Nursing

A student is considered in good academic standing when enrolled in at least 8 units each quarter and carrying an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. A student is considered to have passed a theory class when a grade of C or better is earned. A grade of B is required in a clinical course.

Students in the nursing program acquire knowledge and skills that build upon one another from quarter to quarter. Therefore, nursing courses follow a defined sequence and are usually offered once annually. It is essential that students pass all coursework in order to make satisfactory progress in the program. In the instance when a student does not earn a passing grade (defined as a C or better in a theory course, a B in a clinical course), that student may be delayed in their degree completion because many courses are pre-requisite to subsequent courses in the degree program (please consult with the graduate program for further information). Such a student will meet with the academic faculty adviser and then the Director of Student Services in order to create an alternative plan for completing the degree. An alternative plan may include coursework that may be taken subsequent to retaking the failed course, referrals to Nursing Specialty Coaches (if a MECN student), referrals to resources on campus, and other assignments that will increase the student’s chances of success.

M.S.N. Master’s Entry Clinical Nursing (MECN): The following 25 courses are required:

Since courses are typically offered once each year, a student out of sequence could be delayed up to a year in completing degree requirements.

M.S.N. Advanced Practice Registered Nursing (APRN): Specific requirements for each area of clinical specialization are described below. A total of four units of 500-series courses may be applied toward the total course requirement for the degree. Students must earn a B or better in clinical courses.

Course requirements for the APRN vary according to role, focus, and specialty area selected. Students should see courses under each population focus and/or specialty listed below. Since courses are typically offered once each year, a student out of sequence could be delayed up to a year in completing degree requirements.

Requirements for Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Population

77 units (18 courses) are required to complete the Advanced Practice Nursing (APRN) Program with a specialty in Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Population. The Adult/Gerontology Primary Care population covers individuals from adolescence through adult and older adults. This focus prepares nurses to assume an advanced practice role as a nurse practitioner to meet the increased demands for leadership in healthcare for older persons, particularly those challenged by chronic illness. Emphasis is on the comprehensive assessment, treatment, and evaluation of the client and family. Advanced knowledge and skills in pathophysiology and psychosocial concepts guide theory-based practice, with the goal of optimizing functional status. Interdisciplinary collaboration and care management are emphasized. Required theory courses are Nursing 200, 204, 211 224, 231, 232, 239A, 239B, 239C, 264, N597, and 4 units of theory elective. Required laboratory/clinical courses are N440, N439A, N439B, N439C, N439D, and N439E.

Applicants selecting the Adult/Gerontology Primary Care or Family Nurse Practitioner focus may also select an additional area of concentration: Occupational and Environmental Health. Students must meet all requirements of the Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Population or the Family Nurse Practitioner Population. Additional coursework integrates principles of occupational and environmental health assessment and care with primary ambulatory care of adults. Practitioners evaluate the individual as seen within the work setting as well as within the family and community group. Primary focus and emphasis are on health status assessment, health promotion, illness/accident prevention, hazard control, screening, surveillance, and rehabilitation of adult workers. Requirements are met through a combination of courses and experiences specific to the delivery of occupational and environmental health care services. In addition to the course requirements for the Adult/Gerontology Primary Care and Family Nurse Practitioner specialties, students seeking the subspecialty in Occupational and Environmental Health also complete the following courses: N213, and 10 units of approved Environmental Health Sciences and/or Epidemiology electives. Students pursuing the Occupational Health subspecialty do not have to take the nursing theory elective.

Requirements for Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Population

The Adult/Gerontology Acute Care population focus covers individuals from adolescence through adulthood and older age who are identified as ill and who have high intensity nursing and medical needs. Students may select the nurse practitioner role, the clinical nurse specialist role, or the dual role (NP and CNS). These patients may receive care in a wide variety of settings, from intensive care units to specialty clinics, doctor’s offices, or the home. A minimum of two years of prior experience in acute care is highly recommended. Graduates are expected to engage in research-based practice as acute care nurse practitioners and/or clinical specialists, educators, consultants, and to become leaders in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

For those students pursuing the nurse practitioner role, 70 units (19 courses) are required. The required theory courses are Nursing 200, 204, 216A, 216B, 216C, 224, 229A, 229B, 229C, 231, N597, and four units of theory elective. The required laboratory/clinical courses are N440, N444, N416A, N416B, N416C, N416D, and N416E.

The CNS/NP Dual program requires 95 units (23 courses). Students who prepare for dual certification (NP/CNS) take the required courses listed above, except for the four units of theory elective; they also take Nursing 245 and 445. N445 is taken multiple times for a total of 17 units. For those students pursuing the clinical nurse specialist role, 84 units (19 courses) is required. Students who select the clinical nurse specialist role take Nursing 200, 204, 216A, 216B, 216C, 220, 224, 229A, 229B, 229C, 231, 245, 267, 269, and N597. The laboratory/clinical courses are 440 and 445. N445 is taken multiple times for a total of 28 units.

Requirements for Family Population

79 units (19 courses) are required to complete the Advanced Practice Nursing (APRN) Program with a specialty in Family Population. The family population (FNP) covers primary health care for individuals throughout the life span. The focus is on collaborative, interdisciplinary practice to assure comprehensive quality health care and health maintenance in outpatient, work site, home health, nursing home, and other ambulatory settings. Emphasis is on the assessment, treatment, and evaluation of the client’s responses to actual or potential health problems, which may be chronic or acute and include primary prevention and health promotion. The required theory courses are Nursing 200, 204, 211, 212, 224, 231, 236, 239A, 239B, 239C, 264, N597, and four units of theory elective. The required laboratory/clinical courses are N440, N429A, N429B, N429C, N429D, and N429E.

In addition to the courses above, FNP students wishing to pick up the Occupational and Environmental Health subspecialty also complete N213 and 10 units of approved Environmental Health Sciences and/or Epidemiology electives. The nursing theory elective is waived.

Requirements for Pediatrics Population

The pediatric population focus covers the primary health care of children from birth to adolescence. The acute care CNS and acute care NP roles covers children from birth to adolescence who are identified as ill and who have high intensity nursing and medical needs. Emphasis is on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of children’s actual or potential health problems. Content stresses care for acute and chronic illnesses as well as primary prevention.

There are 69 units (17 courses) required for the primary care nurse practitioner role. The required theory courses are Nursing 200, 204, 212, 223, 224, 231, 237A, 238A, 238B, 264, N597, and four units of theory elective. The required laboratory/clinical courses are N440, N437A, N438A, N438B, N438C.

There are 78 units (20 courses) required for the acute care nurse practitioner role. The required theory courses are Nursing 200, 204, 212, 223, 224, 231, 237A, 237B, 238A, 238B, 264, N597, and four units of theory elective. The required laboratory/clinical courses are N440, N441, N437A, N437B, N437C, N438A, and N438B.

There are 80 units (17 courses) required for the pediatric clinical nurse specialist role. The required theory courses are 200, 204, 220, 231, 223, 224, 245, 269, 212, 264, 238A, 238B, 238C, 597 and a four-unit nursing elective. The required laboratory/clinical courses are 440 and 445. 445 is taken multiple quarters.

There are 88 units (20 courses) required for the dual primary and acute care nurse practitioner role. The required courses are 200, 204, 231, 223, 224, 212, 264, 238A, 238B, 237A, 237B, and N597. The required laboratory/clinical courses are 440, 441, 438A, 438B, 437A, 437B, and 437C.

There are 98 units (23 courses) required for the dual clinical nurse specialist and acute care nurse practitioner role. The required courses are 200, 204, 220, 231, 223, 224, 238A, 238B, 245, 269, 237A, 237B, 212, 264, and 597. The required laboratory/clinical courses are 440, 441, 438A, 438B, 437A, 437B, 437C, and 445.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

MSN students are advanced to candidacy in the last quarter of enrollment in the program and the successful completion of the comprehensive examination.

Successful completion of the comprehensive examination is required for all MSN students. The comprehensive examination is based on the coursework taken in the program and is given in written form during spring quarter. The comprehensive exam is read by three faculty members and is graded either Pass or Fail. In the event that a student fails the exam, a coach will be assigned to go over the readers’ comments before the student is expected to resubmit the exam. Students are eligible to take the examination once they are advanced to candidacy (usually in the spring of the second year) and may repeat the examination twice within a calendar year. One retake may occur during the spring quarter. Otherwise, retakes are offered during summer sessions and fall quarter. Students must complete all requirements for the degree within one calendar year after advancement to candidacy.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time to Degree

M.S.N. Master’s Entry Clinical Nursing: Normal progress from graduate admission to conferral of degree is six academic quarters and one summer.

