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Department of Nursing

Graduate Policies and Procedures

Please adhere to the policies and procedures listed here for successful completion of the graduate nursing program.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

In order to be awarded a master’s degree, a graduate student must complete the program with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher. Additionally, students must earn a B or higher grade for all MS program courses.

Academic Probation

A graduate student whose GPA falls between 2.7-2.99 will be placed on Academic Probation. Students on academic probation must raise their GPA to 3.0 within the next semester to continue in the MS program. Graduate students whose GPA remains below a 3.0 at the end of the probationary semester will be allowed to continue in the MS program only upon successful review by the Program’s Academic Review Committee. This policy is applicable no matter how many credits are earned by the student.

Continuation

Graduate students with an overall GPA that falls below 2.7 will not be eligible for probation and will not be permitted to continue in the MS program. These students may only continue in the program upon successful review by the Program’s Academic Review Committee. Clinical performance is graded as pass/fail. Students must pass both the clinical practicum and its associated lecture component in order to pass the course. Students who do not receive a passing grade in the practicum and related lecture component of the course may not continue in the MS program. Additionally, students may not continue to progress to any course for which the low-grade course is a pre-requisite course. For a course in which the minimum grade is not achieved, students may retake the course only once if their GPA meets the criteria for continuation. A second course grade of less than B final course grade and/or in another course will result in dismissal from the program.

Readmission After Withdrawal or Dismissal

A student who withdraws in good standing is eligible for re-admission within a two-year period but must notify the Program six weeks prior to the semester in which they intend to return. A student who withdraws or is dismissed due to not meeting minimum GPA expectations may re-apply for admission during the regular admissions process. The student will have to participate in an interview with the

Program’s Admissions Committee, determining if the student is capable of academic success. A student who is dismissed due to a serious violation of the Professional Nurse Code of Ethics or other professional misconduct, will not be considered for readmission.

Grievances

Grievances of a more personal nature may be brought to the student’s assigned advisor, who will then outline appropriate choices of action. Students may choose to bring a grievance directly to the Chair of the Admission, Progression, and Retention Committee via the program’s Graduate Student Grievance Reporting Form. 

A written response will be generated within ten working days. Grievances should be submitted in a proactive, timely fashion.

The Master of Science in Nursing Education program will follow York College’s process for addressing students’ complaints.

Advisement

Consultation with the Nursing faculty is a crucial step when planning one’s academic program. Formal advisement is available during the period scheduled by the college.  Please refer to the York College Academic Calendar. Appointments can be scheduled through the Nursing Program secretary.  At other times, individual conferences can be scheduled with the Nursing Program faculty.  To ensure that your advisor has adequate time to answer your concerns, make an appointment. When you “drop in” for advice, remember that your advisor may have other responsibilities or tasks planned for that hour. 

Maintaining RN License in Good Standing

  • All students in the master’s program must possess and maintain an unencumbered New York State RN license and current registration. This is a requirement for admission and for continued matriculation.
  • A student who is seeking readmission whose license has previously been encumbered or suspended must submit a full application for admission to be reviewed by the faculty and be accepted before being permitted to register for nursing courses.
  • Students must promptly inform the Department of Nursing Chairperson of any change in licensure status.

Technology Requirements

York College has specific requirements for taking online and hybrid courses.

As online courses will be conducted 100%, and hybrid courses over 30% online, you will need these hardware and software applications:

  • a computer. 
  • a broadband internet connection.
  • a web browser such as Firefox, Chrome in the latest version. You can download them for free: Firefox, Chrome.
  • a CUNYFirst/Brightspace account. You can activate your CUNYFirst account if you haven't done so.
  • a York College email which is part of the Office 365.
  • a word processing software such as MS-Word. As a CUNY student, you can download Word, PowerPoint, and Excel from Office 365 for free.  You can also use  LibreOffice which includes a word processing application for free. The files created by LibreOffice can be saved in a Word format.
  • other hardware or software required by your course instructor such as a headset, a spreadsheet application (e.g. MS-Excel). See your course syllabus for detailed technical requirements for your course.

Student Use of Electronic Devices

  • The student use of any video recording devices (including cameras) in any classroom (whether remote or in-person), laboratory or clinical setting is strictly prohibited. (The only exception is when the use of such equipment is expressly authorized by the instructor as part of a class assignment or other assigned class activity).
  • The student use of audio recording devices in any classroom or laboratory is allowed only with the permission of the faculty member, which may be granted or denied at the faculty member’s discretion. Student use of audio recording devices in the clinical setting is allowed with the permission of the instructor and only if it is consistent with facility policy.
  • This policy applies both to stand-alone video and audio recording devices and to use of video or audio recording functions on other devices, including but not limited to cell phones and other hand-held devices.
  • The use of ‘smart-phones’ etc. shall be used only for clinical reference, not for personal

Academic Integrity

By enrolling in this course, students agree to act with honesty and integrity.  Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, sabotage, and falsification of records.  It is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.  For definitions and an explanation of specific policies, see the College’s Academic Integrity Policy on the York College Website.

Policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The increasing use and rapidly advancing pace of AI in academia have resulted in concerns surrounding legal and integrity issues. Therefore, the program has developed the following guidance. The use of any generative AI platform (including but not limited to ChatGPT) may not be used for any assignments or in any situation where the AI product (in part or whole) may be interpreted as being the student’s work. Students may use generative AI platforms as explicitly permitted by the respective Nursing faculty member or preceptor. This policy will be reviewed continuously to align with York College and City University of New York’s policies.