Program Purpose
Established in 1979, the M.S. in nursing at South Dakota State University prepares nurses for advanced practice in nursing administration, leadership, clinical practice or education.
Program Outcomes
To prepare nurse administrators, clinical nurse leaders, nurse educators, family nurse practitioners and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners who:
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice.
- Engage in life-long learning.
- Serve South Dakota, the region, the nation and the world in urban, rural and frontier health care settings.
- Function in leadership roles.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Incorporate knowledge and theories from nursing and other supportive disciplines to promote and translate evidence into practice to effectively tailor health care to diverse populations.
- Use leadership strategies at the organizational and individual level to work with interprofessional teams to recommend quality improvement initiatives to provide safe healthcare delivery and improve population health.
- Assume accountability to influence health policy, improve healthcare delivery, decrease health disparities and address the diversity of health care needs.
- Utilize informatics to enhance delivery of healthcare to a population.
- Communicate effectively with populations to improve health through population-centered strategies of health promotion/disease prevention education.
- Master's Specialization specific Student Learning Outcomes:
- Nurse Administrator: Analyze and apply a broad spectrum of administrative functions such as management principles and business skills to influence health care delivery systems (meets program Content Student Learning Outcome, Essential IX).
- Nurse Educator: Utilize acquired knowledge and skills to develop and implement a nurse educator evidence-based practice in a variety of settings (meets program Content Student Learning Outcome, Essential IX).
- Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL): Utilize microsystem assessment date to design, implement and evaluate evidence- based interventions that improve safety and quality for selected populations (meets program Content Student Learning Outcome, Essential IX).
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP): Collaborate with the interprofessional team in the translation, implementation, analysis and dissemination of evidence-based practice to improve healthcare outcomes (meets program Content Student Learning Outcome, Essential IX).
- Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP): Collaborate with the interprofessional team in the translation, implementation, analysis and dissemination of evidence-based practice to improve mental healthcare outcomes (meets program content student learning outcome, essential IX).
Academic Advisor
Each student admitted to the M.S. program is assigned to the assistant director of nursing student services, graduate nursing (academic advisor) for academic guidance. The student and adviser should meet (in person, by telephone or by e-mail) at least once each semester.
Faculty Adviser
The non-thesis M.S. student does not select a major adviser but is guided for advising purposes by the (academic advisor) assistant director of student services, Graduate Nursing and the master's specialization coordinator. The master's specialization coordinator will assist with student inquiries specific to the area of specialty.
The thesis M.S. student selects a qualified thesis adviser, with Graduate Faculty Status, to develop their plan of study according to program guidelines. The major adviser is selected by the student no later than the completion of NURS 670.
The student is expected to contact their academic advisor at least once per semester.
The student has the right to petition the Graduate Admissions and Scholastic Standards Committee in writing to change his/her major advisor (see Change of Advisor section below).
It is the responsibility of the academic advisor to:
- Advise the student concerning the selection of coursework.
- Assist in planning and submitting the program of study.
- Provide counsel in other matters pertinent to successful completion of graduate study.
- Monitor the progress of the student and report as needed to the associate dean for graduate nursing.
- Advise the student with regard to the selection of committee members.
- Assist the student to submit the Graduate School request for appointment of committee members including the graduate faculty representative.
- For M.S. thesis students, D.N.P. students and Ph.D. students only: the thesis committee chair, the D.N.P. Project chair(s), or the Ph.D. dissertation chair will be the person who will chair the final oral examination.
Challenge Exams
The College of Nursing does not offer challenge exams for graduate nursing courses.
Program Options and Graduation Requirements
Program of Study Options/Course Requirements
The M.S. in nursing program requires completion of 31-58 graduate credits. The number of actual credits will vary based on the chosen specialization.
Up to 40% of the credits may be transferred in from other universities (dependent upon completed analysis of prior coursework) with the approval of the associate dean of academic programs.
Program Length/Time Limitation
Master’s programs with a major in nursing are usually completed in two to four years depending on credit load and if the student chooses full-time or part-time study.
If the requirements for the masters' degree are not completed within six years from the program start date, a form to request an extension of the graduate program must be submitted to the Graduate School. The request will be reviewed and a decision as to whether the student may continue in the program will be made by the Graduate School Dean.
