Aims and Assumptions

The master’s curriculum is designed to offer students an opportunity to become prepared as practitioners in selected specialties and in evidence-based research so that they may assume roles as clinician-scholars. Nurses in advanced practice are professionals committed to the delivery and study of high-quality clinical service: responsible, accountable, and with the authority to help shape the health care system of the future. The program of study in the School is viewed as preparation for a variety of leadership roles.

The Yale School of Nursing admits both registered nurses who have a baccalaureate degree and college graduates with no previous nursing education. The graduate nurse moves directly into a chosen area of specialization. Students are expected to remain in the specialty to which they were accepted. The full-time student who is a registered nurse is expected to complete the requirements for the degree in two academic years; part-time study is also available. The Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) for the college graduate who is not a nurse requires two terms and one summer session in addition to the two-year specialization sequence; full-time study is required for GEPN students throughout the prespecialty year.

The master’s curriculum places emphasis upon clinical competence and nursing scholarship. Each student is educated to function in an expanded role in the specialty area of the student’s choice. Employers recognize the superior preparation Yale School of Nursing graduates receive and actively seek to recruit them.