• Skip to Content
  • AZ Index
  • Catalog Home
  • Institution Home
Northeastern University

Academic Catalog 2022-2023

  • Home›
  • Graduate›
  • Bouvé College of Health Sciences›
  • School of Nursing›
  • Nursing—Direct Entry, MS

Nursing, MS—Direct Entry

2022-2023 Edition

  • Undergraduate
  • College of Professional Studies Undergraduate
  • Graduate
    • General Admission and Transfer Credit
    • Information for Entering Students
    • Financial Information
    • University-​Wide Academic Policies and Procedures
    • PhD Programs
    • College of Arts, Media and Design
    • D'Amore-​McKim School of Business
    • Khoury College of Computer Sciences
    • College of Engineering
    • Bouvé College of Health Sciences
      • Academic Policies and Procedures
      • Interdisciplinary
      • School of Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences
      • School of Community Health and Behavioral Sciences
      • School of Nursing
        • Nursing, PhD
        • Nurse Anesthesia, DNP
        • Nursing, DNP—Post-​Masters
        • Adult-​Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care, CAGS
        • Adult-​Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care, CAGS
        • Psychiatric-​Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, CAGS
        • Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, CAGS
        • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care, CAGS
        • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute and Primary Care, CAGS
        • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care, CAGS
        • Nursing, MS
        • Nursing—Direct Entry, MS
        • Patient Safety, Graduate Certificate
        • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care, Graduate Certificate
      • School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
    • School of Law
    • College of Professional Studies
    • College of Science
    • College of Social Sciences and Humanities
    • Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership
    • Additional Programs
    • Faculty
    • Appendix
  • Course Descriptions
  • Catalog Archives
  • Overview
  • Program Requirements

  • Part I: Prelicensure
  • Academic Standards for Nursing Majors
  • Program Policies and Standards
  • Technical Standards for Admission, Academic Progression, and Graduation
  • State Board Nursing Examination
  • RN Work Experience
  • Part II: Return to Master’s Specialty Tracks

Part I: Prelicensure

The direct-entry nursing student enters the accelerated master’s program as a graduate student. The first 16 months (four semesters) of the program consist of intensive, sequential classes and clinical with combined undergraduate- and graduate-level courses. Students are then prepared to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) upon completion of 64 program semester hours to earn an RN license. Students earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) after this part of the program. Financial aid will be granted on an undergraduate basis during the prelicensure phase of the program.

Academic Standards for Nursing Majors

Academic Dismissal from Major

Students in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences will be dismissed from their major effective the following academic semester for any of the reasons noted below:

  • Students who do not meet the required minimum grade in two professional courses, including labs and clinical, will be dismissed from the program. Only one professional course can be remediated.
  • Remediation of a failed professional course is a requirement for progression in the program.
  • Students who do not meet the minimum grade requirement within two attempts of the course will be dismissed from the program.  

Academic Appeals

Students who believe that they were erroneously, capriciously, or otherwise unfairly treated in an academic or cooperative education decision may petition to appeal the decision. Refer to the Bouvé College of Health Sciences Academic Affairs Appeals Process and the Northeastern University Academic Appeals Policies and Procedures.

Program Policies and Standards

Students are expected to adhere to the policies and standards of their program major to progress through their curriculum as planned. Students seeking any exceptions to the program policies and standards specified for their program major will present their petitions before the School of Nursing Academic Standing Committee.

Students are required to attend all scheduled nursing classes, clinical experiences, and clinical labs on campus and in clinical agencies. If the student fails to meet attendance requirements, the student will fail the associated class, clinical, and/or lab.

Clinical Requirements

Clinical settings require a criminal background check.

All students must receive a health clearance from University Health and Counseling Services. Health clearance is based on specific documentation of immunity from infectious disease and a physical examination. (This may be done by the student’s own healthcare provider.) In addition, nursing students need a clinical clearance in order to participate in clinical courses. Clinical clearance, managed by the School of Nursing’s Clinical Placement Office, includes verification of certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation; recent negative tuberculosis screening (PPD); positive titers for MMR, varicella, and hepatitis B; vaccines including TDAP and influenza; and additional health screenings as may be required by the program. It is the responsibility of the student to stay current and to provide documentation required for clinical clearance throughout the entire nursing program.​

Six weeks prior to the start of a clinical course, students must show the following to be eligible for clinical placement:

  • Evidence of immunizations and health clearance by UHCS
  • Documentation of CPR certification
  • Completion of a Criminal Offender Record Information background check

Students will not be allowed to start the clinical course, and may be dropped from the clinical course, if these processes are not satisfactorily completed.

