Nursing - M.S.N., and Ph.D. Download to print

The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree comprises numerous concentrations in the Nursing major, as outlined below. Graduates are eligible to sit for national certification examination in their respective concentrations.

1. Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner graduates provide advanced nursing care to adults with complex, acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of acute care settings. The demand for acute care nurse practitioners corresponds with the rapid growth in complexity in the acute healthcare environment. Students are prepared to find positions in hospices, neurology, cardiology and other hospital services, and with physician groups.
2. Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates are eligible to sit for national certification as a clinical nurse specialist with a specialty in adult/gerontology. The didactic portion of the Clinical Nurse Specialist courses is offered online. Clinical practice accompanying the didactic courses is arranged with experienced, clinical nurse specialist preceptors in acute, long-term or community settings.
   
   The Adult/Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist curriculum fosters acquisition of Clinical Nurse Specialist role competencies with adult patients and their families. Class and clinical experiences focus on the health conditions ranging from wellness to acute care in a variety of settings with adult and gerontological populations. Students develop knowledge and skills in promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and organization effectiveness through competencies in direct care, consultation, education, program planning and evaluation.
3. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse: Nurse Practitioner Family graduates are prepared to focus their care on health promotion, risk detection, illness prevention and management of acute and chronic illnesses of children and adults. Students learn clinical judgment and primary care skills through faculty mentorship and clinical preceptors in a variety of ambulatory care settings and specialty clinics. Family nurse practitioners are employed in primary care offices, including family practice, internal medicine clinics, managed care offices, emergency rooms, free clinics, long-term care facilities, academic and occupational health settings.
4. Nurse Educators graduates are prepared for teaching roles as faculty in academic settings, staff development and continuing education. Students acquire advanced nursing knowledge in curriculum design, instruction and evaluation, apply educational theories and principles in curriculum development and evaluation and acquire skills in role development as an educator.
5. Nursing Healthcare Management prepares graduates for mid- and upper-level management positions in public and private health care organizations. Students integrate management and nursing knowledge and skills through courses and practica in management, health care leadership and advanced nursing.
6. Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates promote health, prevent illness, identify illness risk and provide acute and chronic care of children from birth to age 21. Pediatric clinical nurse specialist students are prepared to plan and individualize care for children and groups of children within the context of their families and communities to improve the quality of their lives. The clinical nurse specialist advanced practice role differs from the nurse practitioner role in that the focus is population-focused care family management and education and nursing staff support, rather than direct treatment. Pediatric clinical nurse specialists often provide education and support to staff nurses regarding implementation of evidence-based practice and new technology.
7. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners graduates are prepared to promote health, prevent illness, identify risk and provide advanced acute and chronic care of children from birth to age 21. Pediatric nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to serve children within the context of their families and provide individualized and culturally competent care. Pediatric nurse practitioners often work in doctors' offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics and specialty clinics, such as cardiology and gastroenterology, home healthcare settings and schools; students have supervised practica in these settings.
8. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse: Nurse Practitioner Adult - Gerontology Primary Care graduates gives a broad, comprehensive care to adults across the life span in ambulatory settings. Adult nurse practitioners focus their care on health promotion, risk detection, illness prevention and management of acute and chronic illnesses. Students are prepared to practice directly or in collaboration with other health professionals in order to maximize the effectiveness of community and health care system services. Nurse practitioners are employed in primary care offices, including internal medicine and family practice, clinics, managed care offices, emergency rooms, free clinics and occupational health settings.
9. Psychiatric Mental Health Family Nurse Practitioners graduates are prepared to administer advanced primary mental health care to individuals across the life span. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner role includes comprehensive psychiatric mental health assessment and diagnosis; medication management, and psycho therapeutic modalities such as individual family and group psychotherapy. Graduates preparation allows the Psychiatric Mental Health Family Nurse Practitioner to expand his/her role to include the use of evidence-based practice, health policy, leadership education, case management and consultation. All successful graduates meet requirements for the American Nurses Credentialing Center exam for the Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Graduates are eligible to apply for a certificate to prescribe from the Ohio Board of Nursing.
10. Women's Health Nurse Practitioners graduates focus on primary health care for women. Primary health care is first access to comprehensive care involving health promotion, disease prevention and nursing management of common acute and chronic conditions. Women's health nurse practitioners practice directly or in collaboration with other health professional to provide continuity of health care and to maximize the effectiveness of community and health care system services. Students learn clinical judgment and primary health care skills through faculty mentorship and clinical preceptorship in a variety of ambulatory care settings and specialty clinics.

Dual Degree with the Master of Business Administration is for experienced nurses whose career goals include assuming middle or executive management positions in health services agencies or in health-related companies, or who are interested in starting their own businesses. It combines the strengths of advanced nursing preparation with the practical management knowledge needed to develop significant leadership capabilities.

Dual Degree with the Master of Public Administration is for experienced nurses whose career goals include assuming middle or executive management positions in public agencies or health policy development. It combines the strengths of advanced nursing preparation with the practical management knowledge needed to develop significant leadership capabilities. Students in this dual degree program are declared in the Nursing Healthcare Management concentration.

The Ph.D. degree in Nursing is offered jointly between Kent State University and the University of Akron.

Admission into the M.S.N.:

Applicants to the master's program must have an active, unrestricted RN license in the State of Ohio (or the state where they practice); a baccalaureate and/or graduate degree from an accredited program (an RN with a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field will be considered); a minimum overall 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 point scale (if GPA is below 3.0, the Graduate Record Examination or Miller Analogy Test and/or other evidence of ability to complete graduate coursework may be required); successful completion of an undergraduate level statistics course; three letters of reference from a health care professional or academic faculty who can speak to the applicant's professional and academic abilities; a resume or curriculum vitae; a pre-admission interview, by telephone or in person, with the program director, and completion of a Candidate Statement defining professional goals and reasons for seeking a graduate nursing education.

The MSN/MBA or MSNI MPA concentrations require applicants to complete the GRE. International applicants must obtain a minimum internet TOEFL score of 83 or a minimum IEL TS score of 6.5 for admission.

Students selected for admission to the nursing program must meet compliance requirements prior to registering for courses.

Please refer to the university policy for graduate admission.

Admission into the Ph.D.: official transcript(s) from an accredited nursing program; BSN and MSN or master's in a closely related health field (a bachelor's degree in a closely related health field and MSN also will be considered); 3.0 GPA; GRE; current resume or curriculum vitae; three letters of recommendation; statement of career goals; statement of research interests; sample of written work; current unrestricted Ohio RN license or legally able to practice nursing in country of origin; and 550 TOEFL (PBT) for international students (applicants with scores greater than 525 but less than 550 will be considered for conditional admission).

Please refer to the university policy for graduate admission.

M.S.N.: The program requirements vary by concentration and by the dual-degree programs; however, all concentrations are four to five semesters (two full-time academic years) and typically require between 33-56 semester credit hours and 500-700 clinical hours. In most of the curriculum designs, 12-24 semester credits of courses are related to the area of clinical concentration, 9 semester credit hours to advanced nursing practice courses, and 12 credits to core courses related to theory development, research, ethics and culture, and health policy. All concentrations are four to five semesters (two full-time academic years) except for the dual-degree programs (see dual-degree programs). Part-time students typically take three to four years of study to complete their program; the university mandates a six year time limit in obtaining a master’s degree. Under selected circumstances and upon the consent of the advisor, petitions for extensions of an additional one year to completion may be submitted to the Program Director. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.
 

Grade Point Requirement

Only work of high quality is approved for graduate credit. Graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.000 average GPA in all work attempted at Kent State. A student who fails to maintain a 3.000 average is subject to dismissal. In addition, in order to qualify for graduation, a 3.000 average must be maintained for all graduate coursework. Grades below “C” (2.000) are not counted toward completion of requirements for any advanced degree, but are counted in evaluating a student’s grade point average. Only graduate course credits count toward a graduate degree.

A graduate student who receives a combination of more than 8 credit hours of “ B-“(2.700) or lower grades, or more than 4 credit hours of grades lower than “C” (2.000) is subject to dismissal. Dismissal may be recommended by the chair (or director) of the student’s department to the college dean, or the college dean may request the action of the department chair, or action may be recommended by the college dean’s designee.

Ph.D.: The joint program in nursing is a post-master’s degree requiring 72 semester credit hours including the dissertation. It consists of five components: (1) Nursing Knowledge Component (9 credit hours), (2) Research Methods, Designs and Statistics (24 credit hours), (3) Cognates (6 credit hours), (4) Health Care Policy (3 credit hours), and (5) Dissertation (30 credit hours). Students must demonstrate successful retention, application and integration of seven foundational courses by completion of a preliminary examination to progress to the seven advanced courses. At the conclusion of coursework, students sit for the candidacy examination. The examination provides the basis for evaluation of the student’s readiness for completing the dissertation. Successful defense of the dissertation is required for graduation.
 

M.S.N.:

1. Develop systems and strategies to promote health and fiscal outcomes across the healthcare continuum.
2. Provide expert advanced nursing care to populations relevant to clinical specialty.
3. Provide leadership and interdisciplinary consultation and collaboration appropriate to individual clinical specialty.
4. Synthesize sources of evidence for implementation and dissemination to improve healthcare outcomes.

Ph.D:

1. Students present or publish their research findings.

M.S.N.: The thesis is optional.

Ph.D.: A dissertation is required.

The College of Nursing is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.