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, offers 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. The college has a rolling admission policy to provide flexibility for students in all programs except the family nurse practitioner concentration and the doctorate of nursing practice programs. Please contact the college for details.

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.

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

• official transcripts from all colleges and universities

• current national board certification in advanced clinical nursing practice or nursing administration

• 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.

• 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

• current resume or curriculum vitae

• three letters of recommendation, including one from a graduate faculty member in the applicant’s master’s program

• completion of a graduate level advanced statistics (e.g., multivariate) course with a grade of B or better prior to taking the Applied Nursing Research course in the DNP program (within five years of admission) is preferred.

• 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 administration of nursing and health care systems, adult health clinical nurse specialist (including flight and disaster nursing specialization), clinical nuse leader, child/adolescent health (pediatric clinical nurse specialist, primary care pediatric nurse practitioner, and acute care pedicatric nurse practitioner), community health clinical nurse specialist, family nurse practitioner, acute care nuse practitioner, and school nursing.

Candidates for the master’s degree must meet all of the following requirements:
• Completion of a minimum of 50 credit hours
• Completion of the program within five years
• Maintenance of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average with no more than nine hours of C grades aplicable to the degree.

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 accumulat ed an additional 500 clinical hours (minimum) in their master’s programs in order to sit for national certification.)

Certificates

Nursing Education Certificate

The nursing education certification program is to prepare a nurse who can function as a nurse educator in an academic setting in formal nursing programs. Students will have expertise in program planning and development, implementation including choice of appropriate teaching strategies, and evaluation of learning outcomes.

Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Post Masters Certificate

The acute care pediatric nurse practitioner post masters certificate program is to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for an experienced Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PCPNP) to work in acute care settings and provide management of infants, children and adolescents as an Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (AC-PNP)

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.

Facilities

The College of Nursing and Health is located in 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.

Faculty

Assistant Professors
Detrice Barry, blood disorders, gerontology, health literacy, transcultural nursing
Tracy Brewer, maternal, child, evidence based practice, nursing education
Tawna Cooksey-James, cultural issues in health care, informatics & technology, maternal/childbearing, underserved populations
Cindra Holland, adult health, advanced practice, cardiac nursing, continuing education, education, high risk pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, medical/surgical, spirituality
Perla Ilagan, cultural issues in health care, minority health issues, global health, nursing research, primary health care, international education/study abroad, violence, women’s health
Mary Beth Kaylor, community and public health, evaluation research, health care policy, research/design methods, teaching strategies, underserved and vulnerable populations, women’s health
Judy Ribak, palliative care, quality of life, stress and coping, psychotherapy, psychiatric,
gerontology/older adults, ethics/legal, cultural issues in healthcare, advanced practice, advance directives/end of life
Anne Russell, critical/intensive care, qualitative research, trauma
Sherrill Smith, education, public health, simulation
Ann Stalter, community health, death & dying, disease prevention, family health, gerontology, health education, vulnerable populations

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

Clinical Instructors
Cheryl Aubin, emergency medicine, critical/intensive care, continuing education and education
Jeanine Bochenek, community health, disease prevention, health education, school nursing
Ann Bowling, informatics and technology, pediatrics
Crystal Hammond, advanced practice, community health, continuing education, cultural issues in health care, diabetes (type I and in pregnancy), disease prevention, education, ethics/legal, family planning, global health, health education, health promotion, maternal/childbearing, mother/baby care, NCLEX
Laura Herbert, advanced practice, pediatrics, family
Kim Pickett, advanced practice, uninsured populations, minority health, men's health, and diabetes

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.