Master of Science

The Master of Science program in nursing offers these specialty options: family nurse practitioner, gerontology nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, enterostomal therapy and nursing leadership and administration, and midwifery. A dual degree program for students pursuing the nursing service administrative role combines nursing with business administration for the M.S./M.B.A.

Admission Requirements

General requirements for admission to the Master of Science program in nursing include a minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average; acceptable scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination; current licensure as a Registered Nurse; a bachelor's degree in nursing or a related field; submission of an essay describing the applicant's career goals; completion of an acceptable undergraduate statistics course; and three letters of reference. An interview may be required.

Program Requirements

The program is a three semester, one academic year, 40-41 unit course of study which includes: theory and research, nursing, health care delivery system, seminar on integration into the health care system, an advanced practicum residency, and a series of courses in the specialty. A comprehensive examination is required. Graduates will be eligible for certification by the American Nurses Association, the American College of Nurse-Midwifery, the Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse Society or the Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

Enterostomal Therapy Option

Students undertaking this course of study are prepared to become Clinical Specialists in Enterostomal Therapy (ET) nursing with knowledge and skills to provide health care to clients and families experiencing wound, ostomy and/or continence care problems throughout the life cycle. The program is designed to provide the student with management and entrepreneurial skills to develop independent practice options. Students enrolling in the Enterostomal Therapy option must complete the M.S., nursing core courses, advanced courses in pharmacotherapeutics, advanced practice roles, nursing economics and the enterostomal therapy nursing specialty courses. The program consists of 40 units. Students must have a B.S., Nursing degree or comparable course work and one year of recent nursing experience; a faculty interview may be required. Upon successful completion of NURS 501, NURS 502 and NURS 512L (12 units), students become eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination in Enterostomal Therapy Nursing.

Degree Requirements		Units
NURS 501	Introduction to Enterostomal Therapy Nursing	4
NURS 502	Advanced Enterostomal Therapy Nursing	4
NURS 511	Health Care Delivery System	4
NURS 512L	Enterostomal Therapy Practicum	4
NURS 514	Nursing and Health Care Economics	4
NURS 516	Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing	2
NURS 560ab	Theory and Research in Nursing	3-3
NURS 565	Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Nursing Practice	3
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
NURS 571L	Advanced Practicum Residency	4
NURS 590	Directed Research	1
Cognate (elective)		3
		____
		40

Family Nurse Practitioner Option

Students undertaking this course of study are prepared to become advanced primary care providers who possess the knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive health care with a holistic focus to multiethnic clients and families throughout the life cycle. Students enrolling in the Family Nurse Practitioner option must complete the M.S., Nursing core courses, advanced practice roles, three sets of practicum and didactic classes and an advanced course in pharmacotherapeutics. The total program consists of 41 units and may be completed in three semesters of full-time study. A flexible pathway which provides for self-paced learning is available.

Clinical Prerequisite Before enrolling in the first clinical course, students must have completed a course on physical assessment and achieve a passing grade on a written and clinical evaluation of physical assessment skills.

Applicants for the Family Nurse Practitioner program must have at least one year of experience as a registered nurse in addition to meeting all admission requirements for the M.S. program.

Required course work for the M.S.N./F.N.P. degree:		Units
NURS 511	Health Care Delivery System	4
NURS 516	Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing	2
NURS 523	Primary Care of the Family I	4
NURS 524L	Practicum in Primary Care of the Family I	4
NURS 533	Primary Care of the Family II	4
NURS 534L	Practicum in Primary Care of the Family II	4
NURS 543	Seminar on Advanced Clinical Topics in Primary Care	1
NURS 544L	Advanced Clinical Residency in Primary Care	4
NURS 560ab	Theory and Research in Nursing	3-3
NURS 565	Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Nursing Practice	3
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
NURS 590	Directed Research	1
Cognate (elective)		3
		____
		41

Post-Master's Degree Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate

Students with a master's degree in nursing are eligible to apply for enrollment in the post-master's degree FNP program. This program prepares students for certification by the California Board of Registered Nursing and the American Nurses' Association as Family Nurse Practitioners. The program can be completed in three semesters of full-time study or on a part-time basis.

Admission requirements include, in addition to the master's degree in nursing, three letters of reference from professional colleagues and/or former graduate school faculty. Before enrolling in the first clinical course, students must have completed a physical assessment course and achieved a passing grade on a written clinical evaluation of physical assessment skills. Applicants for the Family Nurse Practitioner program must also have at least one year of experience as a registered nurse. The total requirement for completion of the program is 30 units of course work.