Plan of Study Requirements and Changes
At the time of admission, the nursing graduate student is assigned an academic advisor. The student should make an appointment to meet the academic advisor in order to become acquainted and to discuss the student’s plan of study.
The Plan of Study for M.S. and Post Graduate Certificate program students (templates located in D2L, NURS 114) should be submitted to the student’s academic advisor at the start of the second year of the program. After approval and signature is obtained from the academic advisor, the Plan of Study is sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. The Plan of Study for the doctoral students, D.N.P. and Ph.D. (templates located in D2L, NURS 114) will be drafted once all committee members are finalized. The student is responsible for obtaining all the committee member signatures prior to filing the plan with the SDSU Graduate School.
Students who have filed an official Plan of Study with the SDSU Graduate School are bound by the approved plan. Any changes to the Plan of Study must be approved by the adviser and Graduate School. This process is done via completion of the Change to Plan of Study form (template located in D2L, NNURS 114) and then sent to the Graduate School.
If a student has not filed a Plan of Study and changes are made to the program and/or specialization curriculum plan, the student must file a Plan of Study that adheres to the new requirements. Students who have already filed a Plan of Study may choose to adhere to the existing approved Plan of Study or may choose to file a Change of Plan of Study that reflects the program and/or specialization curriculum plan.
Thesis or Non-Thesis Options
The master’s program specializations include two options. Refer to the curriculum plans from Graduate Nursing (current admission year) or in Desire2Learn (D2L) platform. Each Option has different curriculum and credit requirements for graduation:
- Thesis M.S. which includes a minimum of five credits of NURS 798 Thesis. The thesis is an original research study of limited scope completed under the direction of a thesis advisor. The thesis is defended at the oral exam but must be accepted and approved by the Graduate School before the student is allowed to graduate.
- Non-thesis option which includes coursework only.
Current students may access the project and thesis guidelines by utilizing the Desire2Learn (D2L) platform.
College of Nursing master’s degree specializations do not require a written examination. Thesis M.S. requires inclusion of a scholarly paper to be presented and discussed at the final oral exam.
For masters' degree specializations thesis M.S. students, graduate School rules for graduation require a final oral examination before a committee comprising a minimum of two faculty members with Graduate Faculty status from the College of Nursing and one university Graduate Faculty representative appointed by the Graduate School. A listing of College of Nursing Graduate Faculty can be found in D2L.
For non-thesis master's degree specializations, College of Nursing final exam/competencies will be determined by the Graduate Nursing program.
It is expected that the student will work closely with the academic, thesis or project, specialization coordinators and faculty advisors in order to meet all of the requirements for graduation. Please refer to D2L for specific information and instructions about projects and thesis and final exams.
Thesis Planning Checklist
Requirement / Procedure | Timeline |
---|---|
Designation of (Faculty) Adviser | Upon completion of 3rd core course. |
| To be determined following discussion between student and faculty adviser. |
Defend thesis during final Oral Exam. Discuss project during final Oral Exam (if applicable for specialization) | During final semester by deadline *determined by the SDSU Graduate School. |
* The Graduate School sets deadlines for graduation each semester.
Grading Thesis and Project Credits
The appropriate grading for NURS 788 (project) and NURS 798 (thesis) is “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory) at the completion of credits each semester. The “IP” (In Progress) designation is inappropriate for grading thesis and project credits.
Human Subjects Protection
Information regarding the protection of human subjects can be found on the SDSU Human Subjects webpage.
If human subjects are involved in the thesis or project, the form must be sent to the SDSU Human Subjects Committee for approval. Data collection using human subjects cannot be initiated until approval from the compliance officer has been received in writing.
To determine if your study, research, or project requires Human Subjects/IRB Committee review, submit a request via Cayuse. The IRB Administrator will review the request to determine if the activity meets the definitions of ‘research’ and ‘human subjects’. An official determination letter will be sent to the requestor.
If the IRB Administrator determines your study, research, or project meets the definitions of research and human subjects, they will ask you to submit a full IRB application within Cayuse. An official IRB decision letter will be sent to the principal investigator.
Data collection using human subjects cannot be initiated until you have received official communication from the IRB Committee that your study, research, or project is not considered human subjects research or you have a decision letter from the IRB.
Final Oral Exam
Thesis M.S. students follow the Graduate School requirements for the Final Oral Exam. Non-thesis M.S. students will follow the Graduate Nursing Department degree specialization requirement for the final exam.