Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN)
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING DEGREE REQUIREMENTS Graduate Council Approval: January 9, 2015
Master’s Degree Requirements 1) Admissions requirements:
Consideration for program admission requires the following:
Submit the completed UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies online application
Satisfaction of the UC Davis requirements for graduate admission
A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 grade point average
A minimum 2.7 GPA in all prerequisite science courses
Three letters of recommendation
A statement of purpose and personal history describing the applicant’s background and experiences, rationale for seeking the degree and intentions for applying the newly- obtained knowledge and skills
The GRE will not be required.
Admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Meeting some or all of these criteria does not guarantee admission, but merely eligibility. The decision to recommend admission to the Dean of Graduate Studies will be made by the Recruitment, Admissions, and Fellowships Committee on the basis of available space and the competitiveness of applicants compared to the eligible pool. An interview may be required.
a) Prerequisites: All prerequisites are required at the college level from an accredited school and must be included on the submitted transcript as part of the application process. Each prerequisite is expected to be one full course, either a quarter or a semester, and a minimum of three units, depending on the location where it was completed. Completion of prerequisite course work online is acceptable; however prerequisite course work with a lab component must be completed in-person, at an accredited school. No online lab work is acceptable. Advanced Placement scores awarded in high school are NOT accepted to fulfill prerequisites. All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of C or better. All science courses are recommended to be taken within the past 7 years.
Prerequisite Course Minimum Quarter Units
Minimum Semester Units
General Chemistry with a Lab 5 3
*Human Anatomy with a Lab 5 3
*Human Physiology with a Lab 5 3
Microbiology or Bacteriology with a Lab 3 2
Statistics or Epidemiology 4 3
General Psychology 3 2
Introduction to Sociology OR
Cultural Anthropology 3 2
Human Development Across the Lifespan 3 2
Group Communication 3 2
Verbal Communication 3 2
Written Communication 3 2
Note: Or applicants may complete a combined human anatomy and human physiology series course:
Part I and Part II with labs. Series courses are offered in two parts and are completed over the course of two quarters or two semesters. Series courses must be completed in full, and must include an in- person lab component. Mammalian or animal anatomy will not fulfill this requirement.
b) Deficiencies: Applications with deficiencies will not be accepted.
2) Degree Title and Plan
M.S.N. (Master of Science in Nursing) Plan II. This degree requires the completion of 92 units of graduate courses as listed below. A comprehensive final examination in the major subject is required of each candidate. No thesis is required.
3) Course Requirements for the Master of Science in Nursing a) Academic Core
Number Course Title Units
NRS 201 Health Status & Care Systems (lec/dis) 4
NRS 202 Implementation Science & System Change (lec/dis) 4
NRS 203 Leadership in Health Care (lec/dis) 4
Didactic and Clinical Core
NRS 272 Foundations of Pharmacology (lec/dis) 2
NRS 221 Biophysical Concepts in Nursing (lec/dis) 3
NRS 420 Foundations of Clinical Nursing Practice (lec/dis/clin) 3 NRS 421 Health Assessment across the Lifespan (lec/dis/clin) 3 NRS 220 Social, Cultural & Behavior Determinants of Health (lec/dis) 2 NRS 273 Pharmacology Concepts for Nursing Practice (lec/dis) 2 NRS 423 Psychosocial Wellness & Illness (lec/dis/clin) 5 NRS 422 Nursing Care of Individuals with Chronic & Disabling
Conditions (lec/dis/clin) 6
NRS 425 Family Focused Nursing (lec/dis/clin) 9
NRS 426 Nursing Care of Adults with Complex Illness or Injury
(lec/dis/clin) 8
NRS 427 Fostering Healthy Communities (lec/dis/clin) 7
NRS 222A-B Research, Quality Improvement & Evidence Based Practice 4
(lec/dis)
NRS 223 Quality and Safety Education in Health Care (lec/dis) 2
NRS 224 Developing Future Nurse Leaders (lec/dis) 2
NRS 428 Capstone Clinical Nursing Practicum (clin) 8
NRS 429A-F Collaborative Practice I - VI (lec/dis/clin) 6
NRS 225 Professional Nursing Role Formation (Culmination) (lec/dis) 3
NRS 424 Nursing Care of Older Adults (lec/dis/clin) 3
NRS 212 Technology and Innovations (lec/dis) 2
TOTAL 92
b) Elective Courses (0 units)
Elective courses are optional and include content in Telehealth, Health Informatics, Teaching Methods, and Special Topics.
c) Summary
Students in the MEPN program are required to follow the standard curriculum for a total of 92 units. Required courses include 33 units of graduate core courses plus 27 units of clinical and 32 units of theory courses required by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). There are no electives in the requirements. Students must enroll full time for the required number of units per quarter for six consecutive quarters including
academic, clinical, lab, and seminar units. All core courses must be taken for a letter grade.