Required course work for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate:		Units
NURS 516	Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing	2
NURS 523	Primary Care of the Family I	4
NURS 524L	Practicum in Primary Care of the Family I	4
NURS 533	Primary Care of the Family II	4
NURS 534L	Practicum in Primary Care of the Family II	4
NURS 543	Seminar on Advanced Clinical Topics in Primary Care	1
NURS 544L	Advanced Clinical Residency in Primary Care	4
NURS 565	Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Nursing Practice	3
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
Cognate (elective)		3
		____
		30

M.S., Nursing (Midwifery)

Students undertaking this course of study are prepared for the rapidly expanding discipline of nurse midwifery. Students enrolling in the M.S., Nursing (Midwifery) emphasis must complete the core courses as well as specialty practicum and didactic classes. The total program consists of 40 units.

In addition to the M.S. program admission requirements, applicants for the midwifery emphasis must have two years' experience as a registered nurse. Six months experience in labor and delivery is strongly preferred. A license to practice nursing in California and an interview are required.

Degree Requirements		Units
NURS 511	Health Care Delivery System	4
NURS 516	Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing	2
NURS 560ab	Theory and Research in Nursing	3-3
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
NURS 590	Directed Research	1
NUMW 580	Assessment of the Well Woman	3
NUMW 581	Women's Health Care	3
NUMW 582	Women's Health Care Seminar	1
NUMW 583	Antepartum Care	3
NUMW 584	Antepartum Care Seminar	1
NUMW 585	Neonatology	2
NUMW 586	Intrapartum	3
NUMW 587	Postpartum	2
NUMW 588	Intrapartum Care Seminar	1
NUMW 589	Role Practicum	4
Cognate (elective)		3
		____
		40

Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Option

Students undertaking this course of study are prepared to become advanced primary care providers who possess the knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive health care to multiethnic clients and families in the older age population. Students enrolling in the Gerontology Nurse Practitioner option must complete the M.S., Nursing core courses, advanced practice roles, three sets of practicum and didactic classes and two advanced courses in pharmacotherapeutics. The total program consists of 41 units and may be completed in four semesters of full-time study.

Clinical Prerequisite

Before enrolling in the first clinical course, students must have completed a course on physical assessment within the last seven years and achieved a passing grade on a written and clinical evaluation of physical assessment skills.

Students wishing to pursue the gerontology nurse practitioner option must meet all admission requirements for the M.S. program. Applicants for the Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program must also have at least one year of experience as a registered nurse.

Required course work for the M.S.N./G.N.P. degree:		Units
GERO 510	Physiology of Development and Aging, or
GERO 520	Life Span Developmental Psychology	4
NURS 511	Health Care Delivery System	4
NURS 516	Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing	2
NURS 525	Primary Care of Geriatric Clients I	3
NURS 526L	Practicum in Primary Care of Geriatric Clients I	4
NURS 543	Seminar on Advanced Clinical Topics in Primary Care	1
NURS 544L	Advanced Clinical Residency in Primary Care	4
NURS 548	Primary Care of Geriatric Clients II	3
NURS 549L	Practicum in Primary Care of Geriatric Clients II	4
NURS 560ab	Theory and Research in Nursing	3-3
NURS 565	Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Nursing Practice	3
NURS 568	Geriatric Pharmacology	2
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
		____
		41

M.S., Nursing (Nurse Anesthesia)

This course of study prepares qualified nurses in the specialty of anesthesiology and qualifies the graduate to sit for the certification examination given by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists. The graduate attains a high level of clinical competence with an extensive body of didactic knowledge relevant to the specialty and advanced practice nursing. Students enrolling in the M.S., Nursing (Nurse Anesthesia) course of study must complete the core courses as well as specialty practicum and didactic classes. The program consists of 49 units and is completed in 24 months of continuous enrollment (six semesters).

In addition to the M.S., Nursing program admission requirements, applicants to the nurse anesthesia option must have completed appropriate undergraduate course work in physiology, chemistry, biochemistry and physics. A minimum of one year of experience in critical care nursing as a registered nurse is required. Licensure as an RN in California, current BCLS and ACLS certification are required prior to enrollment. All students enrolled in this option must be proficient with word processing and must own or have access to an IBM or compatible computer with modem for communication purposes and academic assignments. Conversational Spanish is strongly recommended. Applicants will be interviewed and must demonstrate an acceptable understanding of the roles and responsibilities of certified registered nurse anesthetists.

Required course work for the M.S./Nurse Anesthesia Degree		Units
NURS 511	Health Care Delivery System	4
NURS 516	Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing	2
NURS 560ab	Theory and Research in Nursing	3-3
NURS 565	Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Nursing	3
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
NURS 572	Nurse Anesthesia I	4
NURS 573	Pharmacology of Anesthesia Practice	4
NURS 574	Pathophysiology Related to Anesthesia Practice	4
NURS 575L	Clinical Residency in Nurse Anesthesia I	4
NURS 576	Nurse Anesthesia II	5
NURS 577L	Advanced Clinical Residency in Nurse Anesthesia I	3
NURS 578L	Advanced Clinical Residency in Nurse Anesthesia II	4
PHBI 583	Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Renal Physiology	4
NURS 590	Directed Research	1
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		49

Nursing Leadership and Administration Option

The profound changes that have occurred in the financing and delivery of health care demand qualified nursing leaders to manage change and envision a future responsive to our society's health needs. The Nursing Leadership and Administration option offers nursing leaders administrative theory and research directly applicable to the management of health care environments. Financial aspects of managing care are provided through accounting techniques and economic analyses. Health care delivery, health policy and legal issues are integrated into course work and administrative residency experiences.

This program leads to the Master of Science in Nursing with an option in Nursing Leadership and Administration and prepares advanced nurse managers for executive leadership positions; provides the novice manager with leadership skills and advancement potential; and prepares managers for emerging non-hospital settings. Synthesis and application of nursing leadership and management is enhanced through administrative practice in selected health care settings. The program consists of 41 units and can be completed in three semesters of full-time study.

Degree Requirements		Units
GSBA 510	Accounting Concepts and Financial Reporting	3
GSBA 543	Managerial Perspectives	3
NURS 511	Health Care Delivery System	4
NURS 514	Nursing and Health Care Economics	4
NURS 560ab	Theory and Research in Nursing	3-3
NURS 562	Nursing Leadership	3
NURS 563L	Nursing Leadership Practicum	3
NURS 566	Advanced Seminar in Nursing Leadership	3
NURS 567L	Advanced Practicum in Nursing Leadership	2
NURS 570	Seminar on Integration into Health Care System	1
NURS 571L	Advanced Practicum Residency	4
NURS 590	Directed Research	1
PUAD 536	Legal Issues in Health Care Delivery	4
		____
		41

Care Coordination Certificate

Case management (care coordination) is increasingly being recognized as an essential component of managed care which is the key to major health care reform in the United States. Use of case management approaches has shown reduction in health care costs, improvements in quality of life, improvements in rehabilitation, and increased client satisfaction and compliance with a medical care regimen. This program explores the multi-dimensions of case management and stresses both fundamental theory and structure as well as necessary skills for case management and the coordination of care on a professional level. This certificate program is designed for those who are working in the case management field as well as those who wish to enter it. It stresses standards of care and performance, the process of care coordination and serves as the foundation for case management in multiple settings. The program consists of 12 units and can be completed in a six-month period. This includes both classroom work and a role practicum. Admission requirements for the care coordination certificate include: Registered Nurse in the state of California and a bachelor's degree in any field.

The didactic courses are open to any health care professional with a bachelor's degree who is involved or interested in the care coordination field. The role practicum course, however, is open only to registered nurses licensed in the state of California.

Required Course Work for the Care Coordination Certificate		Units
NURS 503	Introduction to Case Management	4
NURS 504	Skills for Case Management	4
NURS 505L	Role-Practicum and Seminar in Care Coordination	4
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		12

M.S./M.B.A. Dual Degree Program

Responding to the growing demand for nursing administrators with high-level management, leadership and business skills as well as a knowledge of nursing, the USC Department of Nursing has joined an elite group of nine universities throughout the country who offer dual degree programs. This M.S./M.B.A. dual degree program is offered cooperatively by the Department of Nursing and the Marshall School of Business. Students must complete concurrently all requirements established by both programs for their respective degrees.

This three-year program involves completion of the first year in the Department of Nursing, the second in the Marshall School of Business and then completion of the balance of the nursing program and related cognates in business.

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