Students who are seeking to become a licensed, registered nurse and have already completed a baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than nursing may choose to apply to the Direct Entry MSN program.

Students who have their B.S.N. and are a licensed, registered nurse may select from the two areas of specialization. Nursing Education prepares students for employment in an academic or community/hospital/agency setting, while Nursing Leadership prepares students for employment in administrative/management and leadership positions in the healthcare industry. This innovative and flexible online program prepares the professional nurse for leadership, advanced nursing roles, and doctoral studies. The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) consists of 39 semester hours (sh) of coursework. 

Admission Requirements

In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant: 

• An earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an NLNAC, ACEN, or CCNE accredited nursing program with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale OR a 3.0 (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 hours of coursework on the BSN.
• Completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a grade of "C" or better.
• Students who, for academic or disciplinary reasons, are not eligible to register in the college or university last attended will not be admitted for graduate study. 
• Possess a current unencumbered Registered Nurse license to practice nursing in a state or territory of the United States. 
• Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
• Approval by the School of Nursing Recruitment, Admissions, Retention, and Progression (RARP) Committee. Admission to this program is competitive and selective. 

If an applicant is unable to meet the above criteria, they may petition the School of Nursing RARP Committee and request a special review.   

Express Admission: Students seeking express admission must possess a current unencumbered Registered Nurse license to practice nursing in a state or territory of the United States by the end of the first semester of enrollment to progress in the program.

Please note that upon admission the M.S.N. student will receive information concerning current UWF School of Nursing requirements for enrollment. These include, but are not limited to: physical examination and immunizations; Level 2 criminal background check; drug screen; VECHS fingerprinting; AHA BCLS certification; proof of professional liability insurance; and proof of personal health insurance.

Progression Requirements

Students in the M.S.N. Education and Leadership program tracks are admitted in cohort groups to ensure that courses will be offered in the sequence and semesters needed to complete a Program of Study (POS) in a timely manner. Students may progress on a full-time or part-time basis but all M.S.N. courses must be completed within 6 years from admission. Should a student need to alter their plan of study, contact with the program advisor is necessary to ensure the student's eligibility through educational records and academic standings as well as space availability in the courses.

• Students are required to earn a "B" in all courses (Minimal 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale).
• Students may repeat the same nursing course only once, and on a space-available basis before mandatory withdrawal from the nursing major.
• Students are allowed to repeat two different nursing courses before mandatory withdrawal from the nursing major.

Degree Requirements

Students wishing to earn an M.S.N. must successfully complete by earning a course grade of "B" in both the core courses and the specialty courses.

M.S.N. Core (12 sh)

Nursing Leadership Specialization

M.S.N Core (12 sh)

See Program Requirements

Nursing Leadership Specialization (27 sh)

Education Specialization

M.S.N Core (12 sh)

See Program Requirements

Education Specialization (27 sh)

Direct Entry M.S.N.

The Master of Science in Nursing: Entry into Practice "direct entry" (DEMSN) is a full-time five-semester nursing program for non-nursing college graduates who wish to become registered nurses (RNs). The DEMSN program prepares students in the provision of evidence-based nursing care with an emphasis on care coordination to a diverse patient population along the wellness/illness continuum across all care settings. The curriculum provides basic nursing knowledge and practice expertise enhanced with master’s coursework in areas such as advanced assessment, advanced pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology, and population health and promotion. Students complete over 600 clinical hours in clinical areas such as labor and delivery, medical surgical, pediatrics, population/public health, and mental health. The program prepares students to enter the nursing profession as master's credentialed registered nurses better prepared to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system. At the end of the program, graduates receive a Master of Science degree in Nursing and sit for the nationwide test for licensing registered nurses - the National Council Licensure Examination - RN (NCLEX-RN).

This is a specialized access program and acceptance to the University does not constitute admission to the program. A separate application must be made to the School of Nursing.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the University's general admission requirements as described in the Graduate Admissions section of the catalog, students seeking admission to the DEMSN program must meet the following additional requirements at the time of application:

• Must have earned a bachelor's degree.
• Minimum overall GPA 3.0 on 4.0 scale.
• Minimum score of 75% on TEAS entrance exam.
• Letter of recommendation with a supervisor/professor with a non-electronic signature (academic/vocational) on school or company letterhead.
• Resume.
• Written essay criteria: Typed, double-spaced, APA format, clear, concise, approximately 500 words:
  • Describe the alignment of your personal values and the profession of nursing.
  • Identify your areas of interest as well as your professional goals.
  • Describe a relevant life experience or academic accomplishment that has prepared you for success in this program.
• Completed all General Education baccalaureate degree requirements including foreign language.
• Completed all Nursing common prerequisites with a grade of "B" or better.
• Documentation of required Nursing Program immunizations.

There will be 1 admission per year for the fall semester. Dates for admission are posted on the School of Nursing website.

Upon admission, the DEMSN student will receive information concerning current UWF Nursing requirements for enrollment. These include, but may not be limited to: student health physical examination; hospital required immunizations; Level 2 criminal background check; VECHS fingerprinting; AHA BCLS certification; and drug screen.

Nursing Common Prerequisites

NOTE: Nursing prerequisites must have a grade of B or higher and cannot be older than 10 years at the time you are applying for admission.

Degree Requirements

A minimum grade of "B" is required in all major courses. All students must pass an ATI program exit exam in NGR 6605 Care of Persons Across the Lifespan - Transition to Professional Nursing Practice to qualify for graduation and the RN licensing exam.

Major

Progression

The following requirements must be met to remain and progress in the DEMSN program track:

• Course grades of B or higher in graded nursing courses, and satisfactory ("S") grades in nursing clinical (laboratory) courses, are required to remain in the program.
• A student may only have one nursing course grade below B or one clinical (laboratory) course of Unsatisfactory ("U") to be eligible for readmission.
• Withdrawing from a nursing course is considered the same as receiving below a B in a graded course or an Unsatisfactory ("U") in a clinical (laboratory) course and requires an application for readmission to the DEMSN program. Students who withdraw from two or more courses may not be eligible for readmission.
• If readmitted to the nursing program, students may repeat a nursing course (including clinical) one time only and must successfully pass the course on the second attempt to remain in the program.
• Students who receive less than a passing grade of B in a nursing course or an Unsatisfactory ("U") in a clinical (laboratory) course will receive academic advising to develop an individualized revised academic plan of study.
• Students repeating a nursing clinical course must also repeat the nursing course component. Conversely, if the student is repeating a nursing course, the associated nursing clinical/laboratory course must be repeated also.
• Due to the critical nature of remediation with regard to NCLEX scores, students are required to complete all assigned remediation following Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI)  mastery exams as well as assigned ATI mastery exam retakes at a Level 2 Proficiency in order to progress in the program.

Program Dismissal

Failure to maintain the academic and professional standards as specified in the nursing program handbook may result in dismissal from the program.

ADDENDUM - 7/31/2023

Nursing Education Certificate

This innovative and flexible online graduate certificate program prepares the professional nurse for leadership, advanced nursing roles, and doctoral studies. The Master of Science in Nursing Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education consists of 18 semester hours of coursework. The Nursing Education Certificate prepares students for employment in academic or community/hospital/agency settings.

Students will complete 300 practicum hours in academic and clinical education settings. Students with direct care hours documented in their academic transcript may request a waiver for NGR 6710 (3CH) & NGR 6710L (3CH) making the program a 12 credit program with 200 practicum hours.

Admission Requirements 

In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:

• An earned Master of Science in Nursing degree from an NLNAC, ACEN, or CCNE accredited nursing program with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a grade of "C" or better.
• Students who, for academic or disciplinary reasons, are not eligible to register in the college or university last attended will not be admitted for graduate study.
• Possess a current unencumbered Registered Nurse license to practice nursing in a state or territory of the United States.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
• Approval by the School of Nursing Recruitment, Admissions, Retention, and Progression (RARP) Committee. Admission to this program is competitive and selective.

If an applicant is unable to meet the above criteria, they may petition the School of Nursing RARP Committee and request a special review.

Progression Requirements

Students in the Nursing Education Graduate Certificate Program are admitted in cohort groups to ensure that courses will be offered in the sequence and semesters needed to complete a Program of Study (POS) in a timely manner. Students may progress on a full-time or part-time basis but all graduate certificate courses must be completed within 6 years from admission. Should a student need to alter their plan of study, contact with the program advisor is necessary to ensure the student's eligibility through educational records and academic standings as well as space availability in the courses.

• Students are required to earn a "B" in all courses (Minimal 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale).
• Students may repeat the same nursing course only once, and on a space-available basis before mandatory withdrawal from the nursing program.
• Students are allowed to repeat two different nursing courses before mandatory withdrawal from the nursing program.

Program Requirements

Students wishing to earn a graduate certificate must successfully complete by earning a course grade of "B" in all nursing courses. 

Total practicum hours = 300 hours. Practicum hours can be done in the student’s local area with prior practicum site/preceptor approval. Students should plan for an academic and clinical practicum site. 

*

Students with direct care hours documented in their academic transcript may request a waiver for NGR 6710 (3CH) & NGR 6710L (3CH) making the program a 12 credit program with 200 practicum hours.