Graduate Programs

Back to Program List | Program Website

Nursing

Introduction

The College of Nursing and Health offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Science degree with a major in nursing, a dual degree program leading to a Master of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration degree in administration of nursing and health care systems and the Doctor of Nursing Practice. For the Master of Science degree students may complete the requirements for two concentrations while pursuing a nursing Master’s degree. A third program enables the registered nurse student with a bachelor’s degree in a traditional discipline outside of nursing to enroll in a bridge program leading to a master’s degree. All programs prepare nurses for advanced leadership roles in practice and administration, as well as for doctoral study in nursing. The curriculum offers students the opportunity to select a clinical specialization and role (clinical specialist, nurse practitioner, nurse administrator, or school nurse). Nurses already possessing a master’s degree with a major in nursing may earn a second M.S. degree in nursing. The programs accommodate both full-time and part-time students, with most classes offered in the late afternoon and evening. The sequence of course offerings is flexible. Full-time students may complete the program within one or two calendar years, depending on the major. Part-time students must complete all requirements for the degree within five years. Student successfully completing all concentration requirements are eligible to sit for a variety of national certification exams.

Wright State University College of Nursing and Health, in conjunction with the University of Toledo College of Nursing, offer a joint, online, post-master’s DNP program. This program is currently a part-time program of study. The post-master’s DNP at Wright State University and the University of Toledo offers a choice of two concentrations: one for direct care advanced practice nurses (NPs and CNSs) and one for indirect care nursing administrators.

Admission

The College of Nursing and Health has several admission requirements in addition to the minimum requirements of the School of Graduate Studies.

For Master of Science all prospective students must have:

• a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a school of nursing that is accredited by a nationally recognized body for nursing education accreditation. Alternately, the prospective student may be a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in a traditional discipline other than nursing, which will require selected support and professional nursing bridge courses in addition to regular graduate curriculum requirements.

• an overall grade point average in undergraduate work of 3.0, or 2.7 with 3.0 or better in the upper division nursing course work in the major.

• submission of a goal statement with application to the program.

• within five years, complete a statistics course prior to enrollment in NUR 707.

• documented expertise in physical/health assessment or completed course.

• computer literacy.

• evidence of an unencumbered registered nurse license in Ohio.

• evidence of liability insurance, health insurance, CPR certification, and other necessary health information as required by clinical agencies, prior to clinical courses and practica.

All students are required to adhere to the policies and procedures set forth in the Wright State University Graduate Catalog and the College of Nursing and Health Graduate Student Handbook, available online after admission.

The college has a rolling admission policy to provide flexibility for students wishing to start in any quarter. Please note that some concentrations have specific deadlines. Please contact the college for details.

1. For Doctor of Nursing Practice all prospective students must have: Master of Science degree in nursing (advanced practice or administration)
- GPA of 3.3 or better required
2. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities
3. Current national board certification in advanced clinical nursing practice or nursing administration
4. Unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Ohio and relevant Ohio Board of Nursing certificate(s). For applicants to direct care option, the Ohio BON Certificate of Authority (COA) to practice as an advanced practice nurse is required.
5. Personal statement of five pages or less describing:
-Goals and expectations for DNP study
-Applied research or project interests (must be consistent with WSU/UT faculty expertise)
-Plans for advanced practice with DNP
6. Current resume or curriculum vitae
7. Three letters of recommendation, including one from a graduate faculty member in the applicant’s master’s program
8. Completion of a graduate level genetics course and an advanced statistics (e.g., multivariate) course with a grade of B or better prior to matriculation into the DNP program (within five years of admission) is preferred. Our first cohort of students will be allowed to take these two courses as co-requisites.
9. Interview by DNP faculty

Degree Requirements

Master of Science

The Master of Science in Nursing program is divided into core and advanced practice options. The core includes courses in theoretical foundations, research, concepts of advanced practice and research sequence. To complete the research sequence, the student has a choice of thesis, scholarly project, supervised research project or evidence based practice course.

Current available concentrations include adult health clinical nurse specialist, clinical nurse leader, child/adolescent health clinical nurse specialist, community health nursing, school nursing, family nurse practitioner, acute care nurse practitioner and pediatric and acute care pediatric nurse practitioner.

Candidates for the master’s degree must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Completion of a minimum of 50 credit hours

2. Completion of the program within five years

3. Maintenance of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average with no more than nine hours of C grades applicable to the degree

4. Successful completion of a research sequence.

School Nurse Licensure
In addition to the Master of Science nursing major with a concentration in School Nursing, the College of Nursing and Health collaborates with the College of Education and Human Services to provide a post baccalaureate program of study leading to Professional Pupil Services School Nurse Licensure though the Ohio Department of Education. Interested individuals must first complete a baccalaureate degree with course work in growth and development, psychology, sociology, and/or anthropology. Each candidate must also have course work in community health and a current license to practice as a registered nurse issued by the Ohio Board of Nursing.

Doctor of Nursing Practice
Candidates for the Doctor of Nursing Practice must meet the following requirements:
• The 54 quarter hour / 36 semester hour curriculum of the joint WSU/UT degree includes eleven courses focusing on knowledge and practice.
• Completion of 520 hours of academically supervised advanced clinical practice. (It is recognized that applicants will have accumulated an additional 500 clinical hours (minimum) in their master’s programs in order to sit for national certification.)

Facilities

The College of Nursing and Health is located in Wright State’s newest building, University Hall—a state-of-the-art educational facility. Clinical instructional facilities are abundant and varied. Since June 1984, the school has had a collaborative agreement with the Division of Nursing at Miami Valley Hospital to form a Center for Excellence in Nursing. This agreement affords opportunities for research, clinical practice, and education for students and faculty. In addition, the school has contracts with over 200 agencies in the area including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, county health departments, nursing homes, school systems, senior citizen centers, and day care centers—all of which can be used for clinical experiences and/or research.

For research, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library and the Fordham Health Sciences Library are available. The Dunbar Library provides media production services and facilities. The university’s Statistical Consulting Center provides support for data analysis.

Faculty

Professors
Barbara Fowler, community health, adolescent health, nursing education, health policy, cultural diversity, vulnerable populations
Patricia Martin, (dean) maternal/child, community health, organizational behavior, research environments, evaluation
Susan G. Praeger, school nursing, adolescent health, nursing education, maternal-child nursing
Kristine Scordo, adult cardiology, acute care, MVPS, health promotion, cardiac rehabilitation, informatics

Associate Professors
Janice Belcher, nursing administration, nursing informatics, psychiatric nursing
Candace Cherrington, cardiac nursing, critical/intensive care, nursing research, research methods
Donna Miles Curry, children and families, developmental screening, pain in children, pediatric critical care, separation anxiety, infancy
Bobbe Gray, cognitive models, design/methods, high-risk pregnancy, hope, maternal childbearing, mother/baby care, nursing research, teen pregnancy, parenting, stress and coping
Gail Moddeman, gerontology, adult health, pain management
Virginia Nehring (emeritus), clinical nursing practice, community/public health, spirituality, clinical instruction, psychiatric nursing practice
Patricia Vermeersch, clinical studies, dementia, gerontology, instrument development

Assistant Professors
Carol Holdcraft, stress and coping, subjective experience, cognitive models, recovery from MI, psychiatric nursing practice, hope, hardiness, informatics and technology
Kathy Keister, adult health, long-term care
Yi-Hui Lee, HIV/AIDS prevention is adolescents, statistical analysis in nursing research, culture and health, lung cancer symptoms and resources, health care in charter schools
Mariann Lovell, community health, health education
Mary Lynd, transitions for the aged, computerized teaching strategies
Beth Sorensen, medical-surgical, gerontology, women's health

Clinical Assistant Professors
Lynne Kelley, pediatric health policy, injury prevention, advanced practice nursing issues, trans-cultural nursing

Course of Study

Program of Study

Summary of Requirements	50*
Core Courses	21
Thesis, scholarly project, supervised research experience or evidence based practice proposal	3
Advanced Practice Options	29-44
Electives	0-5

*Some concentrations require additional credit hours.