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Dec 05, 2025
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2010-2011 Graduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU]
Master of Science in Nursing
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 Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences
Specialization in Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist
Specialization in Adult Nurse Practitioner
Specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner
Specialization in Nursing Education
Community Health Nurse Specialist
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
A minimum of four semesters is required for completion of the M.S. in nursing program. Graduates are prepared for the nurse educator role or for an advanced practice role as either a nurse practitioner or a clinical nurse specialist in a selected field of specialization and are eligible to sit for national examinations for certification as a family nurse practitioner, an adult nurse practitioner, an adult clinical nurse specialist by completing the program with the appropriate specialization.
Current licensure with no encumbrance as a registered nurse in Illinois is prerequisite to enrollment in all nursing courses unless otherwise specified. Registered nurses who hold the baccalaureate in nursing may enroll in graduate nursing courses as students-at-large. With the approval of the student’s faculty adviser, a maximum of 9 semester hours of student-at-large credit may be applied to degree requirements. However, admitted students receive priority over students-at-large in registering for courses. (See “Admission” below.) Enrollment in the internship courses (NURS 677, NURS 678, NURS 679, and NURS 695) requires that planning be completed with appropriate faculty during the semester preceding each internship experience and that an intent to enroll form is completed one year prior to enrollment in the first internship.
To maintain enrollment in the graduate program, evidence of current registered nurse licensure, professional liability insurance, CPR certification, and absence of active tuberculosis is required. Graduate students must be in compliance with all clinical requirements prior to enrollment in the first nursing course.
All internship courses are permit courses. In order to receive a permit for the course a student must complete the appropriate prerequisite courses and submit documentation of compliance with clinical requirements to the College of Health and Human Sciences, Wirtz 227F. Clinical requirements include evidence of current registered nurse licensure, professional liability insurance, appropriate CPR certification, and required immunizations.
The graduate faculty may determine that a student not continue in the master’s program in nursing for failure to maintain professional standards.
Graduate students plan their program of study in consultation with an assigned adviser. With the advice and consent of the adviser, a student may elect a thesis option, which requires completion of an additional 3 semester hours. A maximum of 6 semester hours of credit may be transferred from another college or university.
Criminal Background Checks and Drug Screening
Students in nursing and the M.A.T. are required to undergo criminal background checks and drug screening. The nursing program and the M.A.T. with a specialization in health education may be unable to place students in a clinical or student teaching settings if they have a positive drug screen or if the student has a prior criminal record; therefore, the student may not be able to complete the program of required courses.
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Admission
Admission to graduate study in nursing requires compliance with the following standards of the nursing program. Current licensure with no encumbrance as a registered nurse in the U.S. (Prior to beginning course work, students must hold or have applied for licensure in Illinois.)
A baccalaureate degree from a school accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), or the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission, or from a program seeking initial accreditation which includes an upper-division major in nursing equivalent to the undergraduate nursing major at NIU. If the applicant is a graduate of a nongraded baccalaureate program in nursing, CCNE accreditation or National League of Nursing accreditation is required. The applicant must provide documentation of course work which is essentially equivalent to that required in the nursing major at NIU.
A minimum 3.00 GPA (based on a 4.00 system) for the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate program, or completion of 9 semester hours of graduate work in nursing at NIU with a GPA of 3.20 or better.
Each applicant must provide a writing sample to be reviewed by the nursing program.
Two letters of reference from employer, supervisor, or professor which provide supportive evidence of the applicant’s professional qualifications.
The approval of the nursing program Graduate Admissions Committee. The applicant may be required to have a personal interview with the university and/or the nursing program Graduate Admissions Committee. Applicants to the nursing education specialization must have completed a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice experience in a specialty area within the three years prior to admission. A “specialty” means clinical practice in one specific area such as medical-surgical, pediatrics, community health, psychiatric nursing, etc. Admission decisions are normally made within three weeks of receipt of the complete application. One of the following specializations
Specialization as an Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist (39)
Specialization as an Adult Nurse Practitioner (39)
Specialization as a Family Nurse Practitioner (39)
Specialization in Nursing Education (25-26)
Community Health Nurse Specialist (27)
Thesis Option
Same requirements as non-thesis option, except 3 semester hours of NURS 699, Master’s Thesis, must be included. With the approval of the nursing program, a student may substitute an alternative field of clinical study, of 12-18 semester hours in nursing, appropriate to the student’s professional interest. |
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