Dr. Katherine Lindgren, Director
(423) 425-4646 or email at Kay-Lindgren@utc.edu
The Master of Science in Nursing prepares professional nurses for advanced practice as educators, administrators, family nurse practitioners, or nurse anesthetists.
Advanced practice nurses are prepared to meet the changing needs of the health care system. The emphasis is on critical thinking and the development of knowledge and skills that translate into expert practice. Graduates are equipped for entry into doctoral study.
Eligibility Requirements for Participation in the Nursing Program
Nursing is a practice discipline, with cognitive, sensory, affective, and psychomotor performance requirements. The faculty of the School of Nursing has identified the skills and professional behaviors that are essential to practice as a professional nurse. These are identified as eligibility requirements for participation in the nursing program and are known as Core Performance Standards. These standards are adopted from the Southern Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing (SCCEN) and are congruent with the skills presented in the document entitled Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing (2009), a publication of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. In order to progress in the nursing curriculum, a student must be capable of performing the duties required of a professional nurse. If these practice standards cannot be achieved by the students, either unassisted or with dependable use of associative devices, the faculty reserves the right to disenroll the student from clinical courses. Potential students are provided copies of the Core Performance Standards upon request. A copy of the Essentials of College and University Education for Professional Nursing is available for review at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/index.htm.
Admission
Applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing program must meet the general UTC Graduate School requirements of graduation from a regionally accredited college or university with at least a 2.7 GPA. In addition, the following admission requirements must be met:
- A baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from a National League for Nursing or Collegiate Council on Education accredited program.
- Cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate courses, including completion of three semester hours in statistics, three semester hours in physical assessment, and three semester hours in research.
- Current licensure as a registered nurse in Tennessee or eligibility for a Tennessee license. Tennessee license or Nursing compact state license to practice is required prior to clinical course work. Clinical course work in other states may require licensure in those states.
- Admission to the UTC Graduate School.
- For admission to the Nurse Anesthesia concentration, students must have a minimum of two years of experience as a registered professional nurse in a critical care setting in which they have had the opportunity to develop as independent decision makers, and demonstrate psychomotor skills and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques based on a knowledge of physiologic and pharmacologic principles. Current ACLS and PALS certification is required on program entry.
- For admission to the Family Nurse Practitioner concentration courses, students must have a minimum of one-year experience as a registered professional nurse in which they have had the opportunity to develop as independent decision makers and to demonstrate competency in clinical practice skills. Applicants with less than one year experience as an RN may enroll in core and support courses while gaining the one-year experience requirement.
- Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the past five years and scores provided.
- TOEFL (score 550 or higher) or IELTS (score 6.0 or higher) is required for all applicants whose native language is not English, unless the applicant meets the conditions outlined in “Graduate Admission Tests” under “Admission Requirements ” to apply for an exemption to the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.
- Recommendations from three individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic and clinical ability.
- Résumé or Curriculum Vita and personal statement addressing prior professional experience, future career goals, and reasons for pursuing graduate study and specific areas of interest.
- Applicants accepted for admission must complete a background check and drug screening before being fully admitted.
Admission to The Graduate School does not guarantee admission to any M.S.N. concentration. Enrollment may be limited, and the number of qualified applicants may exceed the number of students admitted.
Grades of S/NC
Students in the MSN: Nursing: Anesthesia program which requires 42 hours of practicum credit (NURS 5610, 5620, 5630, 5640, 5650, 5660, 5670, 5680) will be graded on a Satisfactory/No Credit basis. This is a Graduate Council approved exception to the 6 credit hour policy for master’s program students.
Continuation Standards
Continuation in the program is contingent upon satisfactory progress as determined by the School of Nursing Graduate Committee and in conformity with The Graduate School’s continuation standards. Students are required to maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on all course work taken for graduate credit to be eligible for continuation.
Students earning a “C” or less or “No Credit” in any course will be required to repeat the course the next semester that it is offered. Any student who earns a “C” or less or “No Credit” in two courses during their enrollment will be considered for dismissal from the School of Nursing. Students must also meet the standards of the Graduate School related to academic progression. See Graduate School Regulations for Graduate School standards related to academic progression.
All students must maintain current licensure, CPR certification and other clinical requirements as outlined in the School of Nursing MSN Student Handbook during their program of study. Nurse anesthesia students must also maintain ACLS and PALS certification.
Changing Concentration
The student who is seeking admission to a different concentration must submit a letter to the School of Nursing Graduate Academic Coordinator seeking permission to change the concentration.
If the change is approved, the School of Nursing Graduate Academic Coordinator will notify the Graduate School office. The student should then submit a degree objective change form to the Graduate School.
Program of Study
Students must submit a Program of Study during the first semester of graduate coursework. The Program of Study consist of all core courses and any electives, if known at the time, and establishes the courses the student must take for partial fulfillment of the degree requirements. The Program of Study form is located at www.utc.edu/GraduateSchool/CurrentStudentForms.
Admission to Candidacy
The Application for Admission to Candidacy is typically filed in the semester prior to a student’s anticipated graduation semester. Please refer to Admission to Candidacy section. To be eligible for admission to candidacy, the student must have completed prerequisite and designated courses as required by the School of Nursing and meet the academic criteria of the Graduate School. The appropriate form may be obtained from the Graduate School Web site at www.utc.edu/graduateschool.
Transfer Credit
Students wishing consideration of transfer credit should submit a request along with copies of course syllabi and coursework prior to admission to candidacy to the Graduate Program Coordinator. (Also see “Transfer Credit” under “Graduate School Regulations .”)
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