| Location | Email Address | Program Website |
|---|---|---|
| Health, Nursing & Environmental Studies Building, Office 301A | gradnurs@yorku.ca | yorku.ca/gradstudies/nursing/ |
York University’s Graduate Program in Nursing offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MScN), a MScN– Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. The program’s concentration on theory, research, innovation in nursing practice (clinical practice, leadership and education) and student focused learning allows students to become excellent nursing and health science researchers and academics, nursing and health care leaders, and advanced practice nurse clinicians and nursing educators.
Admission Requirements
Master of Science in Nursing Program
Students have the option of pursuing a course-based or thesis-based MScN. The MScN program can be completed through full-time or part-time study.
Admission Requirements
Candidates are admitted under the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The congruence of the applicant’s scholarly interests with the MScN program and faculty research interests are an important consideration for admission.
The admission requirements are as follows:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited university program or the equivalent;
- “B” average (70%) in the last two years of study in the undergraduate program; and,
- registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario or eligibility for registration.
Meeting these minimal requirements does not ensure admission.
Applicants are asked to consult the application material provided by the Graduate Admissions Office for deadlines. For further information, contact Graduate Admissions Office, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada; (416) 736-5000; futurestudents.yorku.ca/graduate.
Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Field
This field, offered by the Graduate Program in Nursing, is part of the Council of Ontario Universities Programs in Nursing, a provincial consortium of nine university partners. The primary health care nurse practitioner field builds on York’s success in the delivery of graduate nursing education within the School of Nursing as well as the depth of faculty members’ expertise in the area of primary health care. This field prepares advanced practice nurses at a graduate level with comprehensive expertise in primary health care and human science nursing. The field’s role is built on the World Health Organization’s vision for achieving health for all globally. Principles of primary health care in nursing practice include accessibility to health care; use of appropriate technology; emphasis on health promotion; community participation and empowerment; and intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration (International Conference on Primary Health Care, 1978). This field focuses on the provision of nursing services across the spectrum of health care, from first level contact with the health care system in public health, primary care settings, street and outreach programs, and treatment and rehabilitative services. Students generally complete the core courses in York’s Master of Science in Nursing program and then complete course work specific for the field.
Admission Requirements
Candidates are admitted under the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The admission requirements for the primary health care nurse practitioner field are:
- registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario;
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (or equivalent such as a Bachelor of Nursing degree) from an accredited university program;
- “B” average; and,
- evidence of the equivalent of a minimum of two years of full-time nursing practice (3640 hours) within the past five years.
Doctor of Philosophy Program
The PhD Program prepares nurse scholars and leaders to conduct independent research and assume leadership in settings including academia, research centres, healthcare settings and government. Students in the four year full-time Nursing PhD program develop the advanced knowledge and skills needed to respond to current and projected demographic and health changes in Canadian and global society. The curriculum demands depth of nursing knowledge in a substantive area, high quality independent research, and embraces and supports philosophical pluralism and multiple theoretical perspectives in the advancement of nursing science and health care. The doctoral program fosters the development of new knowledge and innovations focused on the following three areas of scholarship:
Health for persons and communities: This area of scholarship focuses on developing knowledge that informs the promotion and positive transformation of health across the lifespan (i.e., children, youth, adults, and older adults) at the individual, group, community, and global level.
Healthcare services and systems: This area of scholarship aims at transforming healthcare services and systems through research, leadership, policy development, and organizational change, in order to enhance health, quality of life and system accessibility, efficiency and effectiveness.
Education in nursing: This area of scholarship aims to expand knowledge on high quality undergraduate, graduate and continuing nursing education through research, transformative and caring pedagogies and other innovations in teaching-learning approaches and practices to support the development and sustentation of excellence in nursing practice.
Admission Requirements
Candidates are admitted under the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The admission requirements are as follows:
- Master’s of Science in Nursing (MScN/MSc Nursing) degree from an accredited university program with a minimum grade point average of B+ calculated over the courses of the program; will also consider: students with Master’s in Nursing (MN) with a minimum grade point average of B+ and substantial research experience or equivalent; and, registered nurses with a master’s degree in another discipline with a minimum grade point average of B+ and substantial research (or equivalent) and nursing experience;
- satisfactory letters of reference, including: a) an academic reference from a faculty member who taught the applicant at the graduate level; b) a reference from a direct workplace supervisor of the applicant within the past 5 years; and c) a nurse in a leadership position who can speak to the applicant’s actual and potential contributions in the profession of nursing; and,
- a statement of academic, research, and professional plans that is clearly stated, logically developed, and congruent with the PhD program.
The applicant will have identified a member of the PhD program faculty who agrees to be the dissertation supervisor. Applicants whose first language is not English, or who have not recently studied for at least one complete year at a post-secondary institution where English is the official language of instruction, are required to obtain satisfactory results in an English language proficiency test, as part of the application process.
Meeting these minimal requirements does not ensure admission.
Note: Students licensed to practice nursing in a foreign jurisdiction are considered on an individual basis.
Applicants are asked to consult the application material provided by the Graduate Admissions Office for deadlines. For further information, contact Graduate Admissions Office, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada; (416) 736-5000. futurestudents.yorku.ca/graduate.
Degree Requirements
Master of Science in Nursing Program
Candidates for the Master of Science in Nursing degree must fulfill the following requirements specified for the coursework-based and thesis options, as follows:
| Master of Science in Nursing Degree by Thesis | Master of Science in Nursing Degree by Coursework |
|---|---|
| 1. Core courses a) Nursing 5100 3.0: Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Nursing Science b) Nursing 5200 3.0: Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing c) Nursing 5300 3.0: Quantitative Research Methods in Nursing Science d) Nursing 5400 3.0: Advanced Nursing Practicum e) Nursing 5700 3.0: Applied Intermediate Statistics in Nursing OR Nursing 5750 3.0: Interpretation & Data Analysis Students are required to obtain at least a B grade in core courses in order to progress in the program. If students are not successful in earning at least a B after two attempts in a core course they will be exited from the program. 2. Electives ONE half-course (3.0 credits) at the graduate level in the Graduate Program in Nursing 3. Thesis Nursing 6100 0.0: Thesis. 4. Colloquium The non-credit colloquium course, Nursing 6300 0.0 Expressions of Nursing Scholarship, is compulsory for all MScN thesis candidates and is taken concurrently with Nursing 6100 0.0 Thesis. | 1. Core courses a) Nursing 5100 3.0: Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Nursing Science b) Nursing 5200 3.0: Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing c) Nursing 5300 3.0: Quantitative Research methods in Nursing Science d) Nursing 5400 3.0: Advanced Nursing Practicum e) Nursing 5500 3.0: Nursing Research Development and Knowledge Mobilization f) Nursing 5700 3.0: Applied Intermediate Statistics in Nursing OR Nursing 5750 3.0: Interpretation & Data Analysis Students are required to obtain at least a B grade in core courses in order to progress in the program. If students are not successful in earning at least a B after two attempts in a core course they will be exited from the program. 2. Electives Three half-courses (three 3.0 credit courses) at the graduate level of which at least two are in the Graduate Program in Nursing. |
| Program Entry The MScN program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term. | Program Entry The MScN program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term. |
| Program Length The expected degree completion time for full-time master’s students is 5 terms. Students must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of 5 terms of full-time study. All requirements for a master’s degree must be fulfilled within 12 terms (4 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time master’s student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies. | Program Length The expected degree completion time for full-time master’s students is 5 terms. Students must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of 5 terms of full-time study. All requirements for a master’s degree must be fulfilled within 12 terms (4 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time master’s student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies. |
Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Field
Students enrolled in this field must successfully complete the following four courses (12 core credits) from the Graduate Program in Nursing:
Nursing 5100 3.0: Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Nursing Science;
Nursing 5200 3.0: Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing Science;
Nursing 5300 3.0: Quantitative Research Methods in Nursing Science; and,
Nursing 5700 3.0: Applied Intermediate Statistics in Nursing OR Nursing 5750 3.0: Interpretation & Data Analysis.
In addition, students must successfully complete one of the following options:
1. Nursing 5880 0.0: Nurse Practitioner Research Development and Knowledge Mobilization
The practice-based Research Proposal provides the opportunity for a critical and analytic reflection on a topic/issue/problem related to the student’s practicum experience. This advanced research course builds on research methodologies and theoretical inquiry to facilitate students’ exploration, analysis, synthesis, and discussion of research questions and proposal development. Emphasis is on addressing a practice-based question using research.
OR,
2. Major Research Proposal option (under exceptional circumstances)
Students enrolled in the primary health care nurse practitioner field who choose to complete the major research paper option take the following courses in lieu of Nursing 5880 0.0:
Nursing 6200 0.0: Major Research Project; and,
Nursing 6300 0.0: Expressions of Nursing Scholarship, the non-credit colloquium course.
The above requirements are generally completed prior to beginning the seven primary health care nurse practitioner courses as follows. Coinciding with the conclusion of the field courses and simultaneous with their final integrative practicum (Nursing 5870 6.0), students take Nursing 5880 0.0: Nurse Practitioner Research Development and Knowledge Mobilization. This non-credit course provides students with the opportunity for a critical and analytic reflection on a topic/issue/problem related to the student’s practicum experience. Students are supervised in the preparation of a research proposal by graduate faculty members in the program.
Students are required to obtain at least a B grade in core courses in order to progress in the program. If students are not successful in earning at least a B after two attempts in a core course they will be exited from the program.
Students must also successfully complete seven graduate core nurse practitioner courses offered through the Council of Ontario Universities Programs in Nursing consortium:
Nursing 5810 3.0: Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners;
Nursing 5820 3.0: PHCNP Roles and Responsibilities;
Nursing 5830 3.0: Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis I;
Nursing 5840 3.0: Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis II;
Nursing 5850 3.0: Therapeutics in Primary Health Care I;
Nursing 5860 3.0: Therapeutics in Primary Health Care II; and,
Nursing 5870 6.0: Integrative Practicum in Primary Health Care.
Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners field students are required to obtain at least a “B” grade in all generic core courses in order to progress in the program. If students are not successful in earning at least a “B” after two attempts in a core course they will be exited from the program. In order to be eligible to continue in and graduate from the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners field, students must receive a grade of at least “B” in each of the seven core nurse practitioner courses offered through the Council of Ontario Universities Programs in Nursing consortium listed above. Students may repeat one of the courses listed above once in order to achieve a grade of “B.”
Program Entry
The Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner field MScN program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term.
Program Length
The expected degree completion time for Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner field master’s students is 6 terms for full-time students and 9 terms for part-time students. For those students who complete degree requirements earlier than 6 terms, they must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of 6 terms of full-time study. All requirements for a master’s degree must be fulfilled within 12 terms (4 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time master’s student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies.
Doctor of Philosophy Program
Candidates for the PhD in Nursing degree must fulfill the following requirements:
1. Core course
Nursing 7000 6.0: Philosophical Foundations of Contemporary Nursing Science;
Nursing 7005 6.0: Research Approaches in Nursing Science;
Nursing 7015 0.0: Doctoral Seminar I; and,
Nursing 7020 0.0: Doctoral Seminar II.
2. Electives
Two half courses (two 3.0 credit courses) at the graduate level.
3. Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Proposal Defence
This examination must be completed within the first 28 months of starting the PhD program.
The PhD comprehensive examination and dissertation proposal defence is a milestone event in students’ PhD education. Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to defend the rationale, theoretical conceptualization, method, and implications of the proposed doctoral dissertation research orally and in writing. In addition, students must write one publishable scholarly paper in a related cognate area and defend it both orally and in writing. Both the scholarly paper and the research proposal must each be 15 to 20 pages, double-spaced. The purpose of the examination is to determine if students have sufficient mastery of their chosen areas of expertise, including the ability and preparedness to independently conduct original research and to write for scholarly publication, in order to continue to progress in the graduate program.
4. Dissertation
The dissertation (Nursing 7100 0.0: Dissertation) normally takes four to six terms (two calendar years) to complete. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, design, and independently conduct original research for the generation of new knowledge; identify the implications of the knowledge produced; and articulate a plan for knowledge dissemination and mobilization. The coursework and dissertation proposal examination prepare students to successfully conduct independent inquiry. Recognizing the diversity of knowledge, inquiry, and practices in the program areas of focus (health for persons and community, healthcare services and systems, and education in nursing), students in consultation with their supervisor and supervisory committee are able to present the written report on their research as either a standard dissertation or as three papers of publication quality. The dissertation, or equivalent papers, and oral examination provide the means for a summative evaluation of students’ doctoral research. Students are required to demonstrate that they have met all doctoral degree level expectations with respect to depth and breadth of knowledge, research and scholarship, application of knowledge, awareness of limits of knowledge, professional capacity and autonomy, and communication skills.
Program Entry
The PhD program can be completed on a full-time basis. Entry is fall term.
Program Length
The length of time required to complete the PhD is normally four years (12 terms). Doctor of Philosophy students must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of six terms of full-time registration. All requirements for a doctoral degree must be fulfilled within 18 terms (6 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time doctoral student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies.