Graduate Programs

 The Faculty of Nursing offers the following graduate programs:

  • Master of Science in Nursing (MScN) Practicum option
  • Master of Science in Nursing (MScN) Nurse Practitioner option
  • Post Master's Nurse Practitioner Graduate Diploma program
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing

MScN Program General Objectives

Graduates of the program will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an integration of advanced knowledge from a variety of sources and application to nursing practice, research, education and administration.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to access, critically appraise, synthesize and use theory and empirical evidence from a variety of sources to plan, implement and evaluate solutions to health and health system challenges.
  • Collaborate in research, evaluation, and quality improvement related initiatives.
  • Apply principles and methods of change, knowledge translation and policy development to practice issues.
  • Communicate, verbally and in writing, nursing knowledge and evidence to nursing colleagues, members of the interprofessional team, policy makers, patients and families.
  • Demonstrate initiative, autonomy, sound judgment, advocacy, professional responsibility, and accountability to address complex issues in an advanced nursing role.
  • Engage in reflection about their knowledge, skills and practice, and implement strategies for their own professional growth.
  • Coach, mentor, and teach nurses, nursing students, and other members of the healthcare team.
  • Promote a culture of learning and of respect.

Nurse Practitioner-specific objectives

In addition to meeting general objectives of the MScN program, graduates of the NP option will be able to:

  • Work collaboratively and act as a consultant to members of the health team in clinical practice
  • Refer and accept referrals from members of the health team in clinical practice
  • Demonstrate evidence-informed care to individuals, families and communities within a given stream of practice; and
  • Practice advanced nursing within the domains and competencies of NP practice

Practicum-specific objectives

In addition to meeting general objectives of MScN program, graduates of the practicum option will be able to:

  • Plan, implement and evaluate a project to meet the needs of a target group;
  • Disseminate project-specific knowledge to improve nursing practice; and
  • Facilitate integration of program-specific knowledge into practice. 

PhD Program General Objectives

Graduates of the PhD program will:

  • Understand the nursing profession as a discipline and profession, its historical development, and how the discipline and profession relate to each other;
  • Understand the development and refinement of theory;
  • Understand the importance of local and global influences on nursing knowledge and practice;
  • Have a solid grounding in the nursing literature that has informed and continues to inform the discipline;
  • Understand the ethical principles and values that underpin the discipline and profession of nursing;
  • Have a solid understanding of the disciplinary and interdisciplinary role that nursing has in health care and within society and the centrality of those roles;
  • Have a sense of membership and ability to take leadership in the broad community of nursing scholars as well as in the particular community relating to areas of specific expertise;
  • Have a strong commitment to the nursing profession and the social mandate of nursing at the provincial, national and international levels with active membership in that profession through engaging in activities to promote, advance, and make visible the profession;
  • Have the ability to develop and conduct nursing research and generate new nursing knowledge in a creative and rigorous manner;
  • Have a comprehensive understanding of the ethical principles in conducting research;
  • Have the ability to communicate nursing knowledge to diverse audiences and though a variety of presentation modalities; and
  • Have the ability to engage in helping other to learn about the art and science of nursing through various teaching and clinical strategies.