Students should refer to Requirements for Clinical, Internships, and Practicum Courses in this catalog (applicable to both undergraduate students and graduate students at the college) for additional details.

Clinical Warning

A nursing student may be placed on clinical warning, or fail the clinical course, at any time during the semester for the following reasons:

  • Failing to meet the clinical objectives at a satisfactory level.
  • Failing to demonstrate safe practice. Students may be removed from the clinical area, before completion of the clinical rotation, if the instructor determines that the student is unsafe. This will result in the student failing the clinical course.
  • Failing to meet the attendance requirement.
Conditions
  • Students on clinical warning must develop an academic plan with the clinical instructor to address clinical performance.
  • Students will be expected to improve clinical performance by adhering to the plan.
  • Failure to adhere to the terms of the plan will result in the student failing the course and being placed on academic probation. All conditions of academic probation will then apply.
Notification
  • The clinical instructor will issue the student a clinical warning via the Faculty and Advisor Communication Tool identifying the problem.
  • The student and the instructor should then develop a plan together to address the deficiency.
  • Copies of the warning will be forwarded to the program director and/or the assistant dean for undergraduate programs if needed.
  • This is an administrative warning and will not be posted on the transcript.
  • Satisfactory completion of the clinical experience component of the course will result in removal of the warning from the student’s file.

Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure and Injury

Any student who sustains any kind of injury and/or exposure related to blood-borne, respiratory, or other pathogens or hazardous materials while on a clinical rotation should seek immediate treatment. They must also immediately follow the procedures listed below: 

Procedures

  • Students must follow the affiliate site’s protocol for exposure reporting, testing, counseling, and follow-up. 
  • Students can present their Clinical Accident Insurance identification card to arrange billing at the site or a suitable nearby hospital or urgent care clinic. If students do not know a local provider, they can call the resource number on their identification card for aid in finding a local provider. Students should also present their personal health insurance information. 
  • Within 24 hours of the accident, students must also inform their program’s director of clinical education (or unit designee responsible for clinical placements) of the accident and submit, in writing, a description of the incident and injury or exposure using the BCHS Accident Report form, linked here. If a student is incapacitated and unable to file their own report within the 24-hour time frame, a Northeastern faculty or staff person familiar with the incident may file on their behalf. The student should file their own report as soon as possible thereafter. 
  • Submission of the Accident Report form linked above will automatically notify:
    • The program’s director of clinical education or Clinical Placement Office (or unit designee responsible for clinical placements)
    • The program director (if applicable)
    • Assistant dean of clinical education in the BCHS Dean's Office
    • Risk Services (risk@northeastern.edu)
    • If exposure involved, Office of Environmental Health and Safety—Biosafety
  • If for any reason a student is not able to receive immediate medical treatment, there is the resource of postexposure counseling through the university's partner, OEHN (Occupational & Environmental Health Network). They can be reached at 1-866-360-8100. OEHN is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. OEHN will collect appropriate information and engage the doctor on call who can help to direct appropriate care depending on exposure and circumstances.  

Technical Standards for Admission, Academic Progression, and Graduation

The primary mission of the School of Nursing is to educate our students to provide evidence-based, culturally and linguistically competent, ethical healthcare that is high quality, safe, and accessible to diverse local, national, and global communities. Our programs are designed to prepare students to become leaders as nurse clinicians, educators, scholars, and researchers. The School of Nursing is also committed to achieving the goals of the university to become an outstanding national research, practice-oriented, student-centered, urban institution.

The goal of the School of Nursing is to prepare students to think critically and to practice nursing competently and compassionately in rapidly changing practice environments. All efforts are designed to build nursing knowledge; enhance nursing practice and patient safety; foster professional integrity; and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients, families, and communities across the continuum of care.

