Master of Science in Nursing

The pre-licensure MSN program is designed for non-nurses (with a bachelor's degree in something other than nursing) who wish to gain entry into the nursing profession. The MSN focuses on clinical excellence and ingenuity and prepares students to sit for the NCLEX-RN® licensure exam by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Students graduating with an MSN will be able to provide nursing care across the continuum of care and transition to some practice roles (e.g. nursing leadership) without returning to school for a graduate degree.

The master's program features higher-level learning opportunities and requirements, including:

• Interprofessional core courses focusing on whole-person wellness, social determinants of health and health equity, health care advocacy and systems change, resulting in the production of a social ingenuity e-folio
• Foundations of Nursing Practice course that is part of the professional nursing sequence
• Program and course outcomes reflecting higher-level learning domains
• Additional learning resources, reflecting higher-level learning requirements
• Holistic review of applications, which requires MSN applicants to submit materials reflecting higher-order thinking

Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree: A completed bachelor’s degree or graduate degree from an institution that is accredited by one of the regional accrediting organizations (e.g. Higher Learning Commission).
• Grade point average (GPA): A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the six prerequisite courses is strongly preferred, with a grade of C- or higher in each prerequisite.
• Successful completion of the American Heart Association Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider course (must be completed before starting the MSN program)

Prerequisites

At the time of application, four of the six prerequisites must be completed while two may be in process. All prerequisite courses must be completed before nursing classes begin.

Nursing entry-level prerequisite requirements:

• Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab
• Human Anatomy and Physiology II with lab
• Microbiology with lab
• Lifespan development psychology
• Chemistry with lab
• Statistics

Prerequisite courses must have been acquired within the last seven to 10 years.

If you have questions about your prerequisite courses and want us to evaluate if they meet our requirements, follow the link below to submit your unofficial transcripts and course syllabi.

The program is 20 months long, consisting of 56 total credits. The program will prepare you to use systematic assessment skills and diagnostics to prioritize health needs, implement professional nursing care for the whole person, and evaluate nursing interventions. You'll develop skills working as part of a collaborative, interprofessional team to formulate innovative, evidence-based solutions that optimize health outcomes and move the nursing profession forward. And throughout the program, you'll look at the nursing profession through a lens of social justice and health equity to ground your work in the dignity of each person.

The MSN program follows a cohort model, in which you will take pre-determined nursing courses with the same group of peers, allowing you to build a close network during your time at St. Thomas. Those who are admitted to the program with outstanding pre-requisites will complete their pre-requisites before beginning their first fall semester.

Students who complete the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

1. Synthesizes knowledge from liberal education for the provision of professional nursing care for the whole person and whole community.
2. Creates person-centered plans of care through therapeutic relationship, respect, holistic assessment, prioritization, intervention, and evaluation to achieve dignified health outcomes.
3. Advances the common good through ethical, moral and socially just nursing care for people and populations through health promotion, disease prevention, and emancipatory praxis.
4. Integrates clinical judgment, scholarship, and evidence-based nursing practice in the provision of care within complex systems. 
5. Leads through ingenuity, innovation, and multiple ways of knowing to proactively and continuously improve quality and safety in nursing practice and health care systems. 
6. Facilitates interprofessional teamwork that values similarities and differences to enhance and strengthen health outcomes.  
7. Manages information and communication technologies and informatics processes to provide quality nursing care. 
8. Creates change through advocacy, professionalism and leadership skills within complex systems to address quality improvement, patient safety, and healthy workplace culture in the practice setting.