University of Massachusetts - Worcester

Nursing Programs Offered

MSN Program Details

Traditional Master’s Pathway is a program for registered nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing. This specialty curriculum incorporates theory, clinical laboratory and practicum in a graduate specialty. The common course of study for each specialty includes graduate core courses in theories, research process and design, and societal forces that influence nursing practice. Advanced practice nursing core courses include advanced pathophysiology, health assessment and pharmacotherapeutics. The focus of a particular specialty and the courses specifically needed to develop expertise in each concentration vary among programs, as detailed in the course sequences. Full or part-time study is available.

Advanced nursing specialties available to the traditional master’s students include:

Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Adult Acute/Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
Dual Track with Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
Nurse Educator

RN to MSN Program Details

The Pre-master’s Pathway is designed for applicants who are registered nurses with an associate’s degree or diploma in nursing who have a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in a field other than nursing. This option offers alternative methods of qualifying for admission to the Graduate School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Worcester based on transfer of academic courses and course enrollment. In order to be admitted to the Pre-master’s Pathway, students are required to have completed undergraduate professional nursing courses in nursing leadership, health assessment and concepts/practice in community health. Students may have to submit the course syllabi from other nursing schools for evaluation.

Although the Pre-master’s Pathway does not grant a bachelor’s degree in nursing, it can enable the student to meet the criteria for admission into the graduate program in nursing. Credit equivalencies are not assigned to the prerequisite coursework because this program does not grant a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The Pre-master’s Pathway grants exemptions for the specific graduate program admission requirement of a nursing baccalaureate degree.

Accelerated MSN Program Details

During their first year, students complete the courses and clinical experiences required for licensure as a registered nurse. Upon successful completion of pre-licensure requirements and enrollment in the subsequent 500- and 600-level courses in the first part of the GEP Year 2, the GSN will issue qualifying students a Certificate of Completion so that they may sit for the National Certification Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Details

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is designed to prepare graduates in advanced practice nursing specialties for careers in clinical practice with diverse populations, organizational and systems leadership in health care systems, and clinical nursing education. The program produces advanced practice nurses with the skills to apply principles of population health outcomes and evidence-based practice for improvement and transformation of patient care to clinical situations as interprofessional team members. Graduates are leaders with expert knowledge of complex health problems who will lead and improve nursing practice in Worcester, the commonwealth, and beyond.

The DNP program provides students with advanced practice nursing leadership experiences throughout their course of study. The core and specialty coursework meets the standards established by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The guidelines developed by the American Nurses Association including the Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses, Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, and Nursing’s Social Policy Statement are integrated into the curricula. The DNP program has a strong focus on interprofessional partnerships with the UMW School of Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Commonwealth Medicine, UMass Correctional Health, UMass Memorial Health Care and the greater Central Massachusetts community.

The DNP program admits Nurse Practitioner Track students with a master’s degree in nursing as a nurse practitioner. The DNP program Nurse Administrator track admits students with a master's degree or related field. The program of study focuses on theory courses and residency experiences and represents a 40-credit curriculum: 22 credits of core courses including epidemiology, informatics, health policy, organizational systems, research and theory; and 18 specialty credits including residency courses, capstone project courses, and electives. Students are also required to successfully complete a professional portfolio. The DNP program is an academically challenging one; therefore, full-time work while in the program is not recommended.