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Section I: Overview

Educational Programs

Baccalaureate Link to section

The Baccalaureate curriculum leads to the Bachelor of Science degree at the UR. Registered nurses who have graduated from hospital diploma programs or associate degree programs apply for admission directly to the RN completion baccalaureate program (RN to BS). The School also has an RN to BS to MS program. Registered nurses admitted to this program earn both BS and MS degrees.

Students who have a non-nursing baccalaureate degree are eligible to apply to the Accelerated Bachelor’s Program for Non-Nurses, or the Accelerated Master’s [NP only] Program for Non-Nurses.

Master’s and Advanced Certificates Link to section

Graduate specialties in the School offer concentrations leading toward the Master of Science degree.

Nurse Practitioner specialties include: Link to section

  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)

  • Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)

  • Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

  • Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP) * is offered as a distance program.

  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)

  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner/Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (PNP/NNP)

Advanced clinical nursing at the master’s level involves analysis, synthesis, and application of knowledge and skills relevant to a defined specialty area of clinical practice. The dynamic interaction between the educational program and the learner facilitates progressive levels of mastery of the nursing process. Graduate education has as its ultimate purpose the scholarly pursuit of knowledge about people in their quest for health and recovery from illness and the consequences of nursing care provided to them. Research is an integral part of education at the master’s level. An attitude of scientific inquiry is fostered as an essential component of practice. Research at this level emphasizes the utilization of findings, the identification of researchable problems, and the implementation of the research process.

Advanced Certificate Nurse Practitioner Specialties include: Link to section

  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)

  • Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)

  • Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)

  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care

  • Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)

  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan (PMHNP)

Master’s Leadership Programs Link to section

Leadership in Healthcare Systems (LHCS) program: Link to section

This program prepares current leaders and ambitious healthcare professionals with a strong foundation in evidence-based leadership practice to successfully lead healthcare units, services, or organizations in today’s changing world. This interdisciplinary program provides core knowledge and experiential learning to develop transformative leadership skills, with courses taught by experienced leaders from a variety of organizations. Working alongside experienced leaders, students actively engage in a wide range of management and organizational experiences to demonstrate competencies in leading and managing staff, resources, and finances, as well as working within healthcare systems to improve quality, safety, and value.

Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program: Link to section

This program prepares nurses for the clinical management of comprehensive client care for individuals and clinical populations across the continuum of care and in multiple settings. The CNL assumes leadership/accountability for health outcomes for a specific group of clients within a unit, setting, or organization through the application of evidence-based information to design, implement, and evaluate clinical microsystems. The clinical nurse leader is also responsible for the coordination and planning of care team activities and functions. Health promotion, risk reduction, and improvement in point-of-care outcomes are critical elements in the role of the clinical nurse leader.

Master’s in Nursing Education (MNE) Link to section

This program is designed to prepare nurse educators for practice and leadership positions in both clinical and academic settings. Grounded in the National League for Nursing’s competencies for academic and clinical educators, graduates are prepared for successful completion of the CNE or CNEcl national certification exam. Experiential learning is the cornerstone of the MNE program; all students complete 392 hours of precepted experiential learning which includes student teaching, direct clinical practice, assessment and curriculum work, and nurse educator role immersion.

MNE Advanced Certificate Programs Link to section

Two Advanced Certificate options in nursing education are offered for baccalaureate-prepared nurses with master’s degrees. For those nurses with a previous advanced practice clinical master’s degree (NP, CNS, CRNA, etc.), who wish to move into an educator role or add an education focus to their clinical career, courses focus on attaining educational competencies (PMC-E). For those nurses with a previous educational master’s degree (MEd,) who wish to teach in an academic setting, or move into a clinical educator role, courses focus on attaining clinical competencies (PMC-C) for practice at the master’s level.

Leadership and Nursing Education Program Advanced Certificate Options include: Link to section

  • Clinical Nurse Leader

  • Nursing Education (Education Focus for APRNs)

  • Nursing Education (Clinical Focus)

MNE-Ph.D. Dual Degree Program Link to section

This program is targeted to highly qualified nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing who are interested in a competitive, in-demand career as both a researcher and a nurse educator. This program simultaneously offers master’s level courses in education and research training in a full-time program. Both career tracks are informed and strengthened by this dual academic preparation.

Master’s NP and Ph.D. Dual Degree Programs Link to section

These programs are targeted to highly qualified nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing interested in an intensive, accelerated program simultaneously offering master’s preparation as a nurse practitioner and research training. The programs are designed to fast-track nurses wishing to prepare for roles either in clinical practice settings or schools of nursing as faculty/practitioners. Faculty/practitioners use an evidence-based approach to their practice, help educate future advanced practice nurses, and conduct scientific research for the improvement of health care and the advancement of theory and practice.

Master’s and DNP Combined Degree Program Link to section

This program is targeted to highly qualified nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing interested in a combined advanced practice nursing degree (NP) or advanced nursing degree (CNL). These doctoral-prepared nurses will serve as practice leaders to improve the quality, outcomes, and delivery of care within their respective specialty areas.

Ph.D. Program in Nursing and Health Science Link to section

The Ph.D. Program in Nursing and Health Science began in 1979 as a Ph.D. in Nursing program and has since expanded to create multiple accelerated pathways to the Ph.D. for registered nurses and licensed practitioners in other health-related disciplines. The objective of the Ph.D. program is to prepare scholars who will develop and refine the evidence base for clinical practice and contribute to the dissemination, teaching, and advancement of research in academic and clinical settings and national and international arenas.

The program content is directed toward the formulation and testing of theory; the designs, methods, and tools for researching topics related to health and illness; and the development and critique of scientific and humanistic knowledge appropriate to the care of persons in health and illness.

The Ph.D. program research training process is based on expertise at the master’s level. Applicants to the Ph.D. Program hold a master’s degree from an accredited program and clinical licensures in a health profession, such as nursing, social work, or similar clinical practice field. Additional pathways include a BSN to PhD and a combined MSPhD.

The program consists of four components: Link to section

  • Core courses in research and theory building

  • Courses individually selected to support the student’s research interests

  • Research and teaching assistant experiences

  • Dissertation

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Link to section

The DNP program at the University of Rochester School of Nursing is designed to prepare nurses at the highest level for advanced clinical practice. The DNP program develops leaders who can critically evaluate the evidence base for care and facilitate the translation and integration of research into clinical practice, deliver such care, position health care policy, manage clinical health care systems, solve health care dilemmas, work skillfully as members of interdisciplinary teams, and reduce disparities in health care. This program is designed to facilitate students’ full engagement in the learning process and their pursuit of clinical excellence. It is designed as a post-baccalaureate program; however, students may also enroll post master’s; their master’s courses will be transferred into the program.