California State University San Marcos

The mission of the graduate program in nursing at California State University San Marcos is to provide superior graduate education to qualified students, leading to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Our objective is to prepare nurses in generalist and advanced practice roles for positions in the healthcare industry, community or public health agencies, and academia, and for continued study at the doctoral level.

The MSN program includes a strong foundation in theory and research inquiry. The School of Nursing acknowledges the responsibility to address the nursing and healthcare needs in populations and communities around the globe, including those who are underserved and vulnerable. The graduate program builds on the knowledge gained at the baccalaureate level and promotes nursing scholarship at the local, state, national, and international levels through research, service, and practice. Values, ethics, and multicultural perspectives are heavily embedded within the graduate program. Cultural sensitivity and competence are emphasized in the curriculum as students interface with a diverse population both professionally and in the care of clients, families, and communities.

The master’s degree program is designed for two groups of students with different pathways. Students who have completed an associate degree program in nursing (ADN) at a community college and seek completion of their baccalaureate and master’ degree follow the RN-to-MSN

• Option 1. Students who have completed a baccalaureate degree follow the MSN only
• Option 2. Both options are designed as part-time programs. The RN-to-MSN program is designed to be completed part-time in 4 years (including summers). The (basic) MSN is designed to be completed part-time in 2.5 years, depending on whether a summer session is elected.

Students in both options have the choice of three concentrations. The first is the Nursing Education concentration which offers the student courses in the theories of adult learning, curriculum design and development, and classroom and online teaching strategies. The second concentration is Advanced Practice Nurse which prepares the student for advanced practice nursing through courses in advanced health/physical assessment, advanced pathophysiology/pharmacology and advanced practice management of clients in acute care and community settings.

Students in the Advanced Practice Nurse concentration are required to choose one of two tracks: Clinical Nurse Specialist or Nurse Practitioner. Students will also choose a specialization for the Clinical Nurse Specialist track including Adult/Gerontology, Pediatrics, or Advanced Public Health, and for the Nurse Practitioner track including Family Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Students will complete a minimum of 500 hours of advanced field study and will be eligible to sit for a National certification exam upon completion of the MSN program. The third concentration is Clinical Nurse Leader which prepares the student to be a leader, manager, and educator at the unit level. The Clinical Nurse Leader role is learned through courses in health systems leadership, quality improvement, evaluation and accreditation in nursing organizations, financial resource management, and management of patients in the acute care setting.