MS Nursing

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is a graduate-level program designed to prepare nurses for advanced roles in clinical practice, education, leadership, and research. It replaces the former Master of Arts in Nursing to reflect a stronger emphasis on clinical skill development, evidence-based practice, and outcome-based education.

Graduates of the MSN program are expected to:

  1. Demonstrate proficiency in addressing complex problems and in providing specialized care to achieve best possible outcomes guided by best available evidence
  2. Implement improvements in the health care delivery system through knowledge generated by research and translation of high-quality evidence into practice.
  3. Lead in the promotion and implementation of change in nursing practice
  4. Enhance professional competence through lifelong learning and engagement in continuous personal and professional development.
  5. Promote a professional environment that fosters high-level communication, inter-professional collaboration and accountability in the context of advanced practice nursing.

Academic Track – Designed to prepare nurses to become educators and researchers in settings like nursing schools, colleges and universities, and other health and research institutions or organizations.

Students will choose from among the different specialties offered, where they will have both didactic and clinical learning experiences. They will take the same core courses as those in the Advanced Practice Track but will only enroll in two major courses from their chosen specialty. They will not take the Advanced Practice Nursing course, which serves as the terminal course for the Advanced Practice Track. Instead, Academic Track students will take one major course on teaching nursing and one elective related to it.

Students are expected to develop, implement, and defend their thesis at the end of the program.

Track Outcomes for the Academic Track:

  1. Demonstrate proficiency in addressing complex problems and in providing specialized care in the context of education, leadership, and research roles.
  2. Implement improvements in the health care delivery system through knowledge generated by research and translation of high-quality evidence into practice.
  3. Lead in the promotion and implementation of change in nursing practice.
  4. Enhance professional competence through lifelong learning and engagement in continuous personal and professional development.
  5. Promote a professional environment that fosters high-level communication, interprofessional collaboration, and accountability in the context of advanced practice nursing.

Advanced Practice Track – Designed to prepare nurses to assume responsibilities of advanced practice nursing, wherein the specialty is defined by population, setting, disease, or medical subspecialty in a wide variety of healthcare settings. The focus is on improving quality and safety outcomes for individual clients or populations.

Students will choose from among the different specialties offered, where they will have both didactic and clinical learning experiences. They will take the same core courses as those in the Academic Track. In addition, they will enroll in four major specialty courses, including the intensive nursing experience during which they will conduct a research-based quality improvement project. Students in this track will also take two elective courses, which may be chosen from the specialty offerings of other nursing groups.

Track Outcomes for the Advanced Practice Track:

  1. Demonstrate proficiency in addressing complex problems to facilitate or provide specialized care to various clients in hospital, community, and other healthcare settings.
  2. Implement improvements in the healthcare delivery system through integration of evidence-based principles and strategies in the management or provision of advanced nursing care.
  3. Lead in the promotion and implementation of change in nursing practice.
  4. Enhance professional competence through lifelong learning and engagement in continuous personal and professional development.
  5. Promote a professional environment that fosters high-level communication, interprofessional collaboration, and accountability in the context of advanced practice nursing.

Under the two tracks—Academic Track and Advanced Practice Track—there will be seven nursing specialties. These are:

  1. Women’s Health Nursing – Focuses on the application of advanced knowledge and clinical skills in providing and managing care of women across reproductive stages and stages of childbearing, both in normal and high-risk conditions, and in both hospital and community settings. This specialty prepares graduates for a more independent yet collaborative role in the provision of comprehensive wellness and illness care. Concepts from Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the natural and social sciences provide the foundation for clinical practice in this field.
  2. Child Health Nursing – Prepares graduates for expanded roles in the care of children and adolescents in pediatric healthcare settings. The program provides training for comprehensive wellness and illness care through patient education and the management of acute, chronic, and critical illnesses. Evidence-based research and concepts from nursing, pediatrics, and the natural and social sciences form the foundation for clinical practice. This specialty is grounded in dynamic theoretical and research foundations related to advanced child and adolescent care.
  3. Nursing Administration – Prepares graduate nurses to assume leadership roles within advanced nursing practice. The nurse administrator functions as a care integrator and coordinator, directly influencing nursing practice by supporting the delivery of direct patient care and meeting the health goals of individuals and diverse client populations. The role is recognized as a creative blend of leadership and management skills applied to organizing nursing care delivery, coordinating client care and health programs, and fostering a positive work climate across healthcare settings.
  4. Public Health Nursing – Focuses on delivering nursing services to population groups and communities. Graduates are prepared for independent and collaborative roles in public health. This specialty involves assessing and evaluating health needs of individuals and families within the context of population groups. It applies the nursing process through a whole-of-systems approach, recognizing the crucial roles of other health-related actors and institutions in enhancing population-level health outcomes.
  5. Cardiovascular Nursing – Emphasizes the management and care of clients with cardiovascular conditions, using a critical care nursing framework to guide clinical decision-making and intervention.
  6. Oncology Nursing – Covers the concepts, principles, and processes of care for adult clients with cancer and their families, with special attention to the clinical aspects of diagnosis, treatment, and care. It also addresses current trends, issues, and standards in oncology nursing practice.
  7. Gerontology Nursing – Focuses on the care of older adults with chronic illnesses and their families, with an emphasis on the clinical aspects of diagnosis, treatment, and care. The specialty also explores trends, challenges, and standards of care specific to the geriatric population.

For the Advanced Practice 277 Track, all the 30 units are credited to the academic course as this is the non-thesis track. 278 Students in the Advanced Practice Track will be required to do a capstone project. The 279 academic courses carry a 3-unit load. The full-time student registers in 12 units of academic 280 work per semester and is given a maximum of 5 years within which to finish all 30 units of 281 academics and the thesis, including passing the comprehensive examination.

Program of Study

Academic Track: 30 units (24 academic + 6 thesis units)

Advanced Practice Track: 30 academic units with a capstone project 

The full time student enrolls in 12 units of academic work per semester and is given a maximum of five (5) years within which to finish all 36 units of academic and the thesis, including passing the comprehensive examination. 

The courses are divided into the following: 

  • Core Courses – these are courses required of a MS Nursing student regardless of the track. These are: Nursing 204 (Advanced Pathophysiology), Nursing 207 (Theoretical Foundations of Nursing), Nursing 293 (Statistical Methods Applied in Nursing), and Nursing 299 
  • Major Courses – these are courses required under each track. 
  • Electives or Cognates – cognates are those courses which are offered by related disciplines such as in Anthropology, Education, Psychology, Public Health, Social Work, or Sociology depending on the interests of the student and which should broaden the student’s understanding of Nursing.
  • Thesis – the final phase of the program under the Academic track is the thesis. It has two sub-phases: proposal defense (Thesis I) and final thesis defense (Thesis II). 
  1. GWA of 2.00 or better in all courses taken and in major courses provided there is no grade of 5.00 in any of them
  2. Completion of prescribed units for the track:
    1. Academic Track – Completion of 30 units, broken down as: 24 units of academic coursework and 6 units of thesis (Nursing 300.1 and 300.2)
    2. Advanced Practice Track – Completion of 30 units of academic coursework, and Completion of a capstone project involving a research-based quality improvement initiative
  3. Residency of at least 1 academic year prior to granting of degree
  4. Passing of the comprehensive examination
  5. Successful thesis defense or capstone presentation