Program Requirements

All students must achieve a GPA of at least 5.0 (B) for every session in which they are registered. Students with a sessional or cumulative average below 5.0 will not be allowed to register in the next session until their academic performance has been reviewed by the Graduate Education Committee and continuation in the Faculty is approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Usually, all students registered in any nursing practice course must pass each course before proceeding further through the program. Students may, with permission of the Graduate Education Committee, repeat a failed nursing practice course and will be placed on academic probation for the remainder of the program. The privilege to repeat a failed nursing practice course is allowed only once in the program. (See also “Professional Conduct and Student Progression”).

All students admitted to MN distance programs are expected to attend an onsite orientation to their program prior to program commencement in September. For Nurse Practitioner students, this onsite orientation is in addition to the required onsite components that occur in term two to six in the NP program.

Nurse Practitioner students who are temporarily withdrawn from their graduate programs for 12 months or longer, at any time, will be required to demonstrate that their competency level is comparable to that prior to their leave of absence before they will be authorized to re-enrol in courses. If competency is not demonstrated remedial course work will be required, including possibly repeating courses already completed.

Master of Nursing programs admit part-time students; however, preference will be given to full-time applicants. Students admitted to the programs on a part-time basis may face limitations to their course scheduling and will be required to pay full-time fee intallments when registered in courses of 3 or more units. Part-time students may pay more for their program, depending on completion times.

All master’s students must complete program requirements within five years of admission to the program.

Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing: Advanced Practice Leadership Option - by Distributed Learning (Thesis Option)

The Master of Nursing degree in Advanced Practice Nursing, Advanced Practice Leadership (APL) option, offered by the University of Victoria School of Nursing, is a practice oriented, theory-based degree intended to prepare nurses for a wide variety of advanced practice roles.

Graduates of the program will be leaders in three spheres of influence: the patient/client sphere, the nurses/nursing sphere, and the health systems/organization sphere. They will practice as Advanced Practice Nurses in a wide range of settings, including acute care, community, long-term care and primary health care.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 22.5 units of study for the Thesis option. At least 12 units will be at the 500 level. Students may collaborate with the Graduate Adviser in the School of Nursing to select courses aimed at meeting the students’ particular academic needs. For detailed information, see “Transfer Credit”. Students will usually be required to complete NURS 506 and 507 prior to enrolling in any practice courses.

An oral examination on the thesis proposal as well as the completed thesis will be required.

Thesis Option (22.5 units):

Program Length

The process of thesis completion is dependent upon the research topic, type of research undertaken, time available, paid work and family commitments. Students studying full-time will normally complete the entire program (including the thesis) within three years. All students, whether part-time or full-time have five years to complete the degree.

Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing: Advanced Practice Leadership Option - by Distributed Learning (Non-Thesis Option)

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 19.5 units of study for the Practice Project option. At least 12 units will be at the 500 level. Students may collaborate with the Graduate Adviser in the School of Nursing to select courses aimed at meeting the students’ particular academic needs. For detailed information, see “Transfer Credit”. Students will usually be required to complete NURS 506 and 507 prior to enrolling in any practice courses.

An oral examination of the project will be required. The examining committee of a student sitting a non-thesis oral will be comprised of a supervisor, a committee member, a Chair and an External Examiner.

Practice Project Option (19.5 units):

Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing: Nurse Educator Option - by Distributed Learning (Thesis Option)

The Master of Nursing degree in Advanced Practice Nursing, Nurse Educator (NUED) option, offered by the University of Victoria, School of Nursing, is a practice oriented, theory-based degree intended to prepare nurses for advanced nurse educator roles in multisectoral settings.

Graduates of the program will have enriched capacity to work across the health care delivery sector and academic settings with the skills to influence nursing practice at the health facility level and the nursing education level.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 22.5 units of study for the NUED thesis option including an onsite program orientation prior to program commencement. In addition to completing ten 1.5 unit courses, described below, students will complete a six (6) unit thesis. An oral examination of the thesis proposal and the completed thesis will be required.

