MSN Nurse Practitioner Program

Overview

Advance your career and scope of practice—and earning potential—with a Master of Science in Nursing degree. Gain the credentials that will allow you to practice in all healthcare settings, with the greatest employment potential.

The WellStar MSN Primary Care Nurse Practitioner is a professional degree which prepares experienced Registered Nurses to sit for certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner. The program builds on the background of professional nurses to prepare them to function as primary care givers in the emerging collaborative world of healthcare.

Housed in the WellStar College of Health & Human Services, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Nurse Practitioner Program maintains close community ties with a variety of healthcare agencies. A heavy emphasis is placed upon precepted clinical experiences.

The WellStar MSN Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program is a 40 semester hour course of study which consists of three components:

• 14 credit hours of core classes
• 8 credit hours of primary care area of concentration
• 18 credit hours of residency

Admission Criteria

Admission decisions for acceptance into Kennesaw State University’s WellStar Nurse Practitioner Program are based on the overall evaluation of the following components:

• Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited institution with a satisfactory GPA of at least 3.0.
• Minimum three years full-time professional experience as a Registered Nurse, documented in a professional résumé. (Experience must have occurred within the last five years and have involved direct patient care.) Preference will be given to those candidates with a greater amount of professional experience.
• Current RN licensure in the state of Georgia (submit copy).
• A minimum combined total score of 800 in the verbal and quantitative categories and a minimum 3.5 in the analytical writing category on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
• Written statement of personal program goals.
• Undergraduate physical assessment course.
• Undergraduate research course.
• Undergraduate statistics course.
• Two professional letters of reference.

The Application deadline is May 1st of each year.

Transfer Credit

Up to 9 semester hours or 15 quarter hours of graduate work from other accredited institutions may be transferred. This work must correspond to the MSN curriculum at Kennesaw State University. Decisions regarding potential transfer will be made by the Program Director.

Grades and Progression

Students must earn a grade of B (80) or better in each course to progress in the program. See the Graduate Catalog link for Academic Policies for further information about Academic Warning and Academic Exclusion.

Candidacy for Graduation

To graduate a grade of B (80) or better is required in all courses. MSN candidates must petition to graduate at least one semester prior to completion of their degree requirements.

Semester Schedule

Course Descriptions

Click here to go to a webpage with the course descriptions.

Contact Info

For contact information and questions, please see the contact information on the Advisement Center page.