Courses at the MSN level are normally scheduled on Fridays and one or two weekday evenings to accommodate students who are employed part-time. Clinical experiences are typically during the day or evening shift. As required, courses may be offered at other times; students with flexible outside employment are normally able to continue working .5 to .8 FTE, depending on preceptorship requirements (which are heavier toward the end of the program). The Master of Science in Nursing coursework should be completed in two years.
Prerequisite Course for Traditional MSN: College-level Statistics (including inferential and descriptive)
NURS 523: Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse (3 credits)
NURS 524: Advanced Health Promotion (2)
NURS 525: Theoretical Foundations (3)
NURS 526: Nursing Leadership and Management (3)
NURS 527: Evaluation and Outcomes Research (3)
Approved Elective (2-3)
MSN Capstone (2-4)
NURS 596: Scholarly Inquiry (2) or
NURS 599: Thesis (4)
The Master of Science in Nursing program has two concentrations: Care and Outcomes Manager (COM) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). Each concentration includes specialization courses and participation in professional scholarship such as writing for publication. Some students who qualify may elect to complete both the COM and FNP concentrations by extending their coursework and time of study by one year.
This course of study allows students to focus on care management, using an outcomes approach skill set necessary for being responsive in a continually changing health care environment. The program prepares the student for an advanced role as a generalist, clinical nurse educator for schools or agencies, or clinical nurse leader/administrator at the systems level (e.g., case manager, utilization review coordinator, or risk manager).
This concentration prepares students to provide quality, cost effective care in a defined context, to participate in the design and implementation of an evaluation and outcomes model, to assume a leadership role in managing health care resources, and to integrate clinical and evaluation competencies for care and outcomes management. Successful completion of the COM concentration in the clinical nurse educator focus qualifies graduates to sit for national certifying examinations in their specialty.
Contact the School of Nursing, gradnurs@plu.edu, for a sample program plan.
This course of study focuses on client-centered clinical practice, and prepares nurses to respond to the needs of today's and tomorrow's health care consumers, to manage direct care based on advanced assessment and diagnostic reasoning, to incorporate health promotion and disease prevention interventions into health care delivery, and to recognize their potential for professional growth, responsibility and autonomy.
Successful completion of the Family Nurse Practitioner program qualifies students to sit for national certifying examinations for family nurse practitioner, making them eligible under Washington State law for advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) licensure.
For students entering the program in 2012, the total tuition and fees for the traditional MSN can be found here. Note that this tuition rate applies to this nursing program only. For comparative purposes, PLU is on a semester program. The program is semester credits, not quarter credits. One quarter credit equals two-thirds of a semester credit.
Students admitted to the basic Master of Science in Nursing program typically begin classes in the summer of each year. Candidates may apply for admission at any time during the year; those who apply by November 15 are given priority consideration for financial assistance. Enrollments are limited in both concentrations. Admission is selective; meeting minimum criteria does not guarantee admission.
Minimum Criteria for Admission to MSN Programs
Meeting minimum criteria does not guarantee admission.
Applicants must:
Direct-care RN experience is required for those applying to the FNP & CNS concentrations.
Scholarships, fellowships, traineeships and low interest loans are available to qualified graduate nursing students. A majority of graduate students receive some form of financial assistance. For information about financial aid, contact the PLU Financial Aid Office at 253-535-7134 or finaid@plu.edu. Financial aid resources for nursing students are also listed on this website under Financial Aid.
If you have questions about our programs or would like to schedule a visit, please contact us:
Phone: (253) 535-7672
E-mail: gradnurs@plu.edu
or click here for an online information request form.