Program Overview

Nursing Master’s Entry Program

The Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) is a three-year program leading to the Master of Science in Nursing degree. This program is intended for students who have no previous nursing preparation and who hold a bachelor’s degree in another field. Graduates of this program go on to practice nursing at the same advanced practice level as other Nursing MS graduates.

Program Description

The program prepares leaders in the advanced practice roles of clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, administrator, faculty, and consultant. Courses from nursing and other disciplines provide advanced theoretical knowledge, assessment skills, leadership development, advanced clinical practice in a selected specialization, and the opportunity to critique and apply nursing theory and research as a scientific basis for nursing practice.

During the first year of the program, students engage in concentrated study that culminates in licensure as an RN. Students are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) as approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). In the remaining two years of the program, students matriculate into the Master’s of Science program for graduate level nursing specialty training, choosing from a comprehensive selection of specialties, and includes clinical rotations, fieldwork, and residency hours at sites primarily in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. At the end of the three-year program, students earn an RN license and an advanced master's degree in the specialty they choose.

Program Leadership

• Marianne Biangone, PhD, RN, PHN, Program Director
• Lin Lin, PhD, RN, Assistant Director

Faculty

There are over 100 faculty members in the four School of Nursing departments. MEPN faculty belong to the following departments for their content specialty areas:

1. Family Health Care Nursing
2. Community Health Systems
3. Physiological Nursing

MEPN-MS Program Specialty Areas

The MEPN program offers nine areas of specialization.

Career Outcomes

Based on the specialty choice at admission, Nursing MS and MEPN graduates typically find work in California as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, or clinical nurse specialists. Others assume research, policy, or leadership positions in the state and around the country.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of intro- or higher-level courses with passing grades and worth at least two semester units or three quarter units in each of the following:
  • Microbiology, with a lab component
  • Physiology, with a lab component
  • Anatomy, with a lab component
    • Note: Combined anatomy and physiology courses are acceptable as long as they comprise a comprehensive systems overview totaling at least four semester units or six quarter units.
  • Psychology
  • Nutrition
  • Statistics (Note: Course completion at college-level within three years of application date)
• Bachelor’s degree, completed in a general discipline other than nursing and conferred no later than the application deadline as verified by an official transcript.
• Goal Statement
• 4-5 Letters of Recommendation
• Minimum GPA 3.0. Note: If you feel that you merit review despite failing to meet the minimum GPA requirement, submit a petition outlining the evidence of your capacity for academic success.

Learning Outcomes

During the first year of the program, students will engage in full-time concentrated study that culminates in licensure as an RN. Students are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) as approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN).

In the remaining two years of the program, after successfully passing the NCLEX-RN licensure exam to become certified as a registered nurse, students matriculate into the Master’s of Science program for graduate level nursing specialty training. At the end of the three-year program, students are awarded an advanced master's degree with an RN license in the specialty they choose.

Graduates of the master's program will have:

• Knowledge and skills in providing care that promotes health and prevents illness.
• Knowledge concerning current and projected health care systems and the economic, political, and philosophical base.
• Knowledge of research methodologies, research critique, and outcomes research.
• Knowledge and skills to manage client care needs across the health/illness spectrum.
• Knowledge and skills to coordinate client care needs across institutional boundaries. This may be as a generalist, a specialist, or an administrator. Coordination of care must be done in partnership with the client and lay caregiver.
• Knowledge concerning health care issues for ethnically and culturally diverse populations as the basis for practicing cultural humility and providing culturally competent care.
• Knowledge required to be proactive in the health care system. This will necessitate knowledge of the legal, legislative, and regulatory issues for advanced practice nursing, consumer rights, systems management, and change theory.
• Knowledge and skills to participate in the ethical decision-making process.
• Theoretical knowledge and some experience in role development as an advanced practice clinician, consultant, educator, administrator, researcher, and coordinator.

Degree Requirements

Degree requirements for the MEPN program may be refreshed when the program is reassessed. Degree requirements for cohorts admitted in previous years can be referenced in archived catalogs.