MASTERS OF SCIENCE

Graduate studies at the master's level place primary emphasis upon advanced professional nursing practice, theory, research, and health care delivery systems.  Students may select one of three specialty tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner or Nursing Education.

Master's level study provides the student with a basis for further study at the doctoral level.  The graduate program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500. Atlanta Georgia, 30326; 404-957-5000).

• Graduates of the Family Nurse Practitioner option are eligible to write the national certification examination for advanced professional practice as a family nurse practitioner from the American Nurses Association (ANA) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
• Graduates of the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner option are eligible to write the national certification examination for advanced practice as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner-adult, or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner-family.
• Graduates of the Nursing Education track, who have had two years of full time academic teaching experience, are eligible to take the NLN Certified Nurse Educator Exam.

Graduate Certificate and 2nd Master's in Nursing
For individuals who already have a Master’s degree in nursing and are licensed nurse practitioners but want to expand their scope of practice, the School of Nursing offers a post master’s certificate for the Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialties. The school also offers a post master’s certificate for Nursing Education (with this option, you just need a Master’s degree in nursing). There are also special provisions for those seeking a second Master’s degree, including a slightly different application process. If you are interested in either option, please see the UAA Catalog and School of Nursing Graduate Handbook for more details.

UAA Admission Requirements
Refer to the current UAA Course Catalog for UAA graduate admission requirements and deadlines.  The following application submission deadlines are recommended to ensure full processing of application and transcripts:

• November 1st for March 1st applicants
• July 1st for November 1st applicants

SON Admission Requirements
The School of Nursing's application is different than the University (although there are similarities). Applications must be submitted directly to the SON.

1. Earned baccalaureate or master's degree in nursing from a program accredited by the National League for Nursing (NLN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
2. Undergraduate (and graduate, if applicable) grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
3. Graduate Record Examination scores - Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic Writing. In order to be considered for the nursing graduate program, the analytic writing score must be 3.5 or higher and the combination of the Verbal & Quantitative score must be 800 or higher.
4. Grade of 2.0 ("C") or higher in an undergraduate or higher research methods course and a statistics course that covers descriptive and inferential statistics.
5. Licensure as a registered professional nurse in the State of Alaska concurrent with enrollment in first clinical course.
6. Three letters of professional recommendation. These letters of support must be submitted directly to the School of Nursing by the author (not the student).  References may be contacted by a member of the Admissions Committee.  
7. Professional portfolio.
8. Minimum of one year of half-time clinical experience as a Registered Nurse.

Application Deadline

Applicants who meet the above criteria are considered for program admission on a competitive basis. Meeting all admission criteria does not guarantee admission. Nor does prior acceptance into Graduate Study status guarantee admission into the clinical nursing tracks. Special consideration may be given to candidates with clinical expertise and a proven record of professional contributions.  This information should be put into your portfolio (this is part of the application). To the extent that there are limited seats available in the program, preference may be given to residents of the State of Alaska as defined by the University's policy on residency for tuition purposes.

Academic Progress  
Students enrolled in the Graduate Nursing Program must maintain a 3.0 ("B") GPA in all required course work.  Students must earn a grade of 3.0 ("B") or higher in all clinical courses.  If a student earns less than a "B" in a clinical course, that student must apply to retake the course (on a space available basis and with instructor recommendation) the next time it is offered.  A clinical course may be retaken only once.  A student's Graduate Nursing Program may include a maximum of two "C" grades.  Grades below a "C" will not be applied to degree requirements.  Non compliance with this policy will result in academic probation, and possible dismissal from the program.

Graduation Requirements
Refer to the current UAA Course Catalog for master's level graduation requirements.

Computer Requirements

Graduate students will need a good computer with internet connectivity. Click on the following link to see what types of systems the University recommends:

http://distanceeducation.uaa.alaska.edu/requirements/

Knowledge of MS Word and typing skills are also critical. You can find tutorials here for MS Office Word 2003, MS Office Word 2007 and Basic Typing. The NRC Computer lab is equipped with Microsoft Office 2007.

The School of Nursing does not provide support for Mac computers. Students who have Macs can use them, as long as they learn how to save files in a format that can be opened by faculty. IT services can provide some help with this (786-4646).

Program Requirements

1.  Complete the following required CORE courses (18 credits)

2.  Complete one of the following options (22-32 credits):

A.  Family Nurse Practitioner (32 credits):

B.  Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (32 credits):

3.  A total of 40-50 credits are required for the degree, depending on specialty option selected. 

Thesis or Project Credits
Four credits of thesis or project are required for the degree.  See the graduate handbook for more information on rules regarding the thesis or project.

Part-Time/Full-Time Study
The program is designed to be completed in six semesters of part-time study, although students can take longer. Students may select one of three specialty options. Two options focus in clinical studies: Family Nurse Practitioner and Phychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The Nursing Education specialty option prepares nurses to be educators in academic and service settings.

The Family Nurse Practitioner option is offered beginning each Fall semester, with a cohort of twelve to fourteen students. The other tracks are offered beginning in a Fall semester when a cohort of at least eight students has been accepted into the specialty option.

Prior to being formally admitted to graduate study, students may complete up to nine credits of degree applicable course work. Students admitted to the graduate nursing program will have priority in registering for classes. Students who are not yet formally admitted (e.g. non–degree seeking status) will be allowed to register on a space available basis and with instructor permission.  For part-time students, admission to Graduate Study only is recommended, with formal admission to a specialty track being delayed until core course requirements have been completed.  Enrollment in any clinical course requires formal admission to graduate study and to the specialty track.

Additional Requirements
All students enrolled in UAA nursing programs must provide documentation of continuous and current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for adults, infants, and children; meet certain health requirements; and have a School of Nursing sanctioned background check. Specific details of these requirements can be found HERE.

Scheduling of Courses
Graduate nursing courses are offered in different formats. Core courses (NS 618, NS 619, NS 620, NS 621, NS 625), and some specialty courses (NS 601, NS 610, NS 640, NS 641, NS 643, NS 644), are all done on line (via distance delivery). The Nursing Education specialty is completely online with the exception of the NS 602, Advance Physical assessment course. For other classes an alternative scheduling format is utilized, consisting of intensive classroom sessions presented in short time blocks on the UAA campus followed by periodic class meetings throughout the semester that are available via computer and audio-conferencing.  Students may be required to attend a 2-3 day seminar at the start of the semester and another 1-3 day seminar at the end of the semester in Anchorage. Thus it is possible for students who reside outside of Anchorage to take advantage of clinical learning opportunities throughout the State, including both urban and rural settings.