Master of Science, with a Major in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner
The Master of Science, with a major in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner Program, is a 46-semester hour program of study that prepares experienced registered nurses to sit for national certification as a family nurse practitioner and to qualify for advanced practice authorization in the State of Georgia. The program builds on the foundation of professional nursing practice to prepare advanced practice nurses to function in collaborative practice roles in primary care settings.
The curriculum is designed so that a student may progress full-time through two years of study, or at an individualized, part-time pace to complete 46 semester hours. Classes will be offered one day per week. Clinical courses will require 120 clinical hours each semester (an average of eight hours per week) and 240 clinical hours during the practicum semester.
Students will spend clinical hours in the primary care nursing courses with primary care preceptors. Preceptors will include nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, physicians, and physicians' assistants in a variety of primary care settings. The program provides a minimum of 720 clinical contact hours during the clinical nursing sequence.
Each new cohort of students begins during the summer session. The deadline for admission application for the summer session is February 28 of each year. Enrollment in clinical courses is restricted to students who are admitted to the MS degree program. After the deadline of February 28, complete application files for candidates will be reviewed, and the available student slots in the program will be filled. Individuals will be notified of whether or not they are accepted in the MS degree program. Non-degree students may request permission to enroll in core courses during an earlier term on a space available basis upon approval of the graduate program coordinator.
For additional program information, call the Department of Nursing 706-867-2800, or write to the Department of Nursing, MS Program, Family Nurse Practitioner, North Georgia College & State University, Dahlonega, GA 30597-1001.
Graduate Admissions Procedures
Application materials may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Admissions or from the North Georgia website www.northgeorgia.edu/Graduate. Applicants must pay a one-time, non-refundable application fee. Admission requirements are listed below. When all application materials required to make an admission decision have been received by the Office of Graduate Admissions, notification will be sent to the applicant and a copy of all materials will be forwarded to the program. After the February 28th application deadline and upon review, a letter from the MS degree program will be sent to the applicant verifying acceptance or denial. In some instances, the applicant may be requested to come to Dahlonega for an interview or testing.
Students who are admitted to North Georgia but do not enroll within one year of acceptance must reapply through the Office of Graduate Admissions. Students who were previously enrolled but have not been in attendance within the last three semesters must also reapply. All documents and materials submitted to fulfill the application requirements for entry to a program at North Georgia become the property of the university and will not be returned. These materials are kept for one year for incomplete application files and for three years for completed and accepted applicants who did not enroll.