Nurse Educator Thesis Option (22.5 units):

Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing: Nurse Educator Option - by Distributed Learning (Non-Thesis Option)

The Master of Nursing degree in Advanced Practice Nursing, Nurse Educator (NUED) option, offered by the University of Victoria, School of Nursing, is a practice oriented, theory-based degree intended to prepare nurses for advanced nurse educator roles in multisectoral settings.

Graduates of the program will have enriched capacity to work across the health care delivery sector and academic settings with the skills to influence nursing practice at the health facility level and the nursing education level.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 19.5 units of study for the NUED project (non-thesis) option including an onsite program orientation prior to program commencement. In addition to completing ten 1.5 unit courses, described below, students will complete a three (3) unit project.

An oral examination of the completed project will be required. The examining committee of a student sitting a non-thesis oral will be comprised of a supervisor, a committee member, a Chair and an External Examiner.

Nurse Educator Project Option (19.5 units):

Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing: Nurse Practitioner Option - by Distributed Learning (Non-Thesis Option)

The Master of Nursing degree in Advanced Practice Nursing, Nurse Practitioner (NP) option, offered by the University of Victoria School of Nursing, is a practice oriented, theory-based degree that prepares nurses to qualify as family Nurse Practitioners in British Columbia, thus practice experiences are completed within BC. Graduates of the program will be expert practitioners, leaders and role models in a wide range of primary health care settings.

Course Requirements

Students are expected to complete 24 units of study, including an onsite program orientation prior to program commencement in September (usually four days in length) and additional condensed on-site components as scheduled in every subsequent term.

Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing: Master of Science in Health Informatics: Double Degrees Option

The Double Degrees option permits nurses who are interested in health information technology to develop graduate level competencies in both Nursing and Health Informatics. The option is intended to prepare nursing leaders with a background essential for working in the rapidly expanding field of nursing and health informatics. Graduates will be prepared to take leadership roles in informatics, telehealth, implementation of electronic health care records and other areas of emerging health technology.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 31.5 program units including an onsite program orientation prior to program commencement. In addition to completing 24.5 units of course work students will complete a 6 unit thesis. An oral examination of the thesis proposal as well as the completed thesis will be required. There are also two required cooperative learning experiences in this option. Cooperative learning experiences must usually be undertaken outside of a student’s current employment setting.

Required core APN courses (6.0 units)

Nursing electives are listed at the end of the Nursing section.

Required core HINF courses (6.0 units)

Electives are chosen in consultation with the supervisors. HINF electives include:

Required Co-operative experience (6.0 units)

Required Thesis (7.5 units)

PhD in Nursing

Beginning Fall 2011, the PhD in Nursing Program will be delivered in a distributed - distance learning format, supplemented with two or three intensive on-campus activities. The program will require full-time enrolment. Students will be admitted as a cohort to begin in odd-number years (2011, 2013, 2015, etc) and will take distance courses through synchronous and asynchronous approaches. This option is designed for committed students unable to re-locate. Students selecting the distributed option will be required to come to the UVic campus for a 2-week orientation and will be expected to travel to the UVic campus for another week during the spring or summer of that year. Additional travel will be required as appropriate for their progress and supervision, approximately one time per year until graduation from the program.

The on-campus delivery option will remain available to students entering the program in even numbered years (2012, 2014, 2016). Those who elect the on-campus delivery at a part-time (rather than full-time) rate may have some courses available only in the distance option as they progress into year 2 or 3.

Please contact the School of Nursing for further details.

The goal of the Doctoral Program in Nursing is to prepare nurse scholars to contribute to disciplinary knowledge, to demonstrate a critical understanding of works of scholars in the field, and to conduct original research. Programmatic study involves engagement with a variety of philosophical and theoretical perspectives and methodological modes of inquiry with a view to human health. Graduates will be prepared to launch a program of research that addresses professional nursing practice, policy, or education as a way of enacting their chosen career paths.

PhD in Nursing graduates will be prepared to contribute to nursing knowledge in the following domains:

1. Research: Generating or extending disciplinary knowledge that informs and guides professional practice.
2. Teaching: Exploring processes of coming to know in relation to nursing knowledge, its influence on professional practice, and its use in research inquiry.
3. Practice: Generating, expanding, and critiquing nursing knowledge for