NLNAC Board of Commissioners NLN Board of
STANDARDS AND CRITERIA MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS
(Including Post-Master’s Certificate) I. Mission and Governance
There are clear and publicly stated mission and/or philosophy and purposes appropriate to postsecondary or higher education in nursing.
1. Mission and/or philosophy of the nursing education unit is congruent with that of the governing organization, or differences are justified by the nursing education
unit purposes.
Documentation confirms:
a. philosophy/mission of the program in nursing is congruent with the mission and purposes of the governing organization.
b. program purposes and objectives/competencies are:
• congruent with the program philosophy/mission;
• clearly stated;
• publicly accessible;
• appropriate to legal requirements and scope of practice; and
• consistent with contemporary beliefs of the profession, including graduate/advanced practice nursing.
c. commitment to cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of the community in which the institution and the nursing education unit exist.
d. programming for distance education is congruent with the philosophy and purposes of the governing organization and nursing education unit.
2. Faculty, administrators, and students participate in governance as defined by the governing organization and nursing education unit.
Documentation confirms:
a. participation in governance of the governing organization.
b. participation in governance of the nursing education unit.
3. Nursing education unit is administered by a nurse who is academically and
experientially qualified, and who has authority and responsibility for development and administration of the program.
Documentation confirms:
a. academic credentials of the nurse administrator are a graduate degree with a major in nursing and an earned doctorate from a regionally accredited institution; explain acceptance of other graduate credentials for the nurse administrator.
b. knowledge of the program type is reflected in the experience of the nurse administrator.
4. Policies of the nursing education unit are consistent with those of the governing organization, or differences are justified by the nursing education unit purposes.
Documentation confirms:
a. congruency between policies affecting nursing faculty and staff and governing organization:
• non-discrimination;
• faculty appointment/hiring;
• academic rank;
• grievance procedures;
• promotion;
• salary and benefits;
• tenure;
• rights and responsibilities;
• termination; and
• workload.
b. accessibility of faculty policies.
c. rationale for policies that differ from governing organization.
Suggested Indicators:
• Nursing unit and governing organization mission and/or philosophy statement
• Institutional policies
• Catalog
• Organizational chart
• Bylaws
• State Board of Nursing Regulations
• Curriculum vitae, transcripts, license of nurse administrator
• Position description of nurse administrator
• Institutional/faculty handbook/manual
• Regional accrediting body approval letter and report
• State Board of Nursing approval letter and report; other regulatory agency approval letter
• Professional Nursing Standards
Suggested Tables:
• Comparison of governing organization and nursing education unit’s mission and/or philosophy and purposes
• Participation on committees of the governing organization
• Participation on committees of the nursing education unit
• Policies which differ from the governing organization
II. Faculty
There are qualified and credentialed faculty, appropriate to accomplish the nursing education unit purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness.
5. Faculty members (full-time and part-time) are academically and experientially qualified, and maintain expertise in their areas of responsibility.
Documentation confirms:
a. nursing faculty are credentialed with a minimum of a master’s degree with a major in nursing, with the majority holding earned doctorates from regionally accredited institutions.
b. rationale for acceptance of other than the minimum required graduate credential.
c. faculty credentials meet the requirements of the governing organization and any state agency which has legal authority for educational programs in nursing.
d. academic and experiential preparation and variety of faculty backgrounds (full-time and part-time) are appropriate for responsibilities of the nursing education unit.
e. expertise of non-nurse faculty is appropriate to the area of responsibility.
f. maintenance of faculty expertise in their areas of responsibility: teaching, service, clinical practice, and/or scholarship.
g. direct coordination, role development, and/or clinical management of advanced practice programs options is the responsibility of faculty certified in the respective area.
6. Number and utilization of full-time and part-time faculty meet the needs of the nursing education unit to fulfill its purposes.
Documentation confirms:
a. faculty/student ratios in the classroom and supervised clinical practice are sufficient to insure adequate teaching, supervision, and evaluation.
b. utilization of full-time and part-time faculty is consistent with the mission/philosophy of the governing institution and purposes of the nursing education unit (teaching, scholarship, service, practice, administration).
c. number and type of faculty are adequate to carry out the purposes and objectives of the graduate program.
7. Faculty performance is periodically evaluated to assure ongoing development and competence.
Documentation confirms:
a. process for faculty performance evaluation.
b. evaluation of faculty includes teaching, scholarship, service, and practice.
8. The collective talents of the faculty reflects scholarship through teaching, application, and the integration and discovery of knowledge as defined by the governing organization and within the nursing education unit.
Documentation confirms:
a. scholarship is defined by the governing organization and the nursing education unit.
b. faculty record of scholarship.
Suggested Indicators:
• Credentials of faculty (i.e., curriculum vitae, transcripts, license)
• State Board of Nursing Rules and Regulations
• Faculty requirements of governing organization
• Faculty Profile form*
• Faculty files/personnel records
• Documentation of faculty continuing education
• Documentation of selection, orientation, monitoring, and evaluation of preceptors
• Institutional/faculty handbook/manual
• Teaching assignments: class and clinical practice
• Faculty/student ratio
• Full-time/Part-time faculty ratio
• Samples of performance evaluation forms (i.e., student, self, peer, administration)
• Faculty and staff appointment to state, national, international panels
• Collective bargaining agreement, if appropriate
• Faculty participation in scholarly academies; attainment of awards; attainment of internal or external recognition for excellence in teaching, community or professional service or practice
• Number of faculty and dollar amount of scholarship support
Suggested Tables:
• Faculty continuing education
• Faculty/student ratio: classroom and clinical
• Full-time/part-time faculty ratio
*REQUIRED FACULTY PROFILE FORM TO BE INCLUDED IN SELF-STUDY REPORT Governing Organization:
III. Students
The teaching and learning environment is conducive to student academic achievement.
9. Student policies of the nursing education unit are congruent with those of the governing organization, publicly accessible, non-discriminatory, and consistently applied; differences are justified by the nursing education unit purposes.
Documentation confirms:
a. congruency, availability, and accessibility of student policies with the governing organization and nursing education unit, including but not limited to:
y non-discrimination;
y selection and admission;
y academic progression;
y student evaluation/grading;
y retention;
y withdrawal/dismissal;
y graduation requirements;
y grievance/complaints and appeal procedures;
y financial aid;
y transfer of credit;
y recruitment; and y health requirements.
b. rationale for policies that differ from the governing organization policies.
c. process by which policies are changed and communicated to students.
d. admission and academic progression policies specific to graduate education and advanced practice program options are established by faculty who teach in the graduate program and are congruent with national standards, nursing education unit purposes, and governing organization.
10. Students have access to support services administered by qualified individuals that include, but are not limited to: health, counseling, academic advisement, career placement, and financial aid.
Documentation confirms:
a. availability of student support services.
b. academic/experiential qualifications of individuals responsible for student services.
c. distance education students have access to appropriate range of student services.
11. Policies concerned with educational and financial records are established and followed.
Documentation confirms:
a. procedures for maintenance of educational records.
b. procedures for maintenance of financial records.
Suggested Indicators:
y Student handbook/manual
y Demographic profile of admitted students
y Published student academic and non-academic policies y Catalog and other publications
y Student retention/attrition rates
y Satisfaction survey results of students, graduates, alumni, employer y Curriculum vitae of student support personnel
y Performance on certification examinations by year
y Number/percentage of students participating in scholarship and creative and community activities y Students served by special support and student disability services
y Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) y American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements
Suggested Tables:
y Demographic profile of student population
y Student policies which differ from the governing organization
IV. Curriculum and Instruction
The curriculum is designed to accomplish its educational and related purposes.
12. Curriculum developed by nursing faculty flows from the nursing education unit philosophy/mission through an organizing framework into a logical progression of course outcomes and learning activities to achieve desired program
objectives/outcomes.
Documentation confirms:
a. integrity of the curriculum addressing all tracks and post-master’s options specifically as evidenced by congruence among the philosophy, organizing
framework, program objectives, curriculum design, course progression, and outcome measures.
b. a logical, sequential curriculum plan addressing all tracks and post-master’s options that builds on knowledge and competencies of baccalaureate education and reflects master’s level education.
c. a set of guidelines for master’s and where appropriate advanced practice nursing approved by a recognized nursing organization is utilized.
d. interdisciplinary collaboration is evident in the curriculum.
e. didactic instruction and supervised practice follow a plan that:
y documents course content and learning experiences appropriate for the
development of competencies required for graduation at the master’s/advanced practice level;
y delineates instructional methods used to develop advanced practice competencies; and
y is adequate for advanced practice nursing students to meet accepted criteria for certification eligibility.
f. evaluation tools and methods:
y are consistent with course objectives/outcomes and competencies of the didactic and clinical components of the graduate program;
y provide for regular feedback to students and faculty with timely indicators of student progress and academic standing;
y are consistently applied; and
y are written and available to students.
g. technology used is appropriate to meet student learning needs, course objectives/outcomes and course requirements.
h. regular review of the rigor, currency, and cohesiveness of nursing courses by faculty.
13. Program design provides opportunity for students to achieve program objectives and acquire knowledge, skills, value, and competencies necessary for nursing practice.
Documentation confirms:
a. curriculum provides for attainment of knowledge and skill sets in the current master’s/advanced practice of nursing, nursing theory, research, community concepts, health care policy, finance, health care delivery, critical thinking,
c. students are able to achieve the objectives in the established and published program length.
d. Program completion results in student eligibility to sit for advanced practice certification and/or apply for advanced practice licensure where applicable.
e. clock and credit hours are consistent with published guidelines for master’s/advanced practice nursing curricula.
14. Practice learning environments are selected and monitored by faculty and provide opportunities for a variety of learning options appropriate for contemporary nursing.
Documentations confirms:
a. agreements and contracts with practice sites are current and specify expectations and responsibilities for all parties.
b. adequacy of facilities used for advanced clinical practice.
c. clinical resources support sufficient numbers and varieties of graduate level experiences.
Suggested Indicators:
y Course syllabi*
y Curriculum plan(s)
y Class/clinical evaluation tools y Professional nursing standards
y Description of implemented interdisciplinary collaboration y Description of alternative methods to deliver academic program y Description of indices to enhance teaching
y Educational use of technology y Student records
y Meeting minutes
y Survey results from selected constituencies (i.e., student, graduate, employer satisfaction) y Sample of student papers and projects
y Class/clinical schedules y Class/clinical observations
y Clinical agency contracts, affiliation agreements y Faculty and student evaluations of clinical agencies
Suggested Tables:
y Curriculum plan
y Philosophy, organizing framework, program objectives/outcomes/competencies y Clinical agencies and their approval status
*REQUIRED BRIEF COURSE SYLLABUS FOR EACH NURSING MAJOR COURSE