Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2017-2018 
    
Graduate Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

R.N. to M.S.N.


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing

Fall entry only

Janice Smith, Professor, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Professor
Health & Life Sciences Building, Office 161, (540) 665-5504, jsmith9@su.edu

The RN to MSN degree in the School of Nursing enables students who are registered nurses without a BSN to obtain an MSN degree within one of four advanced practice nursing roles: Nurse Midwifery, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Students pursuing the RN to MSN degree complete 13-17 credits of undergraduate nursing bridge courses and between 36-48 credits of graduate courses depending on their role. Students must have completed all required undergraduate prerequisite courses to be considered for admission.

Students admitted for the RN to MSN degree must successfully complete the NLN Health Assessment exam prior to taking N 401 Health Across the Lifespan: Communities. If unsuccessful, N 201 Health Assessment must be completed prior to taking N 401.

Graduate students enrolled in the RN to MSN degree program are taught competencies in their chosen role areas. The Nurse Midwifery, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner graduates are eligible to take the appropriate national certification exams. For graduates wishing to practice in states requiring a bachelor’s degree in addition to the MSN, a BSN option is available. (See information directly following.)

Please refer to the MSN specialty in the catalog for curriculum content.

Prerequisite Courses and General Education Requirements


  • Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II and Labs Credit(s): 8
  • Microbiology Credit(s): 4
  • Chemistry Credit(s): 4
  • Statistics Credit(s): 3
  • English Composition Credit(s): 3
  • English Literature Credit(s): 3
  • Psychology Credit(s): 3
  • Sociology Credit(s): 3
  • Public Speaking Credit(s): 3
  • Religion, Ethics or Philosophy Credit(s): 3

Subtotal: 37 credits


RN Nursing Transfer Credits: 36-40 credits


Total: 73-77 credits


Interested students are strongly encouraged to meet with a nursing faculty member/advisor to review transcripts from previous institutions attended.

Bridge Courses


  • N 319 Ethics and Genomics in Nursing Practice Credit(s): 3
  • N 414 Leadership and Management in Professional Nursing Practice Credit(s): 3
  • N 306 Theory, Reasoning and Research in Nursing Credit(s): 3
  • N 401 Human Health Across the Lifespan: Communities Credit(s): 5 *

Total: 14 credits


Total bridge course credits will be 18 if health assessment course must be taken.

*Three class hours/week and six clinical hours/week.

Bridge courses must be successfully completed prior to enrolling in any graduate level MSN courses.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing