COURSE CURRICULUM

The Direct Entry Master of Nursing program requires the completion of 63 graduate credits and approximately 860 clinical hours designed to prepare students for careers as Registered Nurses and Clinical Nurse Leaders. The curriculum combines advanced nursing theory, clinical training, healthcare leadership, and evidence-based practice to ensure students develop the skills needed to manage patient care across a variety of healthcare settings. Students begin with foundational courses such as Health Policy and Nursing Practice, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Reasoning Through Simulation, and Health Assessment and Clinical Nursing Theory, which provide a strong understanding of healthcare systems, disease processes, patient assessment, and clinical decision-making. Clinical components accompany several major courses, allowing students to apply classroom learning in real healthcare environments through supervised patient care experiences. The program includes specialized study in chronic disease management, mental health nursing, acute and complex care, maternal and family healthcare, leadership in healthcare, and population health. Students also complete advanced coursework in physical assessment and physiology across the lifespan, preparing them to manage increasingly complex patient needs. A significant focus of the program is leadership development through the Clinical Nurse Leader track. Students complete Clinical Nursing Leadership coursework along with a 300-hour clinical leadership experience that emphasizes coordination of care, healthcare quality improvement, patient safety, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The program culminates in the Clinical Nurse Leader Capstone, which combines a major project with an additional 200 clinical hours designed to integrate knowledge gained throughout the degree. Students also study Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice, strengthening their ability to apply scientific research and healthcare data to clinical decision-making and patient care improvement. Across the program, students gain extensive practical experience through simulation training, direct patient care, clinical immersion, and leadership-based healthcare experiences. By combining graduate-level nursing education with intensive clinical preparation and healthcare leadership training, the program prepares graduates to provide high-quality patient care, improve healthcare delivery systems, manage complex clinical situations, and pursue professional opportunities in hospitals, community healthcare organizations, specialty care settings, and other advanced nursing environments.