Nursing Education (MSN)

The mission of York College’s Masters in Nursing Education program is to offer a professionally based educational experience that guides students in attaining the knowledge, skills, and values essential for the role of the professional nurse educator.

Emphasis will be placed on the facilitators of learning, learner development and socialization, use of assessment and evaluation strategies, leadership, scholarship, evidence practice, curriculum design, teaching and learning strategies, with the ability to educate students of diverse cultural groups within the urban community.

The York College Department of Nursing’s philosophy encompasses the faculty’s beliefs about the concepts of Education, Nursing, Persons, Society, Environment and Health; which provides a framework for the nursing curricula. The department’s mission, philosophy and outcomes are consistent with, and responsive to:

• the York College Vision and Mission statements

• the New York State Education Department’s guidelines for nursing program registration

• the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education

• the National League of Nursing’s Scope of Practice for academic nurse educators and Professional Nurse Educators (2011)

• the Quality Safety Education for Nurses’ Competencies

• the American Nurses’ Association Standards of Clinical Practice (2004)

• the Professional Development Scope and Standards of Practice (2010)

• the new ACEN’s Standards and Criteria for Baccalaureate and Master’s Degree programs (2023)

The faculty believes that nursing is an evidence-based practice profession, which promotes optimal health across one’s life span. A master’s in nursing education prepares the learner for various roles and areas of practice upon graduation in pursuit of new and innovative roles that result from healthcare reforms and changes in an ever-evolving, global healthcare system and allow for the provision of care and support (CCNE, 2011). Committed to ethical care, and the nurturing of well and sick people, individually and in groups, and the provision of culturally congruent care, nurse educators facilitate learning, learner development, and socialization of the professional nurse to meet these competencies.

Nursing education is a partnership characterized by mutual respect between faculty and students. The responsibility for learning lies with the students, who come equipped with prior knowledge and experiences, as well as a desire to learn. The faculty facilitates the students’ spirit of inquiry and provides educational experiences that foster the responsibility, independence, and critical thinking of the learner.

To be considered for admission, an applicant for the MSN program will meet the following requirements:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing program from a regionally accredited institution.

• Have a minimum of 3.0 overall GPA.

• Hold a current and valid RN NYS license.

• At least two years of post-baccalaureate full-time registered nursing experience.

• Complete an application for admission to York College’s MSN program with the Nursing Common Application Service (CAS).

• Provide a professional resume, including listing of all educational degrees and institutions, relevant employment and nursing practice experiences in an area other than teaching, and a personal statement related to a student’s interest and preparation for the program.

•  Provide evidence of completion of undergraduate (or graduate level) coursework in introduction to statistics and research, with each course equivalent to 3 course credit hours and with a final course grade of B or higher.

• Supply two letters of recommendation from faculty course instructors at a higher education institution(s) and from employers who can attest to the suitability of the applicant for the MS Nursing program and as an eventual nurse educator, along with the applicant’s ability to participate in a rigorous academic graduate program.

Those applicants with baccalaureate degrees from non-English speaking universities must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Examination and achieve a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based version out of a total of 677 possible points or 100 on the computer-based version out of 120 possible points. 

Students with Bachelor degrees in Nursing from a foreign university will have to obtain an evaluation of their degrees through a US approved transcript translation service to determine whether the degree is equivalent to an ACEN and NYSED accredited Bachelor of Nursing degree. Foreign trained nurses must also hold a valid NYS license to practice as an RN.