Master of Science in Nursing Degrees

Lead nurses in education and administration

Make your mark on aspiring nurses as an educator and leader. Gardner-Webb’s MSN program helps you improve Christ-inspired patient care and promote and manage a positive nurse environment.

We understand that as an experienced nurse, you are a working adult with family and personal priorities, and that’s why we allow you to complete the program at a pace you can manage. The MSN program is fully online, and you may finish the program in as little as two years. Depending on your unique need, you may complete the program full-time with two courses per semester or part-time with one course per semester. 

Our supportive and expert faculty will teach you from their professional healthcare experiences and keep a close-knit classroom, even in a virtual setting. Besides completing your online coursework, you’ll be able to fulfill  your practicum experience in local healthcare and education settings. 

If you are a Gardner-Webb BSN graduate, you may enter the MSN program directly if you graduated within the last year.

Curriculum

What You’ll Learn

The courses in the MSN tracks of study are offered in a logical sequence from the core requirements of theory, issues, research, and professional role development to courses in the major area of concentration. The MSN Nursing Education and Nursing Administration concentrations culminate in the application of knowledge in a practicum experience and development of a practice project.

Additional information, including descriptions of specific courses and their corresponding credit hours, is available in the Academic Catalog.

Your classes, labs, and hands-on learning experiences will help you:

  • Integrate interdisciplinary research and strategies to improve nursing practice, promote health, and prevent disease.
  • Analyze current issues impacting diverse client populations, health care, and nursing practice, with an emphasis on identifying and implementing strategies for enhancement or resolution.
  • Apply knowledge, concepts, strategies, and evidence-based research findings to enhance nursing across the continuum of healthcare settings.
  • Synthesize interdisciplinary knowledge to facilitate application in an advanced specialty role.
  • Professionally collaborate and communicate within the healthcare environment to foster environments for improved outcomes.
  • Demonstrate achievement of role specific competencies for the advanced specialty role.

Required Common Core

CatalogCourse NameCredit Hours
NURS 500Theoretical Basis for Advanced Practice3
NURS 501Nursing and Healthcare Systems and Issues3
NURS 502Methods of Advanced Research3
NURS 506Professional Role Development3
NURS 802Human Flourishing and Health Promotion3

Available Programs

Concentration in Nursing Administration

Take on professional nursing leadership roles in healthcare organizations. The Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Administration can be completed in 30 to 36 credit hours. We offer this program in collaboration with our Graduate College of Business.

Concentration in Nursing Education

Become a professional educator in an academic or healthcare setting. The Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Education can be completed in 30 to 36 credit hours. You’ll apply nursing education and learning principles in practice settings. 

Accelerated Master of Science

The Accelerated Master of Science in Nursing program allows undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students to begin work in the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program while completing their BSN degree. Qualified students may apply for admission to the accelerated master’s program (AMP) in nursing during their junior year (or at the completion of 60 credit hours). 

Students enrolled in this program can take up to 20% of graduate coursework toward the MSN degree while completing their undergraduate degree at GWU, provided they earn a grade of B or better in each graduate course and fulfill graduate-level requirements. Depending on the undergraduate program, up to six credit hours will count in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.

Graduate courses in this program are fully online here.

Graduates from the Hunt School of Nursing Accelerated BSN, Traditional BSN, or Davis RN-BSN programs will be seamlessly admitted into the MSN, DNP-FNP, DNP-PMHNP, or DNP post doctoral programs within one year of graduation.  

All application fees are waived, and admission requirements are streamlined. See the Hunt School of Nursing section of the academic catalog for more details. 

Outcomes

What You’ll Do

With an MSN degree, you can pursue your career in nursing education and administration at hospitals, medical centers, higher education institutions, and more. 

You’ll also be able to advance your education right here at Gardner-Webb in our Doctor of Nursing Practice program. This allows for an easy transition and keeps you focused on your bright future in nursing leadership. 

Financial assistance/scholarships

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