Master of Science in Nursing

The 🌐 icon appears in the title of traditional courses that are also available as a set of module courses.  

Description and Outcomes

The Master of Science in Nursing program is designed to build on previous nursing education and clinical experience, prepare you to pursue advanced practice in a variety of health care settings, and lay a foundation to pursue doctoral education. The overall purpose of the master's degree program is to provide graduate education for advanced nursing roles that respond to the needs of individuals, families, and communities.

The program of study includes completion of the core curriculum, concentration or population focus area courses, and an evidence-based project proposal. The core courses focus on the acquisition of a theoretical base in nursing, evidence-based decision making, health policy, financing and organization of the health care delivery system, advanced practice issues, ethics, health promotion and disease prevention, and biostatistics.

This program is available in ExcelTrack. Speak with your University representative for any limitations. For more information on ExcelTrack, see Learning Paths in the Approach to Learning section of the Catalog.

Concentrations and Population Focus Areas

You will choose from concentrations and population focus areas designed to provide further knowledge in your chosen specialty and your specific advanced role: executive leader; nurse educator; family nurse practitioner, primary care; adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner; adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner; or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information. Refer to the Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams section for important program disclosure information.

The executive leader concentration is designed to prepare you to pursue managerial positions and leadership roles in hospitals, community health, long-term care facilities, and other health care systems. Upon graduation, you may be prepared to sit for the Nurse Executive or the Nurse Executive, Advanced, certification examinations (depending on the level of leadership with your organization) provided by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The nurse educator concentration prepares nurses to address health care problems in a variety of settings. Learn to effectively teach patients and their families, provide staff development programs, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, and instruct undergraduate nursing students through the application of advanced nursing knowledge, learning theories, and curricular development and instructional design techniques. The nurse educator concentration contributes to the preparation for the National League for Nursing's Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) examination and/or the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Nursing Professional Development board certification examination.

The family and adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner population focus areas are designed to educate you on the topics of how to best provide primary care as a member of an interprofessional team and improve the availability of evidence-based, culturally relevant health care in diverse communities. The curriculum helps you develop the skills to evaluate the health and wellness of individuals, families, and their communities. The nurse practitioner is expected to possess skills in diagnosing, treating, and managing acute and chronic health conditions, to deliver primary and preventive care, and to participate in the development of appropriate policy and evidence-based practice.

The adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner population focus area is designed to prepare registered nurses as practitioners for professional practice in the medical, surgical, and critical care management of acutely ill adult patient populations. Graduates may expect to practice in acute and complex care settings in roles such as a hospitalist in a medical-surgical unit or an intensivist in a general or specialty critical care unit. Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners function within the interprofessional acute care team providing direct care management including diagnosis and treatment planning.

The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner population focus area is designed for master’s prepared nurses who want to obtain further knowledge to provide comprehensive psychiatric mental health care through the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of psychiatric mental health disorders, medical organic brain disorders, substance abuse problems, and complex co-occurring disease processes and disorders across the lifespan. Graduates may expect to practice in acute care and primary care settings in hospitals, community mental health centers, home health care, partial hospital care, residential settings, prisons, or private practices as well as in collaborative practices with other specialties. Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners function within the interprofessional acute care or primary care team providing direct care management including diagnosis, treatment planning, conducting therapy, prescribing psychotropic medications, and providing emergency psychiatric services.

Note: the Master of Science in Nursing program's adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, primary care, and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner population focus areas are not available in all states. Refer to Program Availability Information for details.

Clinical Practice Experiences

If you choose the executive leader or nurse educator concentration, you will complete a clinical experience designed to provide the opportunity for application of theoretical knowledge while working with a mentor. 

If you choose the family nurse practitioner, primary care; adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner; adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner; or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner population focus area, you will complete a series of clinical practice sessions designed to provide the opportunity for application of theoretical knowledge while working with a designated, qualified preceptor. The adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner population focus area requires a virtual reality immersive learning acute care skills experience. The psychiatric mental health population focus area requires immersive learning experiences which are embedded in specific courses.

Refer to the School of Nursing’s Progression Requirements section for additional requirements for clinical experiences.

Program Length

The Master of Science in Nursing program consists of a minimum of 60 to 90 quarter credit hours, depending on your specialty. Upon successful completion of the program, you will be awarded a master of science degree.

Program Outcomes

  1. Synthesize theory and research-based knowledge that reflects the distinct and shared perspectives of nursing and other disciplines to form a foundation for clinical judgment and nursing practice.
  2. Develop holistic, culturally competent, and compassionate person-centered care through the planning and management of evidence-based practice for individuals, families, and populations. 
  3. Design partnerships that create equitable health policy and determine the socioeconomic impact of population health management. 
  4. Integrate evidence from current and relevant scholarly research that contributes to optimal, ethical, and equitable care delivery. 
  5. Create a culture of safety that incorporates evidence-based practice principles in quality care delivery for patients by the health care team while in the clinical setting. 
  6. Apply principles of effective team leadership to foster interprofessional collaboration and communication that reflect shared values among health care partners. 
  7. Differentiate levels of clinical judgment within complex health care systems to coordinate cost-effective resources to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations. 
  8. Analyze information and communication technologies to deliver effective care and improve outcomes for patients, communities, and populations in accordance with ethical, legal, professional, and regulatory standards. 
  9. Show professionalism through the delivery of diverse, equitable, and inclusive nursing care while maintaining accountability to all legal, societal, and professional norms that are reflected within the professional codes of nursing. 
  10. Formulate leadership practices that promote a commitment to fostering personal well-being, resiliency, flexibility, and professional maturity while supporting the nursing profession.

