Nursing, M.S.N.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should follow the admissions process described in this catalog or at the Graduate Admissions website: https://www.marshaIl.edu/admissions/graduate/.

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

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

  1. Online Nursing Administration Track (MSN- NA)
  2. Online Nursing Education Track (MSN- NE)
  3. Online Post-Master's Certificate (PMC) PMC-NA or PMC-NE


    Applications to these program tracks (MSN-NA, MSN-NE, PMC-NA, PMC-NE) are on a rolling admission basis. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they become complete with all supporting materials. This process will continue until the class is filled; therefore, it benefits applicants to complete their applications early. Completed applications will be accepted no later than December 1st for the Spring semester and August 1st for the Fall semester.

    We are anticipating using the Liaison Nursing CAS system for the Online Nursing Administration and Online Nursing Education programs in the fall of 2024. Look for these changes in the future.

  4. Virtual Family Nurse Practitioner Track (FNP)
  5. Virtual Family Nurse Practitioner-Post-Master Certificate (PMC-FNP)
  6. Shenandoah Cooperative Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track (PMHNP)*
  7. Shenandoah Cooperative Midwifery Track (MW)*

    Applicants for the FNP, PMC-FNP, PMHNP, and MW will receive priority consideration, with submission of completed applications and all required supporting materials by the priority deadlines of September 15th for the Spring semester and February 15th for the Fall semester. 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.

* There is no PMC-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. 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 submit a satisfactory health record prior to registering for his/her first nursing course with a clinical component.
  2. Each student is required to have an annual PPD screening test for Tuberculosis.
  3. Each student must show evidence of the following prior to registering for any nursing course with a clinical component:
    1. Current unencumbered professional nurse licensure in West Virginia and
    2. Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  4. Students are responsible for own transportation to and from all clinical assignments.
  5. 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.
  6. Students are required to pass and submit a background check and drug screen.

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 26 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 Shenadoah University)

The curriculum will consist of 52 credit hours; 25 of these hours will be taken in Marshall University’s School of Nursing M.S.N. program; and 27 credit hours will be taken from Shenandoah University’s Division of Nursing.

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 27 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 27 credit hours at Shenandoah, the student transfers these 27 hours to Marshall University. The student will receive an M.S.N. from Marshall University and a certificate from Shenandoah University.

Shenandoah Graduate Academic Progression Policies for the Nurse Midwifery and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Cooperative Students

Shenandoah Graduate Grading Scale 


Percent Range                            Letter Grade                     Notes
90%-100%                                          A                                Successful grade
80%-89%                                            B                                Successful grade
70%-79%                                            C                                Failing grade
69% and below                                   F                                Dismissal from the program track

Shenandoah Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria at the graduate level are according to the following guidelines: 

  • Pluses and minuses are not applied to the grades. 
  • Students must achieve a minimum average of 80% on tests, quizzes (NON-OPEN BOOK QUIZZES) in a course before any other assignments are factored into the final course grade. For example, if a student has a weighted average grade of a 78% on the objective assessments (tests, quizzes, and final exams - not including open book quizzes) and then has a 94% on each SOAP note, the student will not pass the course, as SOAP note or presentation is NOT considered an objective assessment. 
  • Any grade involving a numerical fraction is rounded automatically by Canvas in standard rounding format. Please note, however, the FINAL grade will not ever be rounded IF a minimum grade of 80% is not achieved in the objective assessments. For example: A final Grade of 91.6 could get a 92%. A final grade of 89.8 could receive a 90%. BUT a final grade of 79.7 will receive a 79% and will not pass the course. 

Shenandoah Graduate Progression Policy

  • Graduate students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA, meaning that all courses must be completed with a minimum grade of "B" or better.
  • If the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the student will be given one semester to bring the GPA up to a 3.0 or be dismissed from the program.
  • Students must earn a final grade of "B" or better in all courses to graduate.
  • A "C" in a course must be repeated for a "B" or better.
  • Only one repeated course can be applied toward the degree. A second course with a grade of less than "B" will result in dismissal.
  • Graduate students who do not earn a "B" or better in a specialty course (those courses that start with the prefix NP, PMH, and NM) may not progress to the next specialty course, be it didactic or clinical.

Shenandoah Clinical Site Experience Guidelines for All Nursing Students

Facilities Used for Clinical Experiences

The School of Nursing uses a wide range of health care facilities for clinical experiences to provide students with opportunities to observe and function in a variety of settings. Clinical sites are selected to best meet the objectives of a particular course. A student may suggest a possible site for clinical experience to their course coordinator, but the faculty member responsible for the course makes the final arrangements in collaboration with the SON Clinical Coordinator. Under no circumstances may a student directly arrange with a health care facility for their clinical experiences. 

Students can expect to have possible clinical experiences in a variety of sites and in locations not necessarily close to their assigned campuses over the course of their program. Students may need to travel some distance to their clinical sites during their programs;  travel up to 100 miles from your home address my be needed (Nurse Midwifery students may travel even further). Students are required to provide a minimum of three (3) preceptors/sites that are willing to precept the student during their program. The preceptor/site referral should be given to the appropriate program director no later than one semester PRIOR to starting clinical courses. These referrals should not be for established SON graduate sites. These sites can be found in EXXAT. Students are expected to accept their clinical assignments. Clinical experiences may be scheduled on varying shifts during the week, including nights and weekends. 

Except for DNP students, students may not be assigned clinical experiences in units where they are currently employed. Students may, however, be assigned a clinical experience in another unit within the same facility. Additionally, students may be asked not to be assigned to clinical experiences in an office setting of a primary care provider where they or their immediate family receive personal health care. This may be negotiated with approval of the course faculty. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from clinical sites. 

All health records including immunizations and health insurance must be current and recorded in the Wilkins Wellness Center in order to attend clinical and preceptor experiences. Students must also have current CPR certification, completion of site orientation, bloodborne pathogens and HIP AA prior to starting any clinical experience/rotation. Failure to maintain up-to-date health records and CPR can result in an unexcused absence for the assigned clinical/preceptor experience.