Today, more than 1,000 graduate prepared
Spartan Nurses are at work enriching their
communities and improving the health of
individuals and families around the nation.
Meeting the Growing Need
and Complexity of Care
In anticipation of care needs for the growing
number of people over the age of 65, the
gerontology advanced practice program was
added in 1992, with a training grant from the
Department of Health and Human Services.
Two years later, a Post Master’s program
was established for Nurse Practitioner (NP)
certification. Those programs later evolved
into the current Master's and Post Master's NP
concentrations with Adult Gerontological and
Family Nurse Practitioner specializations.
The College initiated the Nurse Anesthesia
program to help reduce the shortage of
CRNAs in the mid-Michigan area. The program
launched in 2002, with clinical support from
partners at Ingham Regional Medical Center,
Sparrow Hospital, and St. John Providence
Health System.
In response to AACN recommendations
that master’s level education programs focus
primarily on preparation as expert advanced
practitioners, the Master’s in Nursing Education
was revised to a Master’s in Adult-Gerontology
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) with Education
concentration. The combined focus prepares
nurse leaders as advanced direct care providers,
consultants, leaders, collaborators, and
educators. The first cohort graduated in spring
2012. The College also offers a Post Masters
CNS program of study.
Committed to preparing APRNs to translate
research into practice in a more timely and
effective way, the College added the Doctor
of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, with its first
cohort starting in the fall of 2013. The DNP will
move research to real world practice settings
through the design, implementation, and
evaluation of improvements in the healthcare
system. Shared learning experiences among
DNP and PhD students will promote faster
translation of research into practice.
ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING
The College of Nursing has a rich history
of implementing process improvements that
advance our mission to prepare nurse leaders
for practice, research, and education. In the
40 years since the College’s task force designed
the master’s level degree program, the nurse
practitioner curriculum has strongly emphasized
primary care, reflecting MSU’s land grant
tradition of service.
A 1976 Kellogg Grant funded implementation
of the Master of Science in Nursing program,
and the first four students were admitted in
1977. To enhance the student experience the
College began offering graduate level nursing
education in the early 1990s off campus.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING • NURSING.MSU.EDU
For four decades, the College has made
it its mission to implement a vast array
of graduate level degrees, programs, and
certificates to prepare an advanced practice
nursing workforce to meet these challenges.
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