Professional Competencies

In addition to the discipline-specific outcomes, professional competencies are integrated throughout your academic program. You can review the professional competencies associated with your academic program in the Professional Competencies section of this Catalog.

Program Availability

For program availability, please refer to the U.S. State and Other Approvals section and Program Availability Information.

Policies

Admissions Requirements

You must meet the below admissions requirements in addition to Purdue Global's general requirements.

If applying for admission, you must submit the following:

  1. A transcript indicating receipt of a bachelor's degree with an upper-level major in nursing and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher from an accredited institution. Refer to the Admissions Requirements for more information on prior degree submission. If you have not completed a statistics course and a nursing research course with a grade of “C” or better as part of your bachelor's degree in nursing, you must complete them before enrollment in NU504 🌐 Scientific and Analytic Approaches to Advanced Evidence-Based Practice. If you choose to take the required statistics course at the University, you will have all course-level prerequisites waived.
  2. An approved criminal background check.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Population Focus Area

If applying for admission, you must submit a current, professional resume or curriculum vitae that verifies you have a minimum of one year of recent full-time practice (2,000 hours) as a registered nurse in a critical care setting that the School of Nursing has determined addresses the clinical skills and experience needed to serve as a basis for entering an acute care nurse practitioner program. Acceptance into the program is determined by the School of Nursing's review of your professional resume or curriculum vitae.

Prior to enrollment, you must provide evidence of current advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification. Your ACLS certification must remain current during the course of your enrollment.

Graduates of Purdue Global's Bachelor of Science in Nursing―RN-to-BSN

As a graduate of the University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing―RN-to-BSN program who enters the Master of Science in Nursing program, you may have already satisfied specific core requirements and will complete a condensed program of graduate study.

Progression Requirements

  1. You can enroll in no more than two courses per term, unless approved by the Dean of the School of Nursing.
  2. You will complete clinical courses as part of the requirements for the population focus area or concentration. You are required to follow University Catalog and School of Nursing Handbook requirements in completion of your clinical courses.
  3. You may not use credit for prior learning to fulfill NU501 🌐 Advanced Nursing Roles, unless you are a graduate of Purdue Global's Bachelor of Science in Nursing—RN-to-BSN program. In addition, you may not use credit for prior learning to fulfill any courses in the executive leader or nurse educator concentrations unless you have approval from the Dean of the School of Nursing. If none of these exceptions apply, these courses must be completed at the University. If you are enrolled in the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, or family nurse practitioner, primary care population focus area, you may apply transfer credit toward the following focus area courses only:
    1.  NU551 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan 
    2. NU552 🌐 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 
    3. NU553 Advanced Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics 
  4. If you are enrolled in the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner population focus area, you must complete the virtual reality immersive learning acute care skills experience. 
  5. If you are enrolled in the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner population focus area, you must complete immersive learning experiences. 

Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams

Certain state certification and licensure boards have specific educational requirements for programs to lead to a license or certification that is a precondition for employment in a recognized occupation. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Unless otherwise specified, Purdue Global's programs are not designed to meet any specific state’s licensure or certification requirements. Licensure-track programs may limit enrollment to students in certain states; please see Purdue Global’s Program Availability Information to determine enrollment eligibility.

You are responsible for understanding the requirements of optional certification exams. Such requirements may change during the course of your program. You are not automatically certified in any way upon program completion. Although certain programs are designed to prepare you to take various optional certification exams, Purdue Global cannot guarantee you will be eligible to take these exams or become certified. Your eligibility may depend on your work experience, completion of education and/or degree requirements, not having a criminal record, and meeting other certification requirements.

Upon completion of the executive leader concentration and meeting the requirements of the certifying organization, you may be eligible to sit for the Nurse Executive or the Nurse Executive, Advanced, certification examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the Certified in Executive Nursing Practice certification exam through the American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

Upon completion of the nurse educator concentration, you may be prepared to sit for the National League for Nursing's Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) examination.

Upon completion of the family nurse practitioner, primary care population focus area, you may be eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Family Nurse Practitioner certification or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’ Family Nurse Practitioner certification. These are primary care certifications. After earning either certification, you may be academically eligible for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse in any state in which the program is available for enrollment. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Upon completion of the adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner population focus area, you may be eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’ Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification. After earning either certification, you may be academically eligible for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse in any state in which the program is available for enrollment. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Upon completion of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner population focus area, you may be eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification or the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification. After earning either certification, you may be academically eligible for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse in any state in which the program is available for enrollment. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Upon completion of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner population focus area, you may be eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification. This certification is for populations across the lifespan. After earning the certification, you may be academically eligible for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse in any state in which the program is available for enrollment. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Please note that most states require nurses to be nationally certified and to have completed an accredited graduate nursing program in order to obtain licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse. Each national certification provider and state Board of Nursing will have eligibility requirements in addition to these educational requirements, such as passing a criminal background check. It is your responsibility to determine whether you will be eligible for state Board of Nursing approval and certification as an advanced practice registered nurse in your state. Please visit the following websites for more information: