MS in Nursing

The health care landscape is constantly changing. As a nurse, you need to stay on top of the latest health practices, delivery systems, regulations, and administrative procedures. With research indicating a clear link between higher levels of nursing education and better patient outcomes, it’s no longer a luxury to update your knowledge; it’s a necessity.

The Nurse Practitioner options are designed to help prepare the professional nurse to function in an expanded nursing role providing direct care to specific groups of clients in various healthcare settings. Since that practice is inherently interdisciplinary in nature, advanced knowledge and research from nursing care combined with knowledge from science, medicine, and related disciplines, the Nurse Practitioner may also function in supervisory, consultative, education, and research roles. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study. Graduates are eligible for national certification and state licensure as a family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, or adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. The Nurse Practitioner program is delivered on-site, with some courses offered online.

Since its creation in 1964 as a department under the College of Health and Physical Education and later the College of Human Development (now Health and Human Development), Penn State’s Nursing program has evolved into a nationally respected program. In 2008, Nursing became a free-standing academic program under the College of Health and Human Development umbrella. In 2013, Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved the School of Nursing to become Penn State’s newest fully independent College, a position that provided greater visibility and elevated its status concerning peer nursing programs at other universities.

Today, the college provides students with a wide array of nursing programs across 12 Penn State Commonwealth Campuses. The college offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs to more than 2,000 students annually. The college also offers certification and training online, which allows the college to extend its offerings to students throughout Pennsylvania and improve the health and well-being of all citizens within the Commonwealth.