Department of Nursing Graduate Program

MSN role specialization and CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Nursing Graduate Program offers the M.S.N education in two role specializations:

• Comprehensive M.S.N. (Major Code 5703) 
  The Comprehensive MSN program prepares students to function at an advanced nursing practice level in complex environments. This degree allows students to tailor their nursing education around specific role specializations. Students will take the advanced clinical nursing courses of Pathophysiology, Pharmacotherapeutics, and Advanced Assessment to enhance clinical practice at an advanced level. Praxis coursework is personalized to address each student's specific learning objectives as well as current national guidelines for practice at the graduate level. Graduates work in hospitals, outpatient settings, administrative positions, educator positions, and in collaborative practice with physicians and other health care providers, and schools of nursing. This program of study is available all online.

• Family Nurse Practitioner M.S.N. (Major Code 5707)
  A Nurse Practitioner is a registered nurse with advanced education who is able to assess, diagnoses (nursing and medical), manage (including prescribing), and evaluate care for persons who are ill, injured, and / or have chronic diseases. Health promotion and disease prevention are integral in the NP's practice. The FNP practices independently and autonomously within the nurse practitioner scope of practice, and collaboratively with physicians and other health care providers. The FNP specialization program prepares students for advanced practice nursing providing primary healthcare in diverse areas (e.g. underserved areas, clinics, occupational settings, independent practice.) This results in improved access to primary healthcare. The program is available on campus.
   
• POST Master Family Nurse Practitioner M.S.N. (Major Code 5702)
  The Post MSN FNP is designed as a certificate course of study that enables a practicing nurse who holds a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree to prepare for credentialing as an FNP. Upon completion of the prescribed course of study, the student's transcript indicates that he/she has completed the educational preparation as regulated by the Texas Board of Nursing. The students are eligible to take a national FNP certification exam.

Program accreditation and WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The graduate program at WTAMU is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and is based on the latest standards for nursing education. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to:

• Integrate scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, quality improvement, and organization sciences for the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings.
• Recognize that organization and systems leadership are critical to the promotion of high quality and safe patient care..
• Be articulate in the methods, tools, performance measures and standards related to quality.
• Apply research outcomes within practice settings, work as a change agent, and disseminate results.
• Use patient-care technologies to deliver and enhance care and use communication technologies to integrate and coordinate care.
• Intervene at the systems level through policy development and advocacy strategies.
• Communicate, collaborate and consult with other health professionals.
• Integrate organizational skills for client-centered, culturally appropriate concepts in the planning, delivery, management and evaluation in prevention strategies for identified populations.
• Integrate knowledge into practice.

The Comprehensive M.S.N. Degree educates students to speciallize in the following areas:

• Nursing informatics
• Quality improvement
• Case management
• Patient advocate
• Utilization management
• Clinical coordinator
• Holistic nursing
• Patient/unit educator
• Nursing management
• School nursing
• Community nursing
• Instructor, school of nursing
• Clinical specializations (e.g. pediatric, acute care, gerontologic)

The FNP M.S.N. Degree educates students to be eligibile to sit for the Advanced Practice Family Nurse Practitioner Exam from the Board of Nursing. FNPs specialize in the following areas:

• Primary Healthcare
• Underserved Access to Healthcare Areas
• Clinics
• Occupational Settings
• Independent Practice

CAREER CLOSE-UP

MSN Wage Range  
(WTAMU) - $40,000 - $90,000

Median MSN wage (TX) - $80.000

MSN Admission information

Eligible M.S.N. applicants will:

• Hold a B.S.N. degree from a CCNE or NLN accredited school of nursing; or be eligible through WTAMU's RN to MSN accelerated program.
• Hold an active, unrestricted RN license in the state in which practica will be completed.
• Have a minimum last 60 hour GPA of a 3.0, with no grade below a C for the last 60 hours taken.
• Completed a basic undergraduate level statistics course with a grade of C or higher.
• Provide verification of current CPR certification and required immunizations.
• FNP applicants will provide verification of at least two years of recent clinical practice as an RN before starting FNP specialty coursework.
• Understand the Use of Technology requirements.

Eligible applicants will submit:

•  The completed Nursing Graduate Application
• The $50 nursing application fee
• Verification of eligibility requirements listed above,

by April 1, for a fall start or November 1, for a spring start.

GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION;
MSN applicants also need to apply to the Graduate School for university admission. Please see the Graduate School webpage for more information on apply to the university.

PLAN of study

Comprehensive role specialization coursework: NURS 6120, 6303, 6314, 6315, 6317, 6318, 6320, 6321, 6322, 6323, 6384 and three electives.
NOTE: If thesis option is selected, delete NURS 6120 and two electives and replace with NURS 6301 and 6302. (39-40 credit hours).

FNP role specialization courswork:  NURS 6120, 6303, 6315, 6316, 6317, 6318, 6320, 6384, 6611, 6712, 6713, 6490; (46 credit hours).

For course information, consult the University catalog.

RN to MSN accelerated OPTION

WTAMU offers an accelerated RN to MSN option for associate degreed nurses seeking an M.S.N. degree. Please see RN to BSN nursing webpage for more details.

contact us

For more information on the Nursing Graduate Program, please contact Deanna Moore at 806-651-2654 or dmoore@wtamu.edu.

For more information on the Graduate School, please contact Karen Lane at 806-651-2739 or KLane@wtamu.edu.

PROGRAM COSTS