Master of Science in Nursing: Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner
The School of Nursing provides master’s level educational opportunities for registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing who wish to enter the profession or pursue an advanced practice nursing degree. Through advanced education and clinical training with this emphasis, students are prepared for both California NP license and national board certification (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners & American Nurses Credentialing Center). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are licensed to practice autonomously and in collaboration with other health care professionals to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage the health needs of patients of all ages. NPs can also serve as health care researchers, interdisciplinary consultants, and patient advocates.
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.
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). Please note that students taking post master’s FNP certificate courses will enroll for courses through the College of Professional & Global Education.
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.
Admission/Application Information
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 native language is not English and whose preparatory education was principally in a language other than English must demonstrate competence in English. More information by visiting Graduate Admissions.
- Three references from work colleagues, supervisors, or educators.
- Provide a resume or curriculum vitae.
- Must have a minimum of one year or 2,000 clinical hours of RN 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)
Personal Statement
Level Two
Demonstration of English proficiency on the final paper for NURS 794.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students completing the 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.
Advancement to Candidacy
The student must resolve any admission conditions as soon as possible after beginning the graduate program. The Advancement to Candidacy form should be completed and filed in the Division of Graduate Studies after the student has completed 24 units. The Proposal for Culminating Experience form must be completed and filed before he/she enrolls in the culminating experience course, either NURS 895 or NURS 898. See the Graduate Division website for more details http://www.sfsu.edu/~gradstdy/.
Master of Science in Nursing: Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner
Entry–Level Nursing Master of Science Degree
Qualified applicants are accepted into the Entry Level or Accelerated Entry Level MSN program conditionally.
Prerequisites — 28 units
The courses listed below or those which are comparable as listed on www.assist.org are required for acceptance into the program.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 210 & BIOL 211 | General Microbiology and Public Health and General Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 220 | Principles of Human Anatomy 1 | 4 |
| or BIOL 328 | Human Anatomy | |
| BIOL 212 & BIOL 213 | Principles of Human Physiology and Principles of Human Physiology Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 101 & CHEM 102 | Survey of Chemistry and Survey of Chemistry Laboratory 2 | 4 |
| COMM 150 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| ENG 114 | Writing the First Year: Finding Your Voice (Written Communication I) | 3 |
| MATH 124 | Elementary Statistics (Quantitative Reasoning) | 3 |
| PHIL 110 | Introduction to Critical Thinking I | 3 |
- 1
Either anatomy course must include a laboratory component if taken elsewhere
- 2
This is an integrated course in which students are introduced to topics in general, organic, and biochemistry. Stand alone general, inorganic, or organic chemistry courses will also fulfill the chemistry requirement.
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
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Units | |
| NURS 311 | Human Development and Health Assessment Lab (5) | 2 |
| NURS 314 | Health Promotion in Nursing (3) | 3 |
| NURS 315 | Health Promotions in Nursing - Practicum (2) | 2 |
| NURS 706 | Health Care Policy and Nursing Leadership (3) | 3 |
| NURS 720 | Epidemiology and Biostatistics in Advanced Practice Nursing (3) | 3 |
| Units | 13 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| NURS 326 | Reproductive Health Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 327 | Reproductive Health Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 328 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 329 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 350 | Nursing Interventions Practicum I (2) | 2 |
| NURS 703 | Education, Informatics, and eTechnology in Advanced Nursing Practice (3) | 3 |
| Units | 17 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| NURS 410 | Nursing Care of Children Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 411 | Nursing Care of Children Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 420 | Nursing Care of Adults Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 421 | Nursing Care of Adults Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 450 | Nursing Interventions Lab II (2) | 2 |
| NURS 721 | Program Planning and Financial Management in Nursing Practice (3) | 3 |
| Units | 17 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| NURS 520 | Advanced Medical Surgical and Critical Care Nursing (3) | 3 |
| NURS 521 | Advanced Medical Surgical and Critical Care Nursing Capstone Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 522 | Chronic Care and End of Life Care Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 530 | Community Health and Global Perspectives Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 531 | Community Health and Global Perspectives Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 794 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing (3) | 3 |
| Units | 18 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| NURS 702 | Health Systems Management (3) | 3 |
| NURS 711 | Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Life Span (3) | 3 |
| NURS 715 | Pharmacological Principles Across the Life Span (3) | 3 |
| NURS 801 | 4 | |
| NURS 716 | Advanced Pathophysiology and Diagnostic Reasoning I (3) | 3 |
| Units | 12 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| NURS 732 | Ethics in Advanced Nursing Practice (3) | 3 |
| NURS 802 | 4 | |
| NURS 895 | Applied Research in Nursing (3) | 3 |
| NURS 717 | Advanced Pathophysiology and Diagnostic Reasoning II (3) | 3 |
| Units | 9 | |
| Total Units | 86 | |
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)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 702 | Health Systems Management | 3 |
| NURS 703 | Education, Informatics, and eTechnology in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 706 | Health Care Policy and Nursing Leadership | 3 |
| NURS 711 | Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Life Span | 3 |
| NURS 715 | Pharmacological Principles Across the Life Span | 3 |
| NURS 716 | Advanced Pathophysiology and Diagnostic Reasoning I | 3 |
| NURS 717 | Advanced Pathophysiology and Diagnostic Reasoning II | 3 |
| NURS 720 | Epidemiology and Biostatistics in Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 721 | Program Planning and Financial Management in Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 732 | Ethics in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 794 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 801 | 4 | |
| NURS 802 | 4 | |
| NURS 895 | Applied Research in Nursing | 3 |
| or NURS 898 | Master's Thesis | |
The Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration
The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration requires 52 units and a total of 600 clinical hours. The FNP concentration is designed to prepare FNPs for primary care practice. The following courses are required in addition to the 44 units of RN-MSN required core courses. Family Nurse Practitioner students take NURS 810, NURS 804, and NURS 811 in lieu of NURS 702, NURS 801, and NURS 802.
Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration — 19 units
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 708 | Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care | 4 |
| NURS 804 | Professional Issues and Nurse Practitioner Skills | 3 |
| NURS 810 | Family Nursing Practitioner Practicum I | 4 |
| NURS 811 | Family Nursing Practitioner Practicum II | 4 |
| NURS 812 | Family Nursing Practitioner Practicum III | 4 |