Nursing (MSN and RN-MSN)

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The University of Michigan-Flint’s School of Nursing (SON) offers the Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration as a Family Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Educator. Students admitted to the nurse practitioner track have the option of completing the program full or part-time. Students are admitted in both tracks for the Winter semester only.

Family Nurse Practitioner

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) (1) make independent and collaborative health care decisions; (2) engage in clinical practice as expert clinicians who use theory and evidence-based practice to perform history and physical exams, interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests, treat common illnesses and injuries, prescribe medications (in accordance with state practice laws) and evaluate outcomes; (3) demonstrate leadership as consultants, educators, researchers and administrators; and (4) participate in legislative and professional activities to promote professional advancement and health related social policies.

Career opportunities for APRNs are continually expanding and include positions in hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health care agencies, schools, universities, industry, nursing homes, wellness centers, employee health programs, physicians’ office practices, community mental health agencies, public health agencies, acute care facilities and private practice.

Graduates are qualified to sit for the Family Nurse Practitioner certification examination.

Nurse Educator

Students are prepared for the nurse educator role, in addition to focusing on the graduate level competencies. The program will include coursework in curriculum design and development, teaching methodologies including instructional technology, educational needs assessment and evaluation, and learner-centered theories and methods.

Nurses with a master’s degree may teach students in schools of nursing, patients and their families, staff nurses, and a variety of direct care providers. Master’s-prepared nurses will develop competence in applying teaching/learning principles in work with patients and/or students across the continuum of care in a variety of settings. Students will be provided additional content within the nursing practice environment to integrate the knowledge and skills into one’s nursing practice as a Nurse Educator.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must provide proof of the following requirements:

A current unencumbered RN license in the United States
A 3-credit college-level chemistry course with a minimum grade of C (2.0)
A 3-credit college-level statistics with a minimum grade of C (2.0)
One of the following:

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited college or university with an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale (3.5 for graduate work)
Associate Degree Nurses with or without a non-Nursing bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 post-secondary credits (if the ADN degree does not meet the 60-credit minimum, the most recent 60 college-level credits will be considered).

Academic Rules and Regulations

See the School of Nursing (SON) and Graduate Study sections of this Catalog for academic rules and regulations pertaining to graduate programs offered by the School.

Requirements, RN-MSN Track

The Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator program will admit students with a BSN and RN licensure in the United States. In addition, RNs with an associate degree or diploma graduates who meet admission criteria will be admitted to the RN to MSN program.

Students who do not hold a BSN degree must complete (or transfer in) the following undergraduate courses within two years of admission to the RN-MSN program.
A minimum grade of B (3.0) is required in each course.

Undergraduate Courses

ENG 112 - Critical Writing and Reading (3). (not required for students with a previously conferred bachelor’s degree)
NSC 180 - Legal and Moral Decisions in Nursing and Health Care for RNs (3). ¹
NUR 204 - Health Assessment for Registered Nurses (3). ²
NSC 210 - Pathophysiology for Registered Nurses (3). ²
NUR 300 - Theoretical Concepts for Professional Nursing (3). ¹
NUR 316 - Research in Nursing for Registered Nurses (3). ¹
NUR 369 - Transcultural Healthcare (3) ¹
NUR 412 - Community Health Nursing for Registered Nurses (6). ¹
One from:
NSC 209 - Basic Nutrition for Healthcare Practitioners (3)
NSC 208 - Nutrition in Health Care: Diet Therapy (1). (Take this course to satisfy the Nutrition requirement if NUR 205 is transferred in)
One from:
NSC 235 - General Principles of Pharmacology for Registered Nurses (3). ²
NSC 234 - Updates in Pharmacology (1). (Take this course to satisfy Pharmacology if NUR 235 is too old or NUR 203 transferred in)
¹Students are not permitted to transfer or waive these courses.
²Courses must be completed within 5 years at the time of application.
After completion of the undergraduate courses RN-MSN (Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator) students will continue to the MSN Curriculum according to your admitted area of emphasis.

Requirements, MSN Curriculum

A. Core Courses (21 credits)

NSC 502 - Epidemiology and Disease Prevention (2).
NSC 503 - Graduate Pathophysiology (3).
NSC 504 - Graduate Pharmacology (3).
NUR 520 - Physical Diagnosis across the Lifespan-Theory (3).
NUR 532 - Leadership, Informatics & Policy for Advanced Practice (3).
NUR 595 - Graduate Research Theory I (2).
NUR 596 - Graduate Research Theory II (2).
NUR 597 - Graduate Research Theory III (2).
NUR 598 - Graduate Research Theory IV (1).

B. Emphasis Area

Choose one of the following areas of emphasis:

Family Nurse Practitioner (28 credits)
NUR 507 - Mental Health for Advanced Practice (3).
NUR 521 - Physical Diagnosis across the Lifespan - Practicum (3).
NUR 524 - Management of Acute/Chronic Problems across the Lifespan - Theory (4).
NUR 525 - Management of Acute/Chronic Problems across the Lifespan-Practicum (4).
NUR 528 - Pediatrics for Advanced Practice-Theory (3).
NUR 529 - Pediatrics for Advanced Practice-Practicum (2).
NUR 531 - Women’s Health (2).
NUR 540 - Advanced Practice Role Theory (3).
NUR 541 - APRN Role Practicum (4).
Nurse Educator (21 credits)
NUR 523 - Physical Diagnosis Clinical Immersion (1).
NUR 652 - Advanced Nursing Practice Role-Theory and Practicum (3).
NUR 660 - Facilitating Learning and Learner Development in Nursing Education (3).
NUR 661 - Instructional Technologies and Innovations in Nursing Education (3).
NUR 662 - Assessment and Evaluation Strategies in Nursing Education (3).
NUR 663 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation of Program Outcomes in Nursing Education (2.)
NUR 664 - Nurse Educator Role-Seminar and Practicum (3).
NUR 810 - Advanced Transcultural Care (3).

C. Grade Requirement

A grade of B (3.0) is required in all courses.

Transfer Credit

Up to nine (9) credits of graduate coursework completed at an accredited institution may be accepted for transfer or waiver. Transfers and waivers of credit are subject to the approval of the Graduate Nursing Academic Standards Committee and are made in accordance with the policies of the Graduate Faculty Committee.