The faculty in the College of Nursing offer a graduate program leading to the M.S. degree in Nursing. Concentrations are available in one of the following areas:

1. adult health nursing,
2. community health nursing,
3. community mental health/psychiatric nursing,
4. nursing administration, and
5. parent-child nursing with the tracks of the childbearing family and nursing of children.

The College of Nursing and the School of Health Administration and Policy also offer a concurrent M.H.S.A./M.S. in Nursing (with a concentration in nursing administration) degree program enabling students to pursue concurrent work in health services administration and nursing administration. See “Master of Health Services Administration” for information on the M.H.S.A. degree.

The purpose of the graduate program is to provide an academic environment that fosters scholarship, critical thinking, creativity, and prepares nurses for leadership as nurse specialists and beginning researchers. The graduate program offers advanced level courses that can be used as a base for doctoral study and for functional role development in teaching, management, or practice as a nurse practitioner.

The master’s program is designed to prepare the graduate to

1. synthesize advanced knowledge using concepts, theories, principles, and research from nursing, humanities, and sciences to develop advanced nursing practice knowledge which emphasizes the holistic approach;
2. demonstrate leadership, management, and teaching abilities in advanced nursing practice;
3. assume leadership, responsibility, and accountability for holistic therapeutic interventions within or across levels of care for diverse clients including individuals, families, groups, or communities;
4. participate in professional nursing organizations and political arenas;
5. participate in research and utilize research findings;
6. communicate scholarly ideas and professional knowledge to colleagues, other disciplines, and the public;
7. provide leadership in collaboration with clients and other health care professionals in the planning and delivery of holistic health care that is responsive to changing needs and societal trends;
8. examine critically the health of populations and related health care issues; and
9. demonstrate lifelong personal and professional learning.

Functional Areas. The curriculum also provides creative study in teaching, management, and clinical nurse practitioner role, including adult, pediatrics, women’s health, psychiatric, and family. In addition, students may pursue special interests, such as health problems of selected groups, or unique aspects of the student’s area of concentration.

MASTER OF SCIENCE

See “Master’s Degrees” for information on the M.S. degree.

Admission. See Graduate College general requirements.

Admission to graduate status in the College of Nursing is based upon meeting the following requirements:

1. junior or senior status or a cumulative GPA equal to 3.00 (4.00 = A);
2. a baccalaureate degree in nursing accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency;
3. current Arizona license to practice as a registered nurse and/or to enroll in some nursing practicum courses;
4. satisfactory completion of the Graduate Record Examination in the past five years with scores of 500 or higher in each of the three areas preferred;
5. one year of work experience in a relevant area of professional nursing (additional years may be required for nurse practitioner roles);
6. a descriptive statistics course in a college or university with a grade of “C” or higher, and an inferential statistics course with a grade of “B” or higher;
7. recommendations from three professional persons knowledgeable about the applicant’s academic and nursing leadership potential;
8. an interview with a representative of the specialty area;
9. eligibility for admission to the Graduate College;
10. completion of the TOEFL with a score of 550 or higher and of all requirements for the Commission on Foreign Graduate Nursing Schools (CFGNS) if considered an international student; and
11. completion of a baccalaureate level health assessment course within the preceding five years for all nurse practitioner programs.

Applicants who reside and work, or plan to reside and work in rural or medically underserved areas are encouraged to apply for admission. Applications to the program are due February 1.

Supervisory Committee. The dean of the Graduate College, upon recommendation of the College of Nursing associate dean for Graduate Programs and Research, appoints the supervisory committee. The supervisory committee recommends the program of study, administers any special qualifying examinations, administers the final oral examination, and approves the thesis or the nonthesis option project.

Program of Study. The program of study for the M.S. degree consists of a minimum of 40 semester hours for the nursing administration and community health areas and 47–53 hours for nurse practitioner role specialty areas.

The program of study for the M.S. degree in Nursing requires the completion of a strong research component. This requirement can be accomplished by either of two pathways: (1) completion of the required research course and six hours of thesis or (2) completion of the nonthesis option that includes the required research course (three hours), the research utilization course (three hours), the applied project course (one hour), and a presentation of the completed requirements. The completed project and presentation are evaluated by the student’s supervisory committee.

Foreign Language Requirements. None.

Degree Requirements. The student must successfully complete the following as defined by the supervisory committee and as approved by the dean of the Graduate College:

1. the program of study,
2. comprehensive written examination as required, and
3. thesis and final oral examination in defense of the thesis or nonthesis option project.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The faculty and student research projects of the College of Nursing reflect a wide array of research interests. Studies have focused on the nursing profession, the nursing process, and the broad spectrum of health promotion, health maintenance, and developmental processes pertinent to nursing and health care.

Examples of faculty research include research in the area of minorities, such as studies on the utilization of health care by Latino mothers and their children; Latino and non-Latino caregivers of the elderly; African American women and cardiovascular disease; health care of Native Americans; and battering in pregnant Latino women. Additional research focuses on the special health needs of homeless children; care of the elderly, including home health care; sociocultural influences on functional health in women; chronic illness in children and adults; family violence; various women’s health issues; pediatric infectious diseases and family communication; children’s temperament; biomedical ethics, clinical decision making, and community health nursing.

Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.

1998–99 Graduate Catalog Table of Contents

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