The Department of Nursing offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Science in Nursing with three concentrations:  1) Population Health for Clinical Leaders, 2) Nurse Educator, and 3) Advanced Community/Public Health Nursing. The program is designed to educate professional nurses for practice, leadership, and service in culturally diverse, pluralistic communities. Graduates of the MS in Nursing program will work collaboratively with other health care providers and participate effectively in interprofessional health care delivery.

The Population Health for Clinical Leaders concentration prepares the graduate to apply a population-focused perspective in delivery of expert nursing care in a wide range of clinical settings. The Nurse Educator concentration prepares the graduate for nurse educator positions in both academic and clinical settings. The concentration in Advanced Community/Public Health prepares the graduate to deliver expert nursing care to community-based populations in positions in public health departments, home health agencies, and other community-based organizations.

CSUSB MS in Nursing Requirements:

A "B" (3.0) average is required to remain in good standing in the CSUSB MS in Nursing program.

Admission to the Program

In addition to the general requirements of the university, specific requirements for admission to classified graduate status are:

1. A baccalaureate degree in nursing from a CCNE-accredited program, OR a regionally-accredited baccalaureate degree in a discipline related to nursing;
   1. Applicants with non-nursing baccalaureate degrees or with a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a Department of Education-recognized accrediting body other than CCNE must meet competencies as defined in the AACN Essesntials of Baccalaureate Education which include but are not limited to:
      1. Health assessment
      2. Research
      3. Leadership
      4. Community/public health

Competency may be verified through completed courses, credit by examination, certification, or documented professional expertise in the subject. Applicants are encouraged to discuss options with the Graduate Coordinator.

1. 3.0 ("B") minimum GPA calculated according to recommended practice of the CSUSB Graduate Council;
2. Current California registered nurse (RN) license, unencumbered, unrestricted, with no disciplinary action pending or imposed.
3. Three (3) satisfactory letters of professional recommendation;
4. Personal statement;
5. Successful completion of an undergraduate statistics course.

Applicants may consult the information on the Department of Nursing webpage for details about the significant clinical compliance requirements that must be met upon admission to the MS in Nursing program.

Advancement to Candidacy

In order to be advanced to candidacy, the student must have:

1. Achieved classified status;
2. Completed at least 20 semester units of course work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 ("B"), approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator;
3. Filed an approved Program Plan for completion of the graduate degree. The degree program must be prepared in consultation with the faculty advisor and approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Dean of Graduate Studies;
4. Demonstrated professional competence and integrity in academic and clinical practice settings.

Requirements for Graduation

In addition to the general requirements of the university:

1. Advancement to candidacy for the MS degree in nursing;
2. Fulfillment of the semester units and clinical hours, as designated by the Program concentration; 
3. Maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 ("B") and a minimum grade of "B-" (2.7) for each individual course;
4. Complete 24 units in residency for students in the Population Health for Clinical Leaders concentration, 27 units in residency for students in the Nurse Educator concentration, and 23 units in residency for students in the Advanced Community Nursing concentration;

5. The Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement is met by one of the following options:
   Earn a grade of B or better in an upper division undergraduate writing course
   Achieve an acceptable standardized test score on the Writing section of the Graduate Record Exam;

6. Successfully complete the comprehensive examination, which includes completing NURS 6901 and NURS 6980

Degree Requirements (32-38 units)

Core Requirements (20)
NURS 6011	Preparation for Success in Graduate Education	1
NURS 6000	Population Health Assessment	4
NURS 6100	Program Planning and Evaluation	4
NURS 6200	Health Policy Leadership	2
NURS 6308	Advanced Nursing Roles	1
NURS 6455	Advanced Nursing Research	3
NURS 6558	Advanced Nursing Theory	2
NURS 6880	Advanced Role Practicum	2
NURS 6901	Preparation for Comprehensive Examination	1
Culminating Experience (0)		0
Concentration (12-18)
Students must choose one concentration from the list below:		12-18
Total Units		32-38

Culminating Experience (0 units)

NURS 6980	Comprehensive Examination	0
Total Units		0

The written comprehensive examination is an integrative examination designed to assess the student's ability to think critically, integrate knowledge of the discipline of nursing, and demonstrate mastery of core and specialty/concentration competencies. Students may enroll in the examination no earlier than the last term in which coursework is taken and must be advanced to candidacy one term before taking the comprehensive examination. Students who do not receive a passing score may petition the Department of Nursing Graduate Affairs Committee to retake the exam within one year. After an exam failure, the candidate and advisor will discuss actions necessary for remediation of shortcomings. For more information related to the comprehensive examination process and scheduling contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Concentrations (12-18 units)

Population Health for Clinical Leaders (13 units)

(Program Code: NPBA)

NURS 6425	Epidemiology & Biostatistics	4
NURS 6435	Health Informatics	3
NURS 6575	Quality, Safety, Outcomes, & Case Management	3
NURS 6585	Organizational Leadership for Population Health	3
Total Units		13

Nurse Educator (18 units)

(Program Code: NRNE)

NURS 5411	Advanced Health Assessment Across the Life Span	3
NURS 5422	Advanced Pathophysiology	3
NURS 5433	Advanced Pharmacology	3
NURS 6588	Nursing Education: Curriculum and Instruction	3
NURS 6598	Nursing Education: Assessment and Evaluation	3
NURS 6608	Nursing Education: Technology for Instruction & Evaluation	3
Total Units		18

Advanced Community/Public Health Nursing (12 units)

(Program Code: NCNS)

NURS 6425	Epidemiology & Biostatistics	4
NURS 6435	Health Informatics	3
NURS 6548	Transcultural Healthcare	3
NURS 6752	Advanced Community/Public Health Internship	2
Total Units		12