Program Coordinator: Dr. Amanda Cornine
Phone: 508-929-8129
Email: acornine@worcester.edu

Program Description

The Master of Science in Nursing (Public and Population Health Nursing Clinical Specialty Track) degree program is designed for nurses who are interested in improving population health, healthcare, and community systems in the U.S. and around the world. Our multi-disciplinary curriculum teaches you to:

• Become a leader to work effectively with diverse stakeholders and communities
• Use skills in community assessment and engagement, policy and program development and evaluation, budgeting, and management to drive healthy change, policy, and high impact solutions to health problems

Graduates are expertly prepared in:

• Advanced levels of the national public health competencies http://www.phf.org/resourcestools/pages/core_public_health_competencies.aspx
• Community and population level prevention
• Social justice, and
• Collaborative leadership

Graduates of the program excel in traditional and non-traditional nursing practice roles in different employment sectors.

Examples of practice roles for MS in Nursing (Public and Population Health Nursing Clinical Specialty Track) graduates include;

Education: Nursing Faculty, Manager of School Health Services, RN-BSN Program Director. 

Healthcare: Division Director in hospital and public health institution, Hospital-based Population-level Care Manager or Coordinator, Chronic Disease Program Manager, Director of Clinical Services at a community and migrant health center, and

Government: Nurse Manager and Director at urban and rural public health departments, Community Health Director, Public Health Nursing Advisor at public health department, AACN/CDC Public Health, Nurse Fellow, US Public health Service Nurse, Equity & Environment Program Manager. 

Tribal Institutions: Community Health Program Supervisor

Nonprofits: Director of a national environmental health nonprofit, Program Director and Assistant Director at local and regional nonprofits, Mental Health Project Manager, Regional Director of Health Equity at a voluntary health agency, Chief Nursing Officer at a nonprofit for global health

Business: Self-employed Public Health Nurse Consultant, Employee Health Nurse and Program Supervisor

The Master of Science in Nursing program at Worcester State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Admission requirements

Applicants to the program must meet the following criteria in addition to the WSU Graduate School's general admission requirements. This program does not require applicants to submit GRE scores.

• A Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing
• An unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse.

See: https://www.worcester.edu/graduate-admissions/

Items Needed to Apply:

• Online application found at www.worcester.edu/apply
• Essay explaining reason for pursuing this degree program
• Application fee
• Two professional references
• Official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended showing a Baccalaureate in Nursing degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Official transcript evaluation for any transcript from outside the United States
• An English language proficiency test if the student’s academic background is not in English
• Evidence of an unencumbered, unexpired nursing license from one of the following states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or New York

Program Requirements

Admissions Requirements

In addition to Worcester State University Graduate admission criteria, applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing Program must:
● Have achieved a GPA of 2.75 in undergraduate study. Conditional acceptance based on a holistic application review by the department will be considered if GPA is below 2.75.
● Have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from a regionally accredited program.
● Hold a current unencumbered license to practice professional nursing in one of the states where practicum is approved, which include MA, RI, CT, ME, NH, NY, PA (contact nursing@worcester.edu if you would like to complete practicum in another state)

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Worcester State University graduate program in nursing, graduates are prepared to:

• Integrate knowledge from the science of nursing and other disciplines to achieve the highest quality professional nursing practice.
• Provide evidence-based, person-centered care that focuses on persons as holistic beings. Person-centered care emphasizes the individual’s unique needs, values and preferences and promotes mutual collaboration, active engagement, and empowerment.
• Collaborate with communities, public health agencies, practice partners, and other stakeholders to promote wellness, prevent disease, address social determinants of health, and ensure equitable health outcomes for diverse populations.
• Integrate the best available evidence into nursing practice in academic, clinical, and/or research settings to advance health through the delivery of expert nursing care to diverse populations.
• Analyze performance metrics to enhance nursing practice through the application of safety principles and improvement science on individual and systems levels.
• Collaborate as a key stakeholder in an interprofessional environment to effectively impact resource allocation, institutional support, and successful partnerships across different cohorts or settings.
• Coordinate resources that ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality, and equitable care to diverse populations within complex systems of healthcare.
• Use technology and informatics to improve care, gather data, and make decisions to support professional growth and ensure adherence to standards for safe, high-quality healthcare delivery.
• Establish a professional nursing identity characterized by competence, accountability, collaboration, and behavior aligned with core nursing values.
• Engage in practices that promote personal wellbeing, reflection, lifelong learning, and development as a nurse leader.