Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing
At Concordia University, you’ll join a Christ-centered community dedicated to nurturing both your personal and professional growth. The Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program offers a supportive and structured path for career changers who feel called to nursing. Designed for students without a prior nursing degree, the program blends rigorous academic preparation with hands-on learning—integrating advanced nursing theory, interactive online coursework, on-campus simulation labs, and supervised clinical rotations.
Throughout the program, you’ll build a strong foundation in nursing through courses in pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and nursing fundamentals taught by experienced faculty. You’ll practice essential clinical skills in Concordia’s simulation labs before progressing into real-world clinical experiences alongside licensed registered nurses. These clinical rotations function much like an internship or apprenticeship, allowing you to deliver patient care, refine assessments, and understand the daily rhythms of professional nursing. Graduates are prepared to sit for the NCLEX-RN, enter the workforce practice-ready, and lead with purpose—integrating clinical skill, compassion, and faith in service to others.
Program Learning Outcomes
By fulfilling all of the course requirements for Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing, the student:
- Integrates, translates, and applies knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences, nursing and other disciplines to enhance clinical judgment and implement innovation in advanced nursing practice.
- Manages and coordinates holistic, compassionate, person-centered, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate care, aligned with Christian values, to individuals, families and important others within complex contexts in advanced nursing practice.
- Implements disease prevention and management strategies to promote equitable population health outcomes through health policy advocacy and collaborative activities with traditional and non-traditional community partners.
- Synthesizes, translates, applies, and disseminates best evidence into advanced nursing practice to improve health outcomes and transform health care.
- Implements strategies supported by established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science to enhance quality and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through system effectiveness and individual performance.
- Models interprofessional collaboration with care team members, patients, families, and communities to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and improve outcomes.
- Manages resources within complex systems of care to implement safe, high quality and equitable care for diverse populations.
- Integrates information, communication technologies, and informatics processes to gather data, to support advanced clinical decisions for safe, high quality and efficient care in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.
- Expands a professional identity to include the advanced nursing practice role, which reflects professional values of accountability, ethics, and a collaborative disposition within a Christ-centered perspective.
- Engages in activities and self-reflection to promote personal health, resilience, well-being, and life-long learning required to support advanced nursing expertise and assertion of leadership while also supporting others.
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 5036 | Pathophysiology for Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 5042 | Pharmacology for Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 5010 | Essential Foundations for Professional Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 5038 | Health Assessment for Professional Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 5620 | Chronic Health Care Conditions Theory | 3 |
| NURS 5040 | Evidence Based Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 6036 | Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 6630 | Population & Community Health Nursing Theory | 2 |
| NURS 6610 | Mental Health Nursing | 2 |
| NURS 6640 | Acute Health Care Conditions Theory | 3 |
| NURS 5060 | Fundamentals of Health Care Informatics | 3 |
| NURS 7610 | Complex & Transitional Care Theory | 3 |
| NURS 7620 | Nursing Care of the Childbearing Woman, Infant & Child Theory | 3 |
| NURS 6038 | Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 5030 | Healthcare Policy & Issues in Advanced Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 6042 | Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NURS 5034 | Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Nursing Roles and Interprofessional Collaboration | 3 |
| NURS 7640 | Integrating Professional Nursing Care & Leadership Theory | 2 |
| NURS 7680 | Preparation for Professional Nursing Licensure | 1 |
| Experiential Courses | ||
| NURS 5622 | Chronic Health Care Conditions Clinical | 2 |
| NURS 6632 | Population & Community Health Nursing Clinical | 1 |
| NURS 6642 | Acute Health Care Conditions Clinical | 2 |
| NURS 7612 | Complex & Transitional Care Clinical | 2 |
| NURS 7622 | Nursing Care of the Childbearing Woman, Infant, & Child Clinical | 2 |
| NURS 7642 | Integrating Professional Nursing Care & Leadership Clinical | 3 |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Entrance Requirements for the Graduate School of Nursing in Addition to Graduate School Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited school
- Minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification or proof of completion (examination not required, but recommended)
- The following prerequisite courses completed within the last 7 years
-
- Anatomy & Physiology I*
- Anatomy & Physiology II*
- Chemistry
- Microbiology*
- Developmental Psychology
- Statistics
* Lecture and labs must be taken within the last 7 years with a grade of B or higher.
Application/Admission Process
Applicants are required to submit the following:
- All official college transcripts from previous schools attended
- Personal statement/essay addressing the following topics (This short essay should be an example of the student's best writing for the admission review committee's considerations. Each touch point should not exceed 350 words.):
- Describe your reasoning for pursuing a career in nursing
- Concordia University is Christ-centered, valuing truth and integrity, excellence, and service. How does this fit with your values and beliefs?
- In reflection on your qualifications as a candidate for our Direct-Entry Masters in Science Nursing program, describe how you will manage your time and financial responsibilities to be successful.
- Your plans for academic success in the program, including time management, stress management, and professional communication
- Address any previous academic issues
- Professional resume
- Brief video introduction recorded and submitted through your Future Falcon application
- Provide a copy of their government-issued identification
The deadline for fall admission is July 1.
In addition to the graduate admission requirements, there may be a pre-admission telephone interview.
The admission committee will review applications and a formal letter/email of acceptance or denial will be sent to the student.
Please note: in clinical experiences, students are required to work in healthcare systems or clinics, and must comply with any vaccination requirements of the clinical sites.
Plan - Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing
| Semester 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 5036 | Pathophysiology for Nursing (8-week Session I) | 3 |
| NURS 5042 | Pharmacology for Nursing (8-week Session I) | 3 |
| NURS 5010 | Essential Foundations for Professional Nursing (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| NURS 5038 | Health Assessment for Professional Nursing (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| NURS 5620 | Chronic Health Care Conditions Theory (8-week Session I) | 3 |
| NURS 5622 | Chronic Health Care Conditions Clinical (8-week Session I) | 2 |
| NURS 5040 | Evidence Based Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 6036 | Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| Hours | 11 | |
| Semester 3 | ||
| NURS 6630 | Population & Community Health Nursing Theory (6-week Session I) | 2 |
| NURS 6632 | Population & Community Health Nursing Clinical (6-week Session I) | 1 |
| NURS 6610 | Mental Health Nursing (6-week Session I) | 2 |
| NURS 6640 | Acute Health Care Conditions Theory (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| NURS 6642 | Acute Health Care Conditions Clinical (8-week Session II) | 2 |
| NURS 5060 | Fundamentals of Health Care Informatics (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| NURS 7610 | Complex & Transitional Care Theory (8-week Session I) | 3 |
| NURS 7612 | Complex & Transitional Care Clinical (8-week Session I) | 2 |
| NURS 7620 | Nursing Care of the Childbearing Woman, Infant & Child Theory (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| NURS 7622 | Nursing Care of the Childbearing Woman, Infant, & Child Clinical (8-week Session II) | 2 |
| NURS 6038 | Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Semester 5 | ||
| NURS 5030 | Healthcare Policy & Issues in Advanced Nursing (8-week Session I) | 3 |
| NURS 6042 | Pharmacotherapeutics (8-week Session I) | 3 |
| NURS 5034 | Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Nursing Roles & Interprofessional Collaboration (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| NURS 7640 | Integrating Professional Nursing Care & Leadership Theory (8-week Session II) | 2 |
| NURS 7642 | Integrating Professional Nursing Care & Leadership Clinical (8-week Session II) | 3 |
| NURS 7680 | Preparation for Professional Nursing Licensure | 1 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Course options and schedule are subject to change.