In addition to classroom learning, students’ clinical education experiences occur in settings, like hospitals, in which patient safety is the priority. For this reason, students who, upon enrollment in any of the nursing programs, seek accommodations from the Disability Resource Center at Northeastern must also request an assessment of accommodations that would be needed for clinical education. 

Certain functional abilities are essential for the delivery of safe, effective nursing care during clinical education activities. Therefore, the School of Nursing has determined that certain technical standards are requisite for admission, progression, and graduation from the nursing programs. An individual must be able to independently, with or without reasonable accommodation, meet the following technical standards:

  1. General abilities
  2. Observational ability
  3. Communication ability
  4. Motor ability 
  5. Intellectual, conceptual, and quantitative abilities
  6. Essential behavioral and social attributes
  7. Ability to manage stressful situations

Individuals unable to meet these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, will not be able to complete the program.  

General Abilities

The student is expected to possess functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and smell so that data received by the senses may be integrated, analyzed, and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. A student must be able to respond promptly to urgent situations that may occur during clinical training activities and must not hinder the ability of other members of the healthcare team to provide prompt treatment and care to patients. 

Observational Ability

The student must have sufficient capacity to make accurate visual observations and interpret them in the context of laboratory studies, medication administration, and patient care activities. In addition, the student must be able to document these observations and maintain accurate records.  

Communication Ability

The student must communicate both verbally and nonverbally in order to elicit information and to convey that information to others. Each student must have the ability to read and write accurately and comprehensively in English. The student must be able to thoroughly comprehend and fluently speak the English language so as to facilitate communication with patients, families, professionals in healthcare settings, instructors, and other students. The student must also be able to present information in a professional, logical manner and to provide counseling and instruction in order to effectively care for patients and their families.  

Motor Ability

The student must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to perform complete physical examinations utilizing the techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A student must develop the skills needed to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, administration of medication, and the management and operation of diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment. The student must possess the physical and mental stamina to meet the demands associated with extended periods of sitting, standing, moving, and physical exertion required for satisfactory and safe performance in the clinical and classroom settings.

Intellectual, Conceptual, and Quantitative Abilities

The student must be able to develop and refine critical thinking skills that are essential to nursing practice. Critical thinking involves the abilities to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize objective and subjective data and to make decisions, often in a time-urgent environment, that reflect consistent and thoughtful deliberation and sound clinical judgment. 

Essential Behavioral and Social Attributes

Compassion, integrity, motivation, effective interpersonal skills, and concern for others are personal attributes required of those in the nursing programs. The student must be able to work under supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor; this is essential to ensure patient safety. The student must exercise good judgment and promptly complete all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical settings. The ability to establish culturally competent relationships with individuals, families, and groups and to respond effectively to patients who have different intellectual capacities is critical to nursing practice. 

Ability to Manage Stressful Situations

The student must be able to adapt to and function effectively in stressful situations in both the classroom and clinical settings, including emergency situations. These stressors include personal, patient care/family, faculty/peer, and/or program-related issues. 

Disability and Special Needs

Students with special needs are encouraged to contact the DRC to register and request services. Students must notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester if they plan to use DRC services throughout the course. The staff in that office is available for assistance.

State Board Nursing Examination

In Massachusetts, and several other states, the registering board requires that graduates taking the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN) meet standards of “good moral character.” Students may review the GMC requirement specified at Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 112, sections 74, 74A, and 76; Licensure Policy No. 00-01 under “Rules & Regulations” on the Massachusetts BORN website.

RN Work Experience

Once a student graduates with a BSN, they are required to participate in an online professional seminar for two semesters prior to progressing into their master's coursework. In addition, students seek full-time RN experience, which is also required for progression into the master's clinical practicums in their concentration. One to two years of RN work experience is required, depending on the concentration. Students may begin the master's core courses during the required one to two years of RN experience, with approval from the specialty concentration director. Finding RN employment is the responsibility of the student, as it is professional nursing experience. Northeastern will help support the student in preparation for the job search. The student may take no more than 12 months' leave of absence between the prelicensure and MS phases of the Direct Entry program. Please see MS Nursing for more information about the master's phase of the Direct Entry program.

Part II: Return to Master’s Specialty Tracks

In the master’s program, students are required to take professional, research, and clinical core courses, as well as clinical courses specific to their concentration.  Full- or part-time academic study is available to students. Most students return to the master’s segment of the program taking coursework as a part-time student while continuing to work and increasing the amount of professional RN experience accrued. Completion of the master’s degree can take four to six semesters, depending on the student’s program plan and concentration. Upon completion of the requirements for their concentration, the student receives a Master of Science degree and is eligible to take the national certification exam in their area of advanced nursing practice. Financial aid is awarded on a graduate basis during this portion of the program.

Please visit Bouvé College of Health Sciences Program Learning Outcomes for the specific student learning outcomes for this program.

Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.

Core Requirements

A grade of B or better in the BSN clinical courses is highly recommended for progression into the MSN portion of the program. Progression is at the graduate specialty director’s discretion.

Students must successfully complete all courses with a grade of C or better except where otherwise indicated.

Course List
Code Title Hours
Semester 1
NRSG 2220
and NRSG 2221
Health Assessment and Fundamental Nursing Skills
and Lab for NRSG 2220
4
NRSG 3302
and NRSG 3303
Nursing with Women and Families
and Clinical for NRSG 3302
5
A grade of B or higher is required in NRSG 5117.
NRSG 5117Advanced Pharmacology2
A grade of B or higher is required in NRSG 5126.
NRSG 5126Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice3
Semester 2
NRSG 2210Influences on Health and Illness: A Nursing Perspective3
NRSG 3323
and NRSG 3324
Advanced Assessment and Interventions
and Lab for NRSG 3323
2
NRSG 3320
and NRSG 3321
Nursing Care of Adults 1
and Clinical for NRSG 3320
6
NRSG 3400
and NRSG 3401
Nursing and the Promotion of Mental Health
and Clinical for NRSG 3400
5
Semester 3
NRSG 3420
and NRSG 3421
Nursing Care of Adults 2
and Clinical for NRSG 3420
6
NRSG 4502
and NRSG 4503
Nursing Care of the Child
and Clinical for NRSG 4502
6
NRSG 5220Introduction to Research Methods and Application for Healthcare4
Semester 4
NRSG 2150Ethical Healthcare: Genetics and Genomics4
NRSG 4604
and NRSG 4605
Public Health Community Nursing
and Clinical for NRSG 4604
5
NRSG 4610Managing and Leading in Healthcare4
NRSG 4995
and NRSG 4996
Comprehensive Nursing Practicum
and Clinical for NRSG 4995
5

Academic Progression Standards for Nursing Majors

  • Students who either fail or withdraw from a professional course will need to successfully remediate that course before continuing in their approved curriculum plan.
  • Students who incur an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course must obtain approval from their academic advisor, upon consultation with the department faculty and, when appropriate, the School of Nursing Academic Standing Committee, prior to progression into the subsequent course(s).
  • Students may not change their graduation date more than twice.

Program Credit / GPA Requirements

64 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required

  • Boston Opens New Window
  • Arlington Opens New Window
  • Burlington Opens New Window
  • Charlotte Opens New Window
  • London Opens New Window
  • Nahant Opens New Window
  • Oakland Opens New Window
  • Portland Opens New Window
  • San Francisco Opens New Window
  • Seattle Opens New Window
  • Silicon Valley Opens New Window
  • Toronto Opens New Window
  • Vancouver Opens New Window

360 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Opens New Window | 617.373.2000 | TTY 617.373.3768 | Emergency Information
© 2022-2023 Northeastern University | myNortheastern Opens New Window

  • Facebook. Opens New Window
  • Twitter. Opens New Window
  • Youtube. Opens New Window
  • Linkedin. Opens New Window
  • Instagram. Opens New Window
  • Snapchat. Opens New Window

Privacy Policy Opens New Window

Back to top

Print Options

  • Send Page to Printer

    Print this page.

  • Download Page (PDF)

    The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

  • 2022-2023 Undergraduate PDF

  • 2022-23 College of Professional Studies Undergraduate PDF

  • 2022-2023 Graduate PDF

  • 2022-2023 Course Descriptions PDF