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School of Nursing and Health Sciences (Graduate Studies)

Hudson (dean), Peebles (DEMSN Director), Burns, King, Loukissa, McCreedy, Orosz, Ross, Reckamp, Shehan, Smith

Master of Science in Nursing

With a solid grounding in the three North Park core values of Christian perspective, urban commitment, and intercultural recognition, the Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) programs are designed to fully prepare nurses to meet healthcare needs of the future. Students may choose to pursue a master’s degree with a focus in leadership and management (LM) or choose from adult- gerontology primary care or family nurse practitioner (NP) options.

Admissions

Applications for the M.S.N. degree program are processed on a continuous basis throughout the academic year, including the summer term. Application deadlines are Fall - August 1, Spring - December 1, and Summer - April 20. Mandatory onsite orientations are scheduled. To ensure confidentiality, admission decisions are released solely by written documentation. Admission Requirements are summarized below:

Requirements MS in Nursing L and M Track MS in Nursing NP Track Post-Master's NP Track Dual Degree***
Application X X X X
BSN/BS with a major in nursing from an accredited program or its equivalent* X X X X
Minimum of 2 years (FTE) clinical experience as a nurse* X X X X
MSN/MS with a major in nursing from an accredited program or its equivalent X
Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended** X X X X
Cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 for all undergraduate courses X X X X
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all MS program courses X X X X
Essay X X X X
Resume X X X X
Two letters of recommendation - one from the supervisor who can attest to nursing skills/competences X X X X
Current Illinois RN license X X X X
Satisfactory completion of the following courses at the BS level or higher lever:
Statistics		 X X X X
Nursing Research X X X X
Health Assessment X X X X

*Evaluated on a case-by-case basis (e.g. RN’s with non-nursing baccalaureate degrees are considered for admission to L and M track)

**Graduates of foreign nursing schools are required to submit their transcripts for evaluation to either World/Educational Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) for a course by course analysis and determination of a GPA.

***Applicants to the dual degree programs need only apply to the School of Nursing and Health Sciences; if admitted, they are concomitantly accepted into the School of Business.

Admission Requirements: Transfer Students

Graduate nursing students may transfer a maximum of 9 semester hours of equivalent coursework from an NLN or CCNE accredited Master of Science in Nursing program to North Park. Transferred courses must have a grade of B or higher and be no longer than five years old. The credentials examiner, in consultation with the academic standing committee of the graduate nursing faculty, will ascertain the transferability of a course.

Student’s Rights, Responsibility and Regulations:

Academic Dishonesty

Please refer to the entry on academic dishonesty in the catalog section titled Additional Rights, Responsibilities and Regulations.

Academic Load

Enrollment status at the graduate level is determined by following categories:

  • Full-Time Enrollment: 8 semester hours of credit or more per semester
  • Half-Time Enrollment: 4 < 8 semester hours of credit per semester
  • Part-Time Enrollment: < 4 semester hours of credit per semester

Drops and Withdrawals

Students must complete a drop form to withdraw from a course. Withdrawal from a course or from the school will count from the date that formal written notice has been filed with the registrar. Mere absence from class or notice to the instructor does not constitute withdrawal. A grade of DW (dropped without permission) will be assigned to unauthorized withdrawals and a grade point of zero applied.

Students may withdraw from a course without an assigned grade through the fourth week of the fall and spring semesters (and the second week of the summer semester). That course will not appear on the student’s permanent record.

At the beginning of the fifth week of the fall and spring semesters (and the third week of the summer semester), a dropped course is assigned a grade of W (Withdraw) and is listed on the student’s permanent record but is not used in the calculation of the student’s GPA.

The last day to withdraw from a course with a grade of W depends on the length of the term:

TERM LENGTH Last Date to Drop a Course With a Grade of W
16 week Fall/Spring semester The end of the 12th week
7 1/2 week Fall/Spring quad The end of the 6th week
9 week Summer semester The end of the 7th week
4 1/2 week Summer quad The end of the 3rd week
3 week mini-term (May) The end of the 2nd week

After these dates, students will be assigned grades that are used in the calculation of their GPA.

