Nursing, M.S.N.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should follow the admissions process described in this catalog or at the Graduate University Admissions website: www.marshall.edu/admissions/apply/.

Students must also submit a separate application to the M.S.N. program, which is linked at: www.marshall.edu/nursing/degrees/marshall-university-master-of-science-in-nursing/admission/.

The nursing program is available to a limited number of qualified applicants. Admission is determined on a competitive basis. To be eligible for regular admission to the program, applicants must meet the following admission requirements:

  1. Baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program.
  2. Undergraduate course credit for 3 semester hours of basic statistics with a grade of “C” or better.
  3. Undergraduate course credit for 3 semester hours of basic research with a grade of “C” or better.
  4. Evidence of a current unencumbered license as a registered nurse in a U.S. jurisdiction. Verification form is included in the MSN application package.
  5. Scholastic achievement as evidenced by an overall undergraduate/graduate Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher for FNP, PM-FNP, PMHNP & CMW.
  6. It is strongly recommended that all MSN students have two years of full-time nursing practice prior to application to the program. Those who do not meet this criterion will be considered on an individual basis.
  7. Midwifery and psychiatric mental health applicants must apply, interview and be accepted by Shenandoah University prior to the application deadline before being fully admitted.

Application Deadlines for the M.S.N. program by Track:

Deadlines for the FNP, Applicants for the FNP, PMC-FNP, PMHNP, and MW are February 15th for the fall semester and September 15th for the spring semesters. Completed applications submitted after the priority deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis only if openings remain in these program tracks, but no later than December 1st for the Spring semester and August 1st for the Fall semester. Required for admission is an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale. 

Students apply through the Nursing CAS system. 

  1. Online Family Nurse Practitioner Track (FNP).  Courses at MU are asynchronous program with one required trip to Marshall University’s main campus for an immersion skills experience.
  2. Online Family Nurse Practitioner-Post-Master Certificate (PMC-FNP). Courses at MU are asynchronous program with one required trip to Marshall University’s main campus for an immersion skills experience. 
  3. Shenandoah Cooperative Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track (PMHNP)*  Courses at MU are asynchronous with one required trip to Marshall University’s main campus for an immersion skills experience. Shenandoah University has additional requirements for their courses. 
  4. Shenandoah Cooperative Midwifery Track (MW)* Courses at MU are asynchronous program with one required trip to Marshall University’s main campus for an immersion skills experience. Shenandoah University has additional requirements for their courses.

* There is no Post Master Certificate-PMHNP or PMC-MW through Marshall University with Shenandoah.

Program Requirements

The student and advisor will develop a Plan of Study or blueprint for graduation requirements. The Plan of Study must be on file in the Graduate Studies office before the student registers for the 12th semester hour.

Policies

Students in both the M.S.N. and Post Master’s Certificate programs are governed by policies stated in the Marshall University Graduate Catalog. Policies specific to the nursing programs are as follows:

M.S.N. General Academic Policies

  1. All graduate academic policies apply to all M.S.N. and post master’s coursework. Students are required to review and download the current Graduate Catalog and M.S.N. Handbook upon admission to the M.S.N. program.
  2. The School of Nursing reserves the right to administratively withdraw any nursing student whose health, academic record, clinical performance, or behavior is judged unsatisfactory.
  3. A student is permitted to repeat only one nursing course in the process of completing the MSN program.
  4. All grades of C or less are counted in computing averages, but no more than six hours of C and no grades below C may be applied toward a graduate degree or post-master’s certificate. (From Graduate Catalog.)
  5. A student who earns 9 credits of a C in nursing courses will be dismissed from the program.
  6. If a student earns a D or F in any course, he or she will be dismissed from the program.
  7. Any student dismissed from the program may not reapply to the area of emphasis in which he or she was enrolled.
  8. Students in the graduate program who fail to enroll for a semester without an approved leave of absence (LOA) are considered withdrawn from the program and are not eligible for future enrollment.
  9. Students who do not follow the university procedure for withdrawal from a course will earn a grade of F for the course.
  10. No more than twelve (12) credit hours may be accepted as transfer credit in the MSN tracks. For graduate certificate programs, transfer credits may not exceed 6 credit hours. The grades earned in the classes to be transferred must be a B or better. Graduate credits transferred from other institutions will not become a part of the Grade Point Average recorded on the student’s Marshall University transcript and will simply meet credit hour requirements toward graduation. (From Graduate Catalog.)
  11. All students must have a 3.00 GPA in their major to graduate and receive the MSN or post master’s certificate.
  12. A student must have an approved Plan of Study (POS) developed with his or her advisor prior to registering for any M.S.N. class. Any deviation from the student’s POS must be approved by his or her advisor. Failure to comply with this policy can result in an administrative withdrawal from a course.

Other Policies

  1. Each student must pass and submit a background check and drug screen prior to being registered for his/her first nursing course.
  2. Each student must submit a satisfactory health record prior to being registered for his/her first nursing course.
  3. Each student must submit proof of a negative PPD screening test prior to being registered for his/her first nursing course.  Annual PPD screening test for Tuberculosis must be submitted while in the MSN program.
  4. Each student must show evidence of the following prior to being registered for any nursing course: 
    1. Current unencumbered professional nurse licensure in the state in which they will attend clinical precepting 
    2. Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR certification must remain current with proof submitted while in the MSN program. 
  5. Students are responsible for own transportation to and from all clinical assignments.
  6. Students are required to be in professional attire for all clinical practicums and to wear a name pin. In addition, selected clinical agencies require a white lab coat.

For additional information, contact the School of Nursing.

For additional policies, see the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook.

Nurse-Midwifery (Offered in Cooperation with Shenandoah University)

Once the student has successfully completed his or her 25 credit hours at Marshall University, the student will transfer to Shenandoah University to obtain an additional 32 credit hours of classroom and clinical midwifery courses. The student will spend one week at the beginning of each semester at Shenandoah and then return to rural WV to be placed with a preceptor to obtain the clinical portion of the program. The student will continue to receive didactic material from Shenandoah midwifery faculty.

Upon successful completion of the 26 credit hours at Shenandoah, the student transfers these 26 hours to Marshall University. The student will receive an M.S.N. from Marshall University and a certificate in Nurse-Midwifery from Shenandoah University. The student is then eligible to take the Certified Nurse Midwifery Exam from the American Midwives Certification.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Offered in Cooperation with Shenandoah University)

Students will meet all Marshall University School of Nursing and Shenandoah University admissions requirements; including an interview by SU psychiatric mental health nurse faculty. Students will take the above courses at Marshall University and the PMHNP courses at Shenandoah University.

SU will offer 29 hours of courses, all offered through SU psychiatric mental health nurse faculty. Students enrolled in the PMHNP will attend PMHNP classes at Shenandoah University after attending the core graduate courses at Marshall University.

The PMHNP curriculum allows students to attend classes during concentrated times (2 weekends a semester). The remaining weeks of the semester, students are placed with clinical preceptors to apply what they have learned in the didactic portion of the course(s). Students then return to campus for examinations or arrange for a proctored examination. 

Upon successful completion of the 29 credit hours at Shenandoah, the student transfers these 29 hours to Marshall University. The student will receive an M.S.N. from Marshall University and a certificate from Shenandoah University.

Shenandoah University has additional progression policies. (https://www.su.edu/nursing/nursing-graduate-programs/)