School of Nursing—Master's Program Descriptions

The master's program leads to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, and varies from 40 to 52 credits depending on the major. The major can be completed in four or five semesters of full-time study, or can be done in part-time study. The curriculum design includes core courses, advanced practice specialty courses, role development courses, and electives. Students in any of the majors may also elect to earn a minor in nursing administration, nursing education, nursing informatics, nursing research, or healthcare genetics.

Students may select a major with a clinical practice focus. These majors include nurse anesthesia, nurse practitioner, and clinical nurse specialist. Within the nurse practitioner major, there are five areas of concentration: acute care, adult, family, pediatric, and psychiatric primary care. Within the clinical nurse specialist major, there are two areas of concentration: adult medical/surgical nursing and psychiatric/mental health nursing. As an alternative to these clinically focused majors, the student may select preparation for a specialty role. That major has four areas of concentration: nursing administration, nursing education, nursing informatics, and nursing research.

Core Courses: All Master's Programs

The following courses, from the School Core Courses, are required for all students enrolled in the master's program:

The following are required of all students in the nurse anesthesia, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse practitioner programs:

Nurse Anesthesia Major

The Nurse Anesthesia Program prepares registered nurses for entry into anesthesia practice. Through an integrated program of classroom and clinical instruction, students develop the didactic knowledge base and clinical skills necessary for safe and effective practice. Graduates are prepared to administer a full range of anesthetics to a wide variety of patients across the life span.

Students rotate through numerous clinical sites in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Specialty rotations in cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, dental, organ transplantation, pediatrics, obstetrics, and electroconvulsive therapy enrich the program. The clinical program also incorporates rotations to community hospitals to more broadly prepare the graduate for practice in diverse settings.

Nurse Anesthesia Applicant Requirements

Applicants to the program must be bachelor degree-prepared registered nurses (BSN preferred) with a minimum of one year of full-time critical care nursing experience. Other requirements for admission include an application, transcripts, professional references, a GRE score, an essay, a resume/CV, a statistics course, and a copy of a nursing license. Interviews are generally conducted November through February.

Nurse Anesthesia Curriculum

The program is offered in a full-time format over 28 months, and classes begin each August. Part-time study is also available. The curriculum consists of 52 didactic credits and 60 equivalent credits of clinical practice (students do not pay tuition for the clinical credits). The curriculum design integrates the classroom and clinical courses and consists of 18 clinical core credits, 28 anesthesia specialty credits, and 6 elective credits.) Clinical practice begins at two days a week in the first term and increases in both intensity and frequency throughout the course of study. Clinical practice in the last term is five days a week and is interspersed with clinical conferences and preparation sessions for the Certification Examination.

A sample full-time curriculum for the Nurse Anesthesia Program follows:

Nurse Practitioner Major

Area of Concentration: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP)

The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) program prepares nurse practitioners to function as generalist, principal providers of care for adults with common episodic/chronic health problems managed across the continuum of acute care centers. In addition, ACNP preparation includes clinical emphasis in cardiopulmonary, critical care, oncology, trauma and emergency preparedness, or a directed study. The ACNP is prepared to assume responsibility for promoting, maintaining, and restoring health to adults who are acutely or critically ill. The ACNP role includes identification of health risks, promotion of wellness, and diagnosis and management of acute and chronic illness. ACNPs also participate in research and provide leadership in mobilizing health services.

Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

The curriculum consists of 8 master's core credits, 17 nurse practitioner credits, and 19–21 acute care nurse practitioner specialty core credits (total 44–46 credits). Full-time study requires 16 months. All nurse practitioner students also complete a minimum of 500 hours of clinical practice. Part-time study is available. A sample full-time curriculum is listed below:

Area of Concentration: Adult Nurse Practitioner

The adult nurse practitioner (ANP) is prepared as a generalist, principal provider of primary health care to adults. In this clinical role, the ANP assumes responsibility for promoting, maintaining, and restoring health, including the identification of health risks, the promotion of wellness, and the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic illness. ANPs also conduct research and provide leadership in mobilizing community and managed care services. They are prepared to work both independently and in collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

The ANP program offers both full-time and part-time study on the main campus in Pittsburgh. The 44-credit curriculum consists of 18 clinical core credits and 26 credits in the specialty of adult primary healthcare nursing. Additional elective credits may be taken to design a subspecialty such as women's health or acute care.

Most graduates work in ambulatory care settings such as community health centers, hospital outpatient departments, employee health, school and college health, physician private practices, health maintenance organizations, and specialty clinics. Increasingly, there are employment opportunities in nursing homes, hospital inpatient and emergency departments, and nurse practitioner-managed practices. Applicants to the ANP program who wish to study full time should have one year of nursing experience.

A sample full-time ANP curriculum follows:

Area of Concentration: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

The family nurse practitioner (FNP) is prepared as a generalist, principal provider of primary health care nursing. In this clinician role, the FNP assumes responsibility for promoting, maintaining, and restoring health to individuals across the life span. This includes the identification of health risks, the promotion of wellness, and the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic illness. FNPs also conduct research and provide leadership in mobilizing community and managed care services. They are prepared to work both independently and in collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

The FNP area of concentration offers both full-time and part-time study on the Pittsburgh campus and on the Bradford and Johnstown regional campuses.

Family Nurse Practitioner Applicant Requirements

In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission noted under Master's Program Admission Criteria, applicants to the FNP program who wish to study full time should have one year of nursing experience.

Family Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

The 52-credit curriculum consists of 18 master's core credits; 25 credits in the specialty of family primary health care nursing; and nine elective credits which students may choose to enhance their specialty focus. By individualizing the program of study, students may subspecialize in pediatrics, geriatrics, women's health, school health, or other area. A sample full-time FNP curriculum follows:

Area of Concentration: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)

The pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) area of concentration prepares nurses for expanded roles as primary care providers of health care to children and adolescents. The purpose of the program is to provide students with course work and clinical experiences related to health promotion, child development, developmental and health assessment, and the management of well, acutely ill, and chronically ill children and adolescents in ambulatory settings. The PNP program also prepares students to participate in research and provide leadership in mobilizing healthcare resources for children in the community.

The PNP program offers both full-time (five terms) and part-time study (six to eight terms).

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Applicant Requirements

In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission noted under Master's Program Admission Criteria, applicants to the PNP program should have one year of nursing experience with neonates, infants, children, or adolescents.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

The 45-credit curriculum consists of 15 master's core credits, 27 specialty and cognate credits, and 3 elective credits. The curriculum focuses on health promotion, child development, physical diagnosis and the management of well, acutely ill, and chronically ill children and adolescents in ambulatory settings. A sample full-time PNP curriculum follows:

Area of Concentration: Psychiatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The psychiatric primary care nurse practitioner (PPCNP) program prepares principal providers of primary health care who treat adult psychiatric clients in a variety of settings on both an episodic and continuous basis. PPCNP students begin their plan of study in core courses that include content on physical diagnosis, health promotion, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and management of acute, episodic, and chronic health problems. Psychiatric primary care content directly builds on these core concepts to provide students with the advanced practice skills to effectively manage both the common medical and complex psychobiological problems of persons with psychiatric disorders.

The PPCNP program offers both full-time and part-time study. Applicants to the PPCNP program should have one year of experience in psychiatric/mental health nursing.

Psychiatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

The 52-credit curriculum consists of 15 master's core credits, 12 credits of primary care clinical management education, 19 credits in the specialty and other cognates, and 6 elective credits.

A sample full-time PPCNP curriculum follows:

Clinical Nurse Specialist Major (CNS)

Area of Concentration: Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

This 43-credit Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Program prepares nurses in advanced practice as: (1) experts in the care of patients with psychiatric or psychosocial issues, including the delivery of psychotherapy; (2) collaborators in the development of nursing personnel through education and mentoring strategies; (3) developers and managers of population-based programs of care focusing on psychosocial issues, across an organization or network. In addition, the CNS in psychiatric mental health leads multidisciplinary teams to ensure that patients receive the full range of healthcare services needed, initiates research utilization projects to deliver and test innovative healthcare practices, provides consultation to healthcare providers related to psychiatric issues in patients, and facilitates cost-effective, quality clinical outcomes. The program includes five clinical pathways in which a student may specialize: children/adolescents, family, geriatric, addictions, and forensics.

This program can be done through part-time study and completion takes, on average, seven terms (2.3 years). The program includes 500 hours of clinical practice.

A sample CNS curriculum follows:

Area of Concentration: Medical-Surgical Nursing

The 41–46-credit Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Program prepares nurses as expert providers of care to patients/families in acute and ambulatory care settings. In addition, the CNS functions as a developer and manager of programs of care for populations of patients; leader, consultant, mentor, and change agent in advancing nurse practice; clinical outcomes manager who produces quality, cost-effective outcomes; leader of multidisciplinary groups in implementing innovative projects; and developer of research utilization projects that test innovative practices. The program includes choice of a clinical emphasis in cardio pulmonary, critical care, oncology, trauma & emergency preparedness (TEP) or a directed (self-designed) emphasis. The directed emphasis allows the student to design a clinical emphasis in a particular area of interest, e.g., internal medicine, surgery, orthopedics.

Full-time study requires four terms (1.3 years). Part-time study is also available and requires seven to 10 terms (2.3–3.3 years). The program includes 540 clinical hours.

A sample CNS curriculum follows:

Nurse Practitioner Certificates

• Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

This non-degree certificate program is designed for nurses with a previous Master of Science in Nursing degree who are seeking to expand their roles via nurse practitioner certification in adult acute care. The total credits required are 20–22.

• Adult Nurse Practitioner

The Adult Nurse Practitioner certificate is a non-degree program for nurse practitioners with a Master of Science in Nursing who are seeking NP certification in adult care in Pennsylvania and eligibility to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s ANP Certification examination. The minimum number of credits needed to complete the requirements is 16.

• Health Care Genetics

This 15-credit certificate program is designed for the healthcare worker with a master’s degree who is seeking a focus in genetics.

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

This certificate program provides a pediatric nurse practitioner specialty focus for advanced practice nurses with a previous MSN in a different nurse practitioner role or a clinical nurse specialist role. The estimated number of credits required is 21–23.

• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

This 22–23-credit certificate program provides the theory content and skills development for a nurse practitioner role with a focus on adult psychiatric illnesses and their management.

• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

This certificate program will provide additional skills and credentials for those practicing NPs who want to focus on the provision of quality health care to women. The certificate requires a minimum of 17 credits.

Nurse Specialty Roles Major

Area of Concentration: Nursing Administration

The nursing administration area of concentration prepares nurses to function in managerial positions in a variety of healthcare settings. Applicants should have a BSN and one year of nursing experience. Registered nurses who do not have a BSN may enroll in this program through the RN to MSN option.

Nursing Administration Curriculum

The nursing administration area of concentration is a 40-credit program that can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Core courses serve as the basis for increasing the student's knowledge of nursing theory, use of technology, and health care outcomes. The Nursing Administration cognates include 8 credits in finance, organizational theory, and healthcare policy. Options for electives include course work in finance, information systems, human resources, marketing, economics, policy, research, project/case management, leadership, managed care, or health and information systems. This program includes 8 credits of practica designed to increase the student's skills in all phases of the administrative role. The Integrative Practicum (2 credits) is designed as a capstone course during which the student designs and implements a resource utilization project under the direction of a preceptor.

A sample full-time curriculum follows:

The student is encouraged to take one or two elective courses from each of at least three categories. Courses are selected with the approval of the advisor from the following categories: finance, information systems, human resources, marketing, health economics, health policy, research, project/case management, leadership, managed care, and health systems.

Area of Concentration: Nursing Education

The Nursing Education Graduate Program prepares nurse clinicians to teach in schools of nursing, community college nursing programs, hospital and health agency staff development and continuing education, patient education, and to assume biotechnology and pharmaceutical company training and development roles, in addition to other potential settings and roles.

Nursing Education Curriculum

The MSN degree program with a concentration in nursing education consists of 40–42 credits, with courses selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Course work includes core preparation in design and process of nursing education, measurement and evaluation, and two field-based nursing education preceptorship courses. In addition, the degree program includes courses required to complete an MSN degree in nursing, including advanced pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology, healthcare outcomes, health promotion, nursing research methods and theories of nursing, and a research practicum. Also included are 10–12 credits of electives, selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Three tracks are available for concentration of these elective credits: Advanced Clinical Practice (10 credits), completion of a minor in nursing administration, informatics, or research (12 credits), or Predoctoral Study (10 credits) for students who plan to continue toward completion of a PhD in nursing. In addition, students may design their own elective specialty.

A sample of a nursing education curriculum follows:

Area of Concentration: Nursing Informatics

The nursing informatics area of concentration prepares nurses to focus on the structure and process of nursing information as it supports the practice of nursing. Nursing informatics is a combination of computer science, information science, and nursing science. It includes the development, analysis, and evaluation of systems, augmented by technology, that support, enhance, and manage patient care. Applicants should have a BSN and one year of nursing experience. Registered nurses who do not have a BSN may enroll in this program through the RN to MSN option.

Nursing Informatics Curriculum

The nursing informatics concentration is a 40-credit program that can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. The program is composed of the Nursing Informatics Core for the Master of Science in Nursing and the Informatics Cognates. The Nursing Informatics Core serves as a basis for increasing the students' knowledge of nursing theory and research, healthcare outcomes, and nursing informatics. The Nursing Informatics Core includes course work in introduction to informatics, clinical infomation systems, database management, and consumer health informatics. The Informatics Cognates include data analysis/evaluation, project management, human, factors, system analysis, and decision support. The cognate courses are taken outside the School of Nursing and provide the opportunity for students to have a multidisciplinary learning experience in a variety of schools and departments at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Practica are designed to enhance the students' active participation in a selected inormatics role. Completion of this program fulfills the requirements for eligibility for the ANCC Nursing Informatics certification exam.

Nursing Courses: 11 Credits

Nursing Informatics Courses: 19–21 Credits

Informatics Cognates: 8 Credits

Students will complete electives from the following areas: data analysis/evaluation, project management, human factors, systems analysis, decision support, and advanced learning technologies.

Area of Concentration: Nursing Research

The nursing research specialty prepares nurses to conduct and coordinate clinical research. The program was developed in response to interest from nurses who want to make a positive contribution to patient outcomes and service delivery, in ways other than through direct patient care. The curriculum emphasizes the development of nurses' expertise in clinical research. As graduates of this program, nurses in clinical research are involved in many phases of the research process: as clinical research coordinators, project managers, consultants, educators, or adverse event coordinators.

Nursing Research Curriculum

The nursing research concentration of the Advanced Specialty Roles Program is a 40-credit program that can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. The program is composed of the core for the Advanced Specialty Roles and the Research Cognates. The core serves as the basis for increasing the students' knowledge of nursing theory, use of technology, and healthcare outcomes. The Research Cognates includes course work in statistics, research computing, coordinating clinical trials, and professional communication. Electives are chosen to enhance the student's scientific base, and might include courses such as statistics, case management, or organizational theories.

A sample nursing research curriculum follows:

Nurse Specialty Roles Certificates

• Healthcare Administration

This 16-credit program includes courses from several schools across the University. Some class time and some Web-supported learning and 80 hours of field observation in administration are included.

• Healthcare Genetics

This 15-credit certificate program offers the course work necessary to fulfill the educational requirement for credentialing as an Advanced Practice Nurse in Genetics, which is offered through the Genetic Nurse Credentialing Committee. The program can be completed part-time in three terms.

• Nursing Education

This 16-credit certificate program is a combination of didactic, preceptorship, and Web-supported learning, offering flexibility for individualized learning. Part-time study is possible in this program. 

• Nursing Informatics

This 15-credit certificate program offers flexibility to individualized learning and offers a Web-supported learning environment. The program can be completed in four academic terms.