4) Special requirements
Before entering clinical sites, students are required to complete a criminal background check, health screening, and immunizations. The MEPN staff will ensure that students are aware of and satisfy these special requirements.
5) Committees
NSHL Executive Committee
Duties of the Executive Committee include the following: Act as the Membership
Committee: Approval of new members and review of continuing members for retention in the Graduate Group. Upon recommendation from the Educational Policy and Curriculum
Development Committee, the Executive Committee will submit curriculum changes to UC Davis Graduate Council for review and approval. Determine and implement policy for the good of the Program and to represent the interests of the Program generally to various University and other agencies. Address other Graduate Group issues as needed.
NSHL Recruitment, Admissions and Fellowship Committee
Duties of the Recruitment, Admissions and Fellowship Committee include the following:
select students for admission, and for financial assistance within the program. Responsible for recruiting graduate students, and shall enlist the services of an ad hoc recruitment committee as needed.
Once the completed Graduate Studies application, all supporting material, and the application fee have been received by UC Davis, the application will be submitted to the Recruitment, Admissions and Fellowship Committee. The Recruitment, Admissions and Fellowship
Committee consists of at least 3 graduate group faculty members including a chair. Based on a review of the entire application, a recommendation is made to accept or decline an applicant’s request for admission. That recommendation is forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies for final approval of admission. Notification of admissions decisions will be sent by Graduate Studies.
NSHL Education Policy and Curriculum Development Committee
Duties of the Education Policy and Curriculum Development Committee include the
following: Recommendations regarding the educational policy and curriculum development of the group. Monitoring and evaluating the quality of courses and curriculum offered under the auspices of the Graduate Group in Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership. Supervision of teaching assignments and teaching experiences of graduate students. Oversee the qualifying examination process. Developing, coordinating, and facilitating the graduate program series of integrated workshops and seminars.
6) Advising Structure, Comprehensive Examination Completion and Mentoring The student’s Graduate Adviser, who is appointed by the Director of the Program, is a resource for information on academic requirements, policies and procedures and registration information. Students will partner with their Graduate Adviser to walk through program of study to ensure completion of all requirements. Mentoring Guidelines can be found in the graduate student guide, available on the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership learning management system for students (Sakai or other). MEPN students will have a Graduate Adviser from the MEPN program faculty for the purposes of advising on clinical didactic coursework and clinical training.
Each student will have a minimum of three faculty to serve on the Comprehensive Examination Committee. This Committee will consist of the Instructor of Record (IOR) for the NRS 428: Clinical Nursing Practicum, the IOR for the NRS 228: Professional Nursing Role Formation and the Assistant Program Director. These Committee Members are submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies for formal appointment as part of the Advancement to Candidacy process in accordance with Graduate Council policy (DDB 80, Graduate Council B.1). The Graduate Adviser serves as chair of the committee and can be included as one of the three required faculty members. The Comprehensive Examination Committee advises the student to develop a portfolio documenting their clinical
competencies and evaluates whether the Comprehensive Examination is of sufficiently high quality for the degree. All members of the committee must sign to pass the Comprehensive Examination.
7) Advancement to Candidacy
Master’s degree students are expected to advance to candidacy during fifth quarter of the program. Every student must file an official application for Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Science in Nursing after completing one-half of their course requirements and at least one quarter before completing all degree requirements.
The Candidacy for the Degree of Master form can be found online at:
http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/forms/. A completed form includes a list of courses the student will take to complete degree requirements. If changes must be made to the student’s course plan after s/he has advanced to candidacy, the Graduate Adviser must recommend these changes to Graduate Studies. Students must have their Graduate Adviser sign the candidacy form before it can be submitted to Graduate Studies. If the candidacy is approved, the Office of Graduate Studies will send a copy to the Graduate Adviser, the appropriate graduate staff person, and the student. If the Office of Graduate Studies determines that a student is not eligible for advancement, the graduate program and the student will be told the reasons for the application’s deferral. Some reasons for deferring an application include: grade point average below 3.0, outstanding “I” grades in required courses, or insufficient units.
8) Comprehensive Examination (Plan II)
Fulfillment of the Comprehensive Examination is the last requirement of the M.S. Plan II. A student may take the comprehensive examination once they have advanced to candidacy and completed all required coursework; for most students, the exam is taken at the end of the 6th quarter.
