It is mandatory for all graduates to have a professional photo taken or submitted. There is no cost to the student if the photo is taken by the vendor chosen by the College. If a photo is submitted, there may be costs incurred. This photo is used at the commencement ceremony and is also included in a collage of graduates.
MSN
A Master of Science in Nursing degree is awarded to a student who has completed the program of study and:
- Achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Completed all courses with a grade of B or higher.
- Participated in the Student Assessment requirements.
- Successfully completed the Scholarly Project.
- Successfully completed the ePortfolio.
- Submitted Intent to Graduate Form (available on the College web site).
- Completed the above within five years from start in the Graduate Nursing Program.
MSN Scholarly Project
The Graduate Nursing Scholarly Project is one of the final graduate program projects. It demonstrates the student’s cumulative knowledge from graduate-level core coursework specific to their educational track. The project is focused on a substantive area of professional interest and displays developing expertise. With mentoring by selected graduate faculty, the student develops an in-depth project with emphasis on either nursing education or advanced clinical practice. The final scholarly product should benefit an area of professional clinical or educational practice and demonstrate scholarly voice in written work. Ultimately, the scholarly project should demonstrate meaningful commitment and practical application for leadership in improving patient care, models of practice or educational processes.
The scholarly project is graded as Pass (P) or Fail (F), dependent upon the successful completion of the course objectives. Students must successful complete the Scholarly Project and its dissemination in order to be eligible for graduation.
Students, in collaboration with their adviser, work on the scholarly project over the course of three semesters. Students enroll in NUR 791 Scholarly Project 1 and NUR 792 Scholarly Project 2 according to their academic plan of study. Students must complete NUR 791 before progressing to NUR 792. Students who do not complete the scholarly project courses are subject to the academic progression and dismissal policies. Complete Scholarly Project overview and guidelines are provided at the start of the NUR 791 Scholarly Project 1 Course.
MSN Student E-Portfolio – Assessment of Student Academic Achievement
The MSN E-portfolio is the second of the final graduate program projects and demonstrates that the student has achieved the MSN Nursing Program Outcomes.
Assessment of student academic achievement is an integral part of the curriculum and of the student’s learning experience. Assessment is a process to determine the extent of achievement toward pre-established outcomes for individual students and the aggregate data is used to enhance overall institutional effectiveness, including the integrity of the curriculum in facilitating student achievement of the Program Outcomes and enhancing curriculum development through continuous improvement. This process is a joint effort between the student and faculty.
Each MSN nursing course has written outcomes that must be successfully completed in order for the student to complete the course and each course is designed to facilitate the process toward the Graduate Program Outcomes. Course activities that support the curricula are designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the Program Outcomes. These include the integration of various nursing roles, synthesis of theory and advanced knowledge (nursing and related disciplines) and integration of research/scholarly activities into specialized advanced roles. Additionally, it includes providing leadership in intra-professional and inter-professional systems that promote improved processes and outcomes and the analysis of nursing leadership responsibilities in shaping policy, responding to inter-cultural and global communities and in promoting the heath of population groups.
The E-portfolio project is graded as Pass (P) or Fail (F). Students must successful complete the E-portfolio project in order to be eligible for graduation.
Complete E-Portfolio Project overview and guidelines are provided at the start of the NUR 550 and NUR 791 courses. Portfolium is the accepted platform for E-portfolio. Portfolios created using other applications will not be accepted.
Portfolio Artifacts
Assessment artifacts that a student may include in their portfolio include written projects and papers, evaluation and feedback forms, presentations, evidence of group process, evidence of specialized clinical practice, policy development and so forth. The student is responsible for collecting the artifacts in a Graduate Student Portfolio that will be reviewed at the end of all course work and prior to graduation. Introductory information and guidelines for the portfolio are shared on admission and further discussed in the Professional Role Development and Interprofessional Collaboration course. All FNP must include their final case summary from Typhon as an artifact. Students are encouraged to update their portfolios at the competition of each semester.
Student Responsibilities
Program Progression: Students must meet all course requirements, identify, and collect materials for their Graduate Student Portfolio and demonstrate successful completion of the Program Outcomes before graduation.
Portfolio Progression: Students must submit a draft of their E-Portfolio to their NUR 791 adviser when they enroll in NUR 791 using the designated Canvas drop box. Students will submit a final copy of their E-portfolio to their scholarly project adviser for approval, at least 2 weeks prior to their graduation. Upon receiving final approval on their E-Portfolio, students must make a copy of their final electronic portfolio site and submit a link to copy in the designated NUR 791 Scholarly Project Canvas drop box. Instructions are available on the NUR 791 Course for this process. Once this is complete, the adviser will submit the final grade for the project.
Portfolio Confidentiality
Only the student’s Project Advisor and necessary academic administration (Graduate Nursing Program Director, Associate Dean of Nursing and President) will have access to the E-Portfolio for academic review purposes (i.e. academic accreditors). The exported copy of the E-Portfolio will be archived in Canvas and accessed only for future academic accreditation purposes. Any other access to the student’s E-Portfolio by parties other than those stated above will be prohibited without the express written consent of the student.
DNP
A Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is awarded to a student who has completed the program of study and:
- Achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Completed all courses with a grade of B or higher.
- Participated in the Student Assessment requirements.
- Successfully completed the DNP Project.
- Successfully completed the DNP Program Matrix
- Successfully completed a minimum of 1000 practicum hours.
- Submitted Intent to Graduate Form (available on the College web site).
- Completed the above within eight (8) years of first registration following admission to the DNP program.
DNP Graduate Student Program Matrix – Assessment of Student Academic Achievement
The DNP Program Matrix is the second of the final graduate program projects and demonstrates that the student has achieved the DNP Nursing Program Outcomes and AACN Essentials (AACN, 2021).
Assessment of student academic achievement is an integral part of the curriculum and of the student’s learning experience. Assessment is a process to determine the extent of achievement toward pre-established outcomes for individual students and the aggregate data is used to enhance overall institutional effectiveness, including the integrity of the curriculum in facilitating student achievement of the Program Outcomes, AACN essentials, and enhancing curriculum development through continuous improvement. This process is a joint effort between the student and faculty.
Each DNP nursing course has written outcomes that must be successfully completed in order for the student to complete the course and each course is designed to facilitate the process toward the DNP Program Outcomes and AACN Essentials. Course activities that support the curricula are designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the Program Outcomes/Essentials.
The DNP Program Matrix is graded as Pass (P) or Fail (F). Students must successful complete DNP Program Matrix in order to be eligible for graduation. Complete DNP Program Matrix overview and guidelines are provided in NUR 911, DNP Project 1.
Matrix Artifacts
Assessment artifacts that a student may include in their matrix include written projects and papers, evaluation and feedback forms, presentations, evidence of group process, evidence of specialized clinical practice, policy development and so forth. The student is responsible for collecting the artifacts that will be reviewed at the end of all course work and prior to graduation. Students are encouraged to update their program matrix at the competition of each semester.
Student Responsibilities
Program Progression: Students must meet all course requirements, identify, and collect materials for their DNP Program Matrix and demonstrate successful completion of the Program Outcomes/AACN essentials before graduation.
Students must submit a draft of matrix to the NUR 911 faculty at the completion of the course. Students will submit a final copy of their matrix to their DNP project advisor for approval, at least 2 weeks prior to their graduation. Upon receiving final approval on their matrix, students must submit a link to a copy of the matrix in the designated NUR 914 or NUR 916 - DNP Project 4 Canvas drop box. Once this is complete, the DNP project advisor will submit the final grade for the course.
Matrix Confidentiality
Only the student’s advisor and necessary academic administration (Graduate Nursing Program Director, DNP Clinical Coordinator, Associate Dean of Nursing, and President) will have access to the matrix for academic review purposes (i.e. academic accreditors). The exported copy of the matrix will be archived in Canvas and accessed only for future academic accreditation purposes. Any other access to the student’s matrix by parties other than those stated above will be prohibited without the express written consent of the student.