Students may be involuntarily withdrawn from the institution if they are determined by University officials to be a danger to themselves or others, or if their behavior or actions are incongruent with the values and mission of the institution. Students may be responsible for tuition, fees, and charges up to the point of withdrawal.

Expenses

All graduate students are assessed a fee for graduation. Nurse Practitioner students are assessed a fee for certain nurse practitioner population specific courses to cover electronic logs, simulation experiences and other program related expenses. Other students enrolled in courses involving the simulation center are also assessed a fee. There is also a per credit hour technology fee for all graduate students. Proof of liability insurance will be required for each practicum experience. Additional costs may include outlays for student health insurance, background checks, drug screening tests, etc.

Grading System

At the end of each semester, a graduate student’s work in each course is recorded with one of the following grades:

Percentage Grade Grade Point
94-100 A 4.00
91-93 A- 3.67
88-90 B+ 3.34
84-87 B 3.00
81-83 B- 2.67
78-80 C+ 2.34
76-77 C 2.00
71-75 C- 1.67
68-70 D+ 1.34
64-67 D 1.00
61-63 D- 0.67
60 and under F 0.00
AU (Audit) 0.00
DR (Administrative Drop) 0.00
DW (Drop without permission) 0.00
I (Incomplete) 0.00
NG (No grade) 0.00
NS (Not submitted) 0.00
P (Pass) 0.00
W (Withdrawal) 0.00

Grade Definition

  • Administrative Drop (DR): Student withdrew from course with permission of university administration. Credits are not calculated in GPA.
  • Audit (AU): See Audit entry in this section.
  • Dropped without permission (DW): Student was registered for the course but failed to attend. Course calculated in GPA as a failure of credits.
  • Incomplete (I): See Incomplete Grades entry in this section.
  • No Grade (NG): See Incomplete Grades entry in this section.
  • Not Submitted (NS): Instructor has not provided a grade.
  • Pass (P): See Pass/Fail entry in this section.
  • Withdrawal (W): Student dropped after the 4th week of class.

Each student is expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation.

The student on academic probation has the opportunity to complete six more semester hours of graduate study in order to raise the student’s cumulative GPA to 3.0. The student will be dismissed from the program if the cumulative GPA is not raised to 3.0 upon the completion of these six graduate semester hours.

No more than one C+ or lower course grade may be earned in the graduate nursing program. Should a C+ or lower be earned in any graduate level NP core, role, or population specific or LM specialty course, the student must repeat that course and its co-requisite course. The repeated courses must be taken in the next semester offered. The student may not register for any additional graduate courses until the course of concern and its co-requisite is remediated with a minimum grade of “B”. If this student then earns a Grade of C+ or lower in another course, the student will be dismissed from the program.

If a student receives an I (incomplete) grade, the work must be made up within one semester (excluding the summer term for a spring semester incomplete). If a student fails to make up an I grade after one semester, the grade will become an F unless the student receives a written extension with a specific date of completion from the professor.

The Graduate Selection and Progression Committee will review each student’s record of academic deficiency and may make exceptions to the above rules for medical or other extraordinary circumstances.

Any student whose academic standing has been subject to action may submit a written appeal to the Committee.

Graduation with Distinction

Students whose final cumulative grade point average is 3.9 or higher receive an M.S.N. degree with Distinction. Dual-degree students’ grade-point averages are considered on a program specific basis.

Grievance

If a student wishes to file a grievance or present an appeal, he or she is to follow the procedures outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook for the School of Nursing.

Leave of Absence

A student may be granted a leave of absence for academic or personal reasons with approval from the Director of the Graduate Nursing program. Although individual circumstances determine justification and duration, the typical leave of absence is one semester in length. Each graduate student in good standing has a maximum of five years to complete degree requirements.