The comprehensive examination requirement includes both the submission of a portfolio to the Comprehensive Examination Committee and passing a written exam administered by that same committee. The portfolio is the written documentation that demonstrates the student has met the clinical competencies for the MEPN program. A rubric identifying the key behavioral indicators for each competency will be used to grade the portfolio. The written exam portion will mimic the content and format of the national licensing examination for the RN license.
The exam content is provided by an external vendor (e.g., Kaplan, HESI, ATI) that is a strong predictor of student success on the national licensing (NCLEX-RN) exam. Students must earn a passing score on both portions of the Comprehensive Examination to receive a passing score to graduate. The Comprehensive Examination Committee will review each student’s score on the written exam as well as evaluate the student’s portfolio to determine their satisfactory completion of competencies based on national accreditation standards provided by The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in “The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Advanced Practice Nursing” and “The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing”..1
The Comprehensive Examination Committee’s unanimous vote is required to pass a student on the exam and portfolio. If a student does not pass either portion (the exam and/or portfolio) the committee may recommend that the student be reexamined one more time, but only if the Graduate Adviser concurs with the committee. The second exam will cover any (or all parts) of the original exam that were not passed on the first attempt. The second exam must take place within one quarter of the first exam. The format of the second exam is the same as that of the first exam and may include the submission of an amended version of the portfolio if applicable. A student who does not pass on the second attempt is subject to disqualification from further graduate work in the program.
Once passed, the Master’s Report Form is signed by the Program Graduate Adviser and then forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies. The deadlines for completing this requirement are listed each quarter in the campus General Catalog (available online at the website of the Office of the Registrar or from the Bookstore). A candidate must be a registered student or in Filing Fee status at the time the program submits the form, with the exception of the summer period between the end of the Spring Quarter and the beginning of Fall Quarter. The program must file the report with Graduate Studies within one week of the end of the quarter in which the student’s degree will be conferred.
9) Normative Time to Degree: Normative time from matriculation to graduation is six (6) consecutive quarters.
1 Please refer to “The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Advanced Practice Nursing”
(http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/BaccEssentials08.pdf) and “The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing” (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MasEssentials96.pdf) for national
10) Typical Time Line and Sequence of Events
1st Year Courses 2nd Year Courses
1st quarter Summer Theory Clinical 4th quarter Spring Theory Clinical NRS 420: Foundations of Clinical
Nursing Practice
NRS 421: Health Assessment across the Lifespan
NRS 222A: Research, Quality Improvement & Evidence Based Practice
NRS 220: Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Determinants of Health NRS 272: Foundations of
Pharmacology
NRS 221: Biophysical Concepts in Nursing
NRS 429A: Collaborative Practice I*
1 2
2
2
3
3 2
1
NRS 426: Nursing Care of Adults with Complex Illness or Injury
NRS 223: Quality and Safety Education in Health Care NRS 202: Implementation Science & System Change NRS 429D: Collaborative Practice IV
4
2 4
4
1
Total units for the quarter (16) 10 6 Total units for the quarter (15) 10 5
2nd quarter Fall 5th quarter Summer
NRS 422: Nursing Care of Individuals with Chronic &
Disabling Conditions
NRS 423: Psychosocial Wellness
& Illness
NRS 222B: Research, Quality Improvement & Evidence Based Practice
NRS 273: Pharmacology Concepts for Nursing Practice
NRS 429B: Collaborative Practice II 3 3 2 2
3 2
1
NRS 427: Fostering Healthy Communities
NRS 224: Developing Future Nurse Leaders
NRS 424: Nursing Care of Older Adults
NRS 429E: Collaborative Practice V
(Advance to Candidacy)
4
2 2
3
1 1
Total units for the quarter (16) 10 6 Total units for the quarter (13) 8 5
3rd quarter Winter 6th quarter Fall
NRS 425: Family Focused Nursing
NRS 212: Technology and Innovations in Health Care NRS 203: Leadership In Health Care
NRS 429C: Collaborative Practice III
5
2
4
4
1
NRS 428; Capstone Clinical Nursing Practicum
NRS 225: Professional Nursing Role Formation (Culmination) NRS 201: Health Status & Care Systems
NRS 429F: Collaborative Practice VI
(Comprehensive Exam)
3 4
8
1
Total units for the quarter (16) 11 5 Total units for the quarter (16) 7 9
(BOLD indicates content required for licensure by the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) BRN Theory Units 32 (Minimum required = 27)
BRN Clinical Units 27 (Minimum required = 27) Graduate Course Units 33
Total Units 92
*The Collaborative Practice courses (I – VI) will be offered as Interprofessional Education (IPE) courses with nurse practitioner, physician assistant, and medical students included. The potential exists to include students from other disciplines as well.
If a student fails a course in the program, they will be required to re-take the course at the next available offering of the same course. If a student fails a course with a clinical component, the student will not be able to progress to the next quarter of courses until the student retakes the course and receives a passing grade. In these situations, the student will need to submit a request to the Program Director to PELP until the course with a clinical component is offered for the subsequent cohort. If a student fails any courses in the first quarter of the program, they will be required to defer enrollment to the following cohort and repeat all of the first quarter courses with passing grades before continuing in the program.
11) Sources of funding
As a land grant university, affordability and accessibility are important to our campus. Our success in achieving these goals will be measured by size of applicant pool, diversity of applicant pool and student cohorts, and level of student debt upon graduation.
Return to Aid, Awards, and Fellowships
The primary goal for student support is to ensure that financial issues do not prevent talented students from matriculating and graduating from the MEPN program. To this end, the School of Nursing (SON) includes in the MEPN budget 10% of tuition revenues for direct MEPN student support. Financial Aid staff will provide prospective and enrolled students with information and resources to facilitate access to their educational needs. The School of
Nursing will award aid to students based on the program’s mission as well as student financial need, ensuring federal, state, and university compliance. These awards will include a
combination of need-based and merit-based grants and scholarships.
The SON will encourage MEPN students to compete for campus, state, federal, and
foundation awards and fellowships. As is true for all graduate programs, the proposed MEPN program will be eligible to receive available block grant allocations and MEPN students will be eligible to compete for campus-wide fellowships. Additionally, the vigorous development campaign has established endowments to fund additional stipends and scholarships, and other funding sources are available to nursing students. Students in graduate nursing education programs are eligible for targeted financial aid programs in addition to those available to all UC Davis graduate students.
Loan Repayment and Scholarships
There are several ways that MEPN graduates from a master’s degree program can repay debt - through loan repayment programs such as NURSE Corps Loan Repayment, AmeriCorps, and the U.S. Indian Health Services as well as state and federal funding sources. The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program is a competitive federal program that funds students
dedicated to practicing nursing in underserved communities. The program offers repayment of up to 85% of student loans in exchange for three years of service in a Health Provider
Shortage Area, such as many clinics and non-profit hospitals in the Greater Sacramento region including the UC Davis Medical Center.
The Indian Health Service scholarships provide financial assistance for American Indians and Alaskan Natives enrolled in health and allied health professions. AmeriCorps helps pay for education in exchange for a year of service. The Army and Navy also have programs for students who serve in the military after graduation. Additionally, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has opportunities for loan repayment, scholarships and grants for registered nurses.
Additional Financial Aid Program Examples
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing, a scholarship program to help alleviate the nursing shortage and increase the diversity of nursing professionals. Through grants to schools of nursing, the program provides scholarships to college graduates without nursing degrees who are enrolled in accelerated baccalaureate and master's degree nursing programs.
Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students provides scholarships for full-time, financially needy students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are enrolled in health professions programs, including undergraduate and graduate nursing education programs. Participating schools select scholarship recipients, make reasonable determinations of need, and provide scholarships that do not exceed the cost of tuition, reasonable educational expenses and reasonable living expenses.2
NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program helps alleviate the shortage of nurses across the country by offering loan repayment assistance to registered nurses and advance practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners, working at Critical Shortage facilities and nurse faculty employed at accredited schools of nursing. Program participants receive up to 60 percent of their qualifying student loans in exchange for a 2-year service commitment – and an
additional 25 percent of their original loan balance for an optional third year.
NURSE Corps Scholarship Program helps students complete their nursing education by paying tuition, fees, other education costs, while providing a monthly living stipend. The program is open to full-time nursing students accepted or enrolled in diploma, associate, baccalaureate or graduate nursing programs at accredited schools located in the U.S. Upon graduation, scholarship program members fulfill a service commitment at a Critical Shortage Facility.3
The Nursing Student Loan Program provides long-term, low-interest rate loans to full-time and half-time financially needy students pursuing a course of study leading to a diploma, associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree in nursing. Participating schools are responsible for selecting loan recipients and for determining the amount of assistance a student requires.
12) PELP, In Absentia and Filing Fee status
Information about PELP (Planned Educational Leave), In Absentia (reduced fees when researching out of state), and Filing Fee status can be found in the Graduate Student Guide: http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/publications/
2 Health Resources and Services Administration. Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dsa/sds.htm> and <http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dsa/sfag/PDFs/3sdnscom.pdf
3Health Resources and Services Administration, Loan Repayment and Scholarship.
http://www.hrsa.gov/loanscholarships/nursecorps/index.html/. Retrieved 8/16/2013.
