The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) prepares nurses for administrative and education in today's rapidly changing healthcare delivery systems. The program is designed for BSN-prepared registered nurses who want to advance their career and move into administrator/education position. Students learn to improve their communication, creative problem-solving and decision-making skills. This is a unique program to provide competencies in both the advanced nursing specialty of administration and the application of nursing education strategies in one degree. The MSN is a 36-credit degree program over 2 years. Students routinely attend full-time, however a part-time plan is also available.

Students can select from the following concentrations:

Student Learning Outcomes

The MSN program builds on The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN, 2021) provides the ten Domains for the MSN program that inform the MSN program learning outcomes. The MSN program builds on the basic competencies of Baccalaureate Education outlined in The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN, 2021). The MSN program incorporates the eight concepts of clinical judgment, communication, compassionate care, diversity/equity/inclusion, ethics, evidence-based practice, health policy, and social determinants of health and the advanced competencies as outlined in The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN, 2021). The prior versions of the AACN Essentials including the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (AACN, 2008), the Essentials of Master’s Education (AACN, 2011) have been integrated and transitioned as appropriate through The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN, 2021) into the DNP program. The Bay Path University MSN program of study integrates advanced competencies, core Consensus Model (2008) courses, such as the 3P’s (Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Advanced Assessment) from graduate level courses. Additional
courses in advanced theory, research/evidence-based practice (EBP), and professional development graduate level courses. The MSN also incorporates contemporary professional standards and 500 practice hours essential to the MSN administrative specialty and education competency (e.g., https://www.aacnnursing.org/essentials; https://www.aonl.org/; https://www.aonl.org/resources/nurse-leader-competencies; https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/; https://www.qsen.org/competencies; https://www.nln.org/awards-recognition/certification-for-nurse-
educators-overview)

Graduates from the MSN program will achieve the following program learning outcomes through an integrated approach to learning, problem solving, evidence-based knowledge utilization, and skills acquisition. The AACN Essentials Domains, competencies, sub competencies, and applicable contemporary professional nursing standards are noted below and in parenthesis. These standards also serve as a part of the assessment plan to determine the attainment of student learning outcomes.

Graduate Nursing (Advanced) Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
At the end of the program the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) graduate will be able to:

Domain I: Knowledge of Nursing
Integrate, translate, and apply established and evolving disciplinary nursing knowledge and ways of knowing, as well as knowledge from other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts and natural and social sciences. This distinguishes the  practice of professional nursing and forms the basis for clinical judgment and innovation in nursing practice. (AACN Competencies [1.1-1.3], AACN Sub competencies [1.1 e, f, g; 1.2f-j; 1.3 d-f], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC, Teamwork, & Collaboration, EBP, QI, Safety, Informatics])

Domain II: Person-Centered Care
Deliver person-centered care focusing on the individual within multiple complicated contexts, including family and/or important others. Deliver holistic, individualized, just, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate person-centered care. Deliver person-centered care that builds on a scientific body of knowledge that guides nursing practice regardless of specialty or functional area. (AACN Competencies [2.2-2.9], AACN Sub competencies[2.1 due; 2.2g,h,I,j; 2.3, h; 2.4 f,g; 2.5 h,I,j,k; 2.6 e,f,g,h,I,j; 2.7 d,e,f; 2.8 f,g,h,I,j; 2.9 f,g,h,I,j] AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC])

Domain III: Population Health
Apply the construct of Population health in the healthcare delivery continuum from public health prevention to disease management of populations and describes collaborative activities with both traditional and non-traditional partnerships from affected communities, public health, industry, academia, health care, local government entities, and others for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes. (Kindig & Stoddart, 2003; Kindig, 2007; Swartout & Bishop, 2017; CDC, 2020). (AACN Competencies [3.1-3.6], AACN Sub competencies [3.1 k,l,m,n; 3.2 a,e,f,g; 3.3 c,d,e,f; 3.4 f,g,h,I,j,k,l; 3.5 f,g,h,I; 3.6 f,g,h,I,j], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC, Teamwork & Collaboration, EBP, QI, Safety, Informatics])

Domain IV: Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline
Generate, synthesize, translate, apply, and disseminate nursing knowledge to improve health and transform health care (AACN, 2018). (AACN Competencies [4.1-4.3], AACN Sub competencies [4.1 h, I, j, k,l,m; 4.2 f,g,h,I,j,k; 4.3 e,f,g,h,i], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [EBP])

Domain V: Quality and Safety
Employ established and emerging principles of safety and improvement. Science, quality, and safety, as core values of nursing practice, enhance quality and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. (AACN Competencies [5.1-5.3], AACN Sub competencies [5.1 I, j, k, l,m,n,o; 5.2 g,h,I,j; 5.3 e,f,g,h], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies[1-8]; QSEN Competencies[QI, Safety]).

Domain VI: Interprofessional Partnerships
Provide intentional collaboration across professions and with care team members, patients, families, communities, and other stakeholders to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen outcomes. (AACN Competencies [6.1-6.3], AACN Sub competencies [6.1 g,h,I,j,k,l;6.2 g,h,I,j; 6.3 d,e,f,g,h,i] AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC, Teamwork & Collaboration, EBP, QI, Safety, Informatics])
 

Domain VII: Systems-Based Practice
Respond to and lead within complex systems of health care. Nurses effectively and proactively coordinate resources to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations. (AACN Competencies [7.1-7.3], AACN Sub competencies [7.1 e,f,g,h; 7.2 g,h,I,j,k,l; 7.3 e,f,g,h], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC, Teamwork & Collaboration, EBP, QI, Safety, Informatics])
 

Domain VIII: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
Use and apply information and communication technologies and informatics processes to provide care, gather data, form information to drive decision making, and support professionals as they expand knowledge and wisdom for practice. Informatics processes and technologies are used to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards. (AACN Competencies [8.1-8.5], AACN Sub competencies [8.1 g,h,I,j,k; 8.2 f,g,h,I,j; 8.3 g,h,I,j,k; 8.4 e,f,g; 8.5 g,h,I,j,k,l], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies[Informatics]).

Domain XI: Professionalism
Form and cultivate sustainable professional identity, including accountability, perspective, collaborative disposition, and comportment, which reflects nursing’s characteristics and values. (AACN Competencies [9,1-9.6], AACN Sub competencies [9.1 h,i,j,k; 9.2 h,I,j,k,l; 9.3 I,j,k,l,m,n,o; 9.4 d,e,f,g,h; 9.5 f,g,h,I; 9.6 d,e,f,g,h,i], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC, Teamwork & Collaboration, EBP, QI, Safety, Informatics])

Domain X: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development
Participate in activities and self-reflection that foster personal health, resilience, and well-being; contribute to lifelong learning; and support the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership. (AACN Competencies [10.1-10.3] , AACN Sub competencies [10.1 c,d; 10.2 g,h,I,j; 10.3 j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q], AONL Competencies [1-5], NLN Competencies [1-8]; QSEN Competencies [PCC, Teamwork & Collaboration, EBP, QI, Safety, Informatics]).