Master of Science in Nursing

The School of Nursing provides master’s level educational opportunities for registered nurses and individuals with a bachelor’s degree in other fields who wish to enter the profession or pursue an advanced practice nursing degree.

Registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees in nursing can enter the master’s program by demonstrating they have met nursing content comparable to that in the SF State baccalaureate program.

Individuals who are not nurses but have a bachelor’s degree may apply to Entry-Level M.S.N. program. Students in this program complete the pre-licensure curriculum along with graduate-level coursework to earn their M.S.N. in six semesters. Upon completion of pre-licensure courses, the students take a national licensing exam (NCLEX-RN) to become a registered nurse.  A two-year accelerated is also available. Accelerated students enroll through the SF State College of Extended Learning. All students must have successfully completed all prelicensure courses and take the national licensing exam (NCLEX-RN)  in California prior to enrolling in NURS 802.

Registered nurses who already hold nursing master’s degrees may apply to the post master’s family nurse practitioner (FNP) certificate program (graduate level coursework).

The master’s level curriculum includes both core courses and specialty courses. The core courses, the portion of the program for all students, include nursing theory, advanced practice nursing roles, pathophysiology, research, leadership, health policy and ethics for advanced practice nurses. Units taken in addition to the core program are selected with graduate nursing faculty advisement. Upon completion, students are eligible to sit for national nurse practitioner certification board exams and FNP certification in California.

Please note that students taking post master’s FNP certificate courses will enroll for courses through the College of Extended Learning.

Admission/Application Information and Requirements for the Master’s Degree

For all applicants:

• Visit the School of Nursing website for specific application dates.
• Meet general requirements for admission to graduate study at SF State and submit a separate application to the Division of Graduate Studies.
• Complete the School of Nursing supplemental application process.
• Include a written goal statement.
• Students whose primary language is not English must earn a minimum score of 550 on the paper Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or 80 overall on the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL.
• All graduate students are required to establish written English proficiency (see information below) by submitting results of the analytical writing section of the GRE at the time of application. A score of 4.0 or above is required.
• Three references from work colleagues, supervisors, or educators.
• Provide a resume or curriculum vitae.

For RN applicants:

• Courses in inferential statistics and an undergraduate nursing research course are recommended.
• RNs who enter the M.S.N. program without a nursing bachelor’s degree must complete undergraduate nursing research and a community/public health courses prior to enrollment or concurrent with semester one M.S.N. coursework.
• Some of the prerequisite courses may be challenged or waived for students who have extensive professional experience and have participated in mandatory continuing education programs for RN licensure.
• Family Nurse Practitioner applicants must have a minimum of one year or 2,000 clinical hours of RN experience.

For non-RN applicants:

• Entry Level master’s applicants must have completed all prerequisites at the time of application to the program.
• One of the three required references must provide evidence of health-related work or volunteer experience

Written English Proficiency Requirement

The University has a requirement for graduate written English proficiency that is to be assessed at two different points (Levels) in the student’s program.

Level One (prior to admission)

A score of 4.0 or above on the analytical writing section of the GRE.

Level Two

Demonstration of English proficiency on the final paper for NURS 794.

Entry–Level Nursing Master of Science Degree

Qualified applicants are accepted into the Entry Level or Accelerated Entry Level MSN program conditionally.

Prerequisites — 27–28 units

The courses listed below or those which are comparable as listed on www.assist.org are required for acceptance into the program.

Courses Required for RN Licensure in California

Prior to applying for RN licensure, the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) requires students to have completed a minimum of 16 units comprising natural sciences, behavioral, and social sciences. To complement the anatomy, physiology, and microbiology prerequisites, it is highly recommended that students complete a general psychology course prior to taking NURS 328 and any additional behavioral or social science course as needed to fulfill the BRN's requirement. Anthropology or Sociology is strongly suggested.

Entry Level Masters Nursing Courses — 97 units

Students completing the Entry-Level Master’s program will achieve the School of Nursing’s MSN Expected Student Learning Outcomes as outlined below:

• Applies and integrates broad organizational, client-centered, and culturally appropriate concepts in the planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of evidence-based clinical prevention and population care and services.
• Demonstrates nursing and inter-professional collaboration that facilitates open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
• Creates collaborative programs and educational approaches that address health promotion and disease prevention needs of culturally-ethnically diverse individuals and populations.
• Demonstrates a professional leadership role to promote quality and safe clinical patient care that incorporates ethical and critical decision-making approaches, fiscal accountability, effective working relationships, and systems perspectives.
• Assimilates nursing knowledge and expertise through research utilization, informatics literacy, and generates educational, leadership, or clinical approaches to advance professional nursing practice.
• Utilizes information technology to communicate effectively, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and to support decision-making.
• Designs evaluation strategies for nursing care outcomes to assess, manage, and determine resource allocation for evaluation of nursing care outcomes.
• Evaluate methods, tools, performance measures, and standards related to quality improvement within a healthcare organization.
• Applies research outcomes within the practice setting to resolve identified practice problems.
• Organizes interventions at the health care system level utilizing policy development processes, economic principles, and employing advocacy strategies to influence health and health care services for individuals, families, aggregates/identified diverse populations and communities.

Master of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses

Nursing for Registered Nurses (M.S.) — 44–52 units

Required Core Courses (44 units)

Emphasis or Electives (8–12 units)

Units on advisement

Emphases

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

This emphasis offers the graduate student the opportunity to take additional courses for certification by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) and to take a national certification exam through the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC). The CNS is an advanced practice nurse holding a master’s degree in a specific area of clinical nursing specialization such as adult and critical care, women’s health, and pediatrics. The role of the CNS is defined by the needs of a select client population and clinical expertise of the nurse. Specialized role content is included in NURS 801 and NURS 802.

Community Public Health

Students completing this emphasis are prepared to assume nursing roles in a variety of care settings including public health, home health, and schools and may be eligible for CNS certification by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). Specialized role content is included in NURS 801 and NURS 802.

Nursing Administration

This emphasis enables students to combine the nursing perspective and principles of business to become effective and successful managers and administrators. Courses may also be taken in the College of Business with the advice and approval of the advisor.

Students in this emphasis are not required to take NURS 711, NURS 715, NURS 716 or NURS 717 in the nursing core.