Auburn Bulletin 2025-2026

Nursing — MSN

Track Options:

The College of Nursing offers a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) with two program options: Nurse Educator and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Both program options share a core curriculum and have track specific courses. Courses are delivered primarily online, with some on-campus requirements.  MSN graduates are ready to lead in educator and advanced practice nursing roles in health-related services to diverse populations.

Admission to all program options is competitive and all qualified applicants may not be admitted. All applications must meet the admission criteria for applications to be considered complete and to be considered for admission.

Admission Criteria

  • Submission of all official transcripts directly to the Graduate School
  • A Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from an accredited college or university or waiver request granted (see below)
  • Nursing grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (students with GPAs lower than 3.0 may be considered for provisional admission if otherwise qualified)
  • Current unencumbered license as a registered nurse in the state in which student plans to participate in any clinical experience 
  • Three professional references for online recommendation form - References should be qualified to judge abilities to be successful in graduate studies
  • 500 word professional goal statement 
  • Current resume or curriculum vitae
  • Successful completion (C or better) of an undergraduate statistics course
  • Good academic standing from last university attended

College of Nursing Specific Admission and Progression Information

  • If applicant is a student in the final semester of a BSN program at time of application, the applicant must submit a request to the Nurse Educator or Nurse Practitioner Program Coordinator for a waiver to apply. If waiver is approved, the applicant must successfully complete the BSN program in good standing before admission and must obtain the RN license during the first semester of study. These students will be admitted as provisional until the RN license is obtained. An official transcript indicating completion of the BSN program must be sent directly to the Graduate School and proof of RN license must be provided to the College of Nursing in order to remove the provisional status. If a waiver is granted, these applicants will be considered based on the nursing GPA on their current transcript.
  • Students may be interviewed by the Graduate Admission, Progression, and Graduation Committee and other faculty and/or community members.
  • Students must accept enrollment within their application and complete the letter of intent by the date indicated on the admission offer. 
  • Students are required to submit required compliance documentation, including a background check and drug screen. All compliance requirements must be completed by the date indicated prior to course registration. Students who fail to satisfy all requirements for admission within the specified time period will be dismissed from the nursing graduate program. 
  • To progress through the program, all AUCON graduate students must receive a grade of at least a B in all courses. Students earning any two course grades of less than a B will be dismissed from the graduate program. 

Students may be admitted full-time (fall semester only) or part-time (fall, spring, or summer semester). Courses are offered only one time each academic year, therefore, changing status from full-time to part-time may impact planned graduation dates. Application deadlines are: (1) Summer Semester- March 1, (2) Fall Semester-June 1, and (3) Spring Semester-October 1. The application is completed online and may be found on the Auburn University Graduate School webpage and the Auburn University College of Nursing webpage.

Core Courses

CodeTitleHours
NURS 7110Adv Health/Physical Assessment3
NURS 7230Advanced Pathophysiology3
NURS 7240Advanced Pharmacology3
NURS 7250Healthcar Policy & Eth Nur Ldr3
NURS 7310Trans to Adv Practice Nursing2
NURS 7340Adv Theoretical Found of Nurs3
NURS 7350Quality & Safety in Healthcare3
NURS 7430Adv EBP3
NURS 7540Imp/Eval-Evid Based Nurs Pract2

Nurse Educator Specific Courses

CodeTitleHours
NURS 7210EBT Strategies2
NURS 7260Transition-Clin to Nurse Edu2
NURS 7320Curriculum Development/Eval4
NURS 7810Nursing Education Practicum3

Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Specific Courses

CodeTitleHours
NURS 7220Roles and Issues of the PCNP3
NURS 7330Diag Reasoning/Clinical Mngmnt3
NURS 7440Primary Care Women & Children3
NURS 7550Primary Care II3
NURS 7920Primary Care Practicum7-8