Master of Science in Nursing

West Virginia Wesleyan College offers four Master of Science in Nursing degrees.

We have been offering the Master of Science in Nursing degree with two concentration options: Nursing Education (36 hours) and Nursing Administration (36 hours) for two years. Candidates who earn the MSN degree with a Concentration in Nursing Education will be prepared for teaching roles in academic and clinical practice settings, both traditional and innovative, including, college and university ADN and BSN programs, continuing nursing education in hospital and community-based healthcare settings, and nurse educator positions in long term care and industry. Candidates who earn the MSN degree with a Concentration in Nursing Administration will be equipped to function in nurse executive positions in a myriad of healthcare settings including healthcare administration and consultation, project management and quality initiatives, as well as executive positions in community health systems and long-term care.

Following program completion, graduates of Wesleyan’s Master of Science in Nursing: Nurse Education Concentration will be eligible to apply for the Nurse Educator Certification Examination sponsored by the National League for Nursing. Similarly, with successful completion of the Master of Science in Nursing: Nurse Administration Concentration, graduates meet the educational eligibility requirements to apply for the Nurse Executive Certification Examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

We are now also offering two Advanced Practice Nursing Concentrations - Nurse-Midwifery and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - through a collaboration with Shenandoah University. Graduate students will receive a Master of Science in Nursing degree from West Virginia Wesleyan and a Certificate of Endorsement in Nurse-Midwifery or Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from Shenandoah University.

Nurse-Midwifery is an essential element of comprehensive health care that should be made available for all women. This collaborative program ensures the supply of nurse-midwives by providing opportunities for graduate nursing students to receive nurse-midwifery education while still attending their home institutions. After completion of graduate core courses at West Virginia Wesleyan, the student will enroll at Shenandoah University for midwifery specialty courses. Didactic material is taught using face-to-face, online and low-residency pedagogies while clinical experiences are arranged in students’ home communities. Following completion of both curricula, students may sit for the national certification examination.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) are educationally prepared to provide a full range of psychiatric services, including the delivery of primary mental health care services. Students in this program will complete their graduate core course work at West Virginia Wesleyan and their PMHNP coursework at Shenandoah University with clinical experiences arranged in their home communities. Following completion of both curricula, students may sit for national certification examinations as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners.

The classes are offered during late afternoons and evenings to facilitate scheduling for employed MSN students, and some portions of courses will also be offered online. Because the program is flexible, students can plan their own schedule and choose the pace of study. The program can be completed as an intensive program or over several years. Undergraduate Health Assessment and Statistics are pre-requisites for two required courses.