M.S.N. Advanced Practice Nursing: Normal progress from graduate admission to conferral of degree is six academic quarters.

MAXIMUM TTD

Advising

Upon admission, students are assigned doctoral advisers recommended by the Student Affairs Committee to provide individual supervision and to guide selection of a suitable program of study. Doctoral advisers are chosen for their expertise in the student’s research area.

Students meet with their doctoral advisers at least once each quarter to determine course work for the following quarter. A student may seek the advice of the Director of Student Services at any time.

Students’ doctoral advisers may become their dissertation mentor. Students are encouraged to identify their dissertation mentor by the time they complete required course work. The maximum number of quarters for advancement to candidacy for students with a master’s degree is 12 quarters; for students entering with a bachelor’s degree, the maximum is 15 quarters.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

The goal of the UCLA School of Nursing (SON) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program is to develop the foundation of knowledge upon which the practice of the profession is based. The UCLA SON Ph.D. program aims to develop nurse scientists who can conduct research and generate theory that incorporate the influence of the biologic, psychosocial, and physical environments on health and healthcare. Areas of focus and interest include, but are not limited to: health of diverse and vulnerable populations, older adults, and persons with chronic and communicable diseases. Doctoral graduates serve as leaders who educate, influence practice, advance science, optimize healthcare delivery, and influence healthcare policy worldwide.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program without an advanced practice M.S.N.—Bachelors (B.S.) or Entry-level Masters (ELM or MECN)—are required to complete the following courses or equivalent: Nursing 200, 204, 209 (or 249), and at least three graduate-level advanced practice nursing courses. The graduate-level advanced practice nursing courses must be chosen in consultation with the student’s faculty adviser. Note that course requirements vary by the student’s research focus; thus, certain programs of study will entail longer time to completion and/or less flexibility in class scheduling than others.

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program with a Bachelors (B.S.) may petition for a Master of Science (M.S.) degree upon completion of the first two years of required course work and passing the written qualifying exam.

The following courses are required of all students in the Ph.D. program:

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

Written Qualifying Examination. The written qualifying examination is usually taken after completion of the following courses: Nursing 202, 205A, 206A, 206B, 207, 210A, 210B, 295A, 299A, and Biostatistics 100B. The examination is submitted in July. Examinations are read by three faculty members and are graded as either Pass or Fail. Only one reexamination is permitted, either within a calendar year or before the student completes their ninth quarter of study.

Oral Qualifying Examination. The University Oral Qualifying Examination, taken after completing the course requirements and successfully passing the written qualifying examination, evaluates students’ dissertation proposals. The initial step is selection of a doctoral committee. Students are responsible for obtaining the consent of four or more faculty members to serve on the committee as certifying members. Qualifications of members must be consistent with students’ area of research and special interests and also with the requirements for doctoral committees as stated in the Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-degree

The normative time to degree (TTD) for students completing the doctoral program is 15 quarters.

MAXIMUM TTD

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.0) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

Master's

Students who do not achieve a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA each quarter will be granted one quarter of academic probation in which they will be expected to bring their cumulative GPA up to a 3.0 by the end of the designated quarter. Students on academic probation are required to meet with their faculty advisers and course faculty to develop an individualized improvement plan. Subsequently, if a student’s cumulative GPA remains below a 3.0, the student will be recommended to the Graduate Division for academic disqualification from the program. Before the student is recommended for disqualification, the student will have the opportunity to appeal to the nursing faculty on the Student Affairs Committee.

A student may earn a non-passing grade (a C- or lower, or a B- or lower in the case of clinical courses) in one nursing course throughout the program. The student would be expected to repeat that nursing course when it is next offered (usually the following academic year). Since many nursing courses are prerequisite to other nursing courses, it is likely that a student will be delayed in degree completion as a result of a non-passing grade in one class.

A student will be recommended for academic disqualification from the program, regardless of the overall cumulative GPA, in the following situations: a student fails to earn a passing grade during the second attempt at the same course, or a student earns two non-passing grades in different courses.

Doctoral

In addition to the standard reasons outlined above, a student may be specifically recommended for academic disqualification for failure of the written or oral qualifying examination a second time or if three or more Unsatisfactory grades are earned in independent study course work in preparation for the dissertation.

Appendix I: MECN Prerequisite List

Appendix II: APRN Prerequisite List

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