines (Graduate School Goals 1, 2, and 3)
The learning objectives of the D.N.P. program are to:
- Prepare transformational nursing leaders to improve health and healthcare outcomes (Graduate School Goals 1 and 5)
- Prepare a cadre of highly qualified advanced practice nurses to lead the translation of research into practice and deliver expert nursing care (Graduate School Goals 2, 3, and 4)
- Fulfill the practice mission of the College of Nursing as a unit within the University (Graduate School Goal 5)
- Demonstrate option-specific competencies based on the national guidelines for the role (Graduate School Goals 1, 2, and 3):
- FNP (Family/Individual across the Lifespan): National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (2013). Population-Focused Nurse Practitioner Competencies; National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. NP Core Competencies (2017).
- AGPCNP: National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (2016). Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Competencies; National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, NP Core Competencies (2016).
- AGACNP: National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (2016). Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Competencies; National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, NP Core Competencies (2016).
- Leadership: American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), American Organization of Nurse Leaders, Nurse Executive Competencies (2015).
The program outcomes for the Ph.D. in Nursing include the ability to:
- Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of scientific knowledge, and comprehension of the major issues of the discipline of nursing (Graduate School Goal 1)
- Design and conduct research according to scientific principles to create new knowledge (Graduate School Goal 2)
- Demonstrate effective teaching and communication skills for dissemination of scientific knowledge to appropriate stakeholders (Graduate School Goals 1 and 3)
- Advance science through interdisciplinary collaboration to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities (Graduate School Goals 2, 3, and 4).
- Lead the discipline of nursing to influence change and practice, education, policy, and research in accordance with the highest ethical standards. (Graduate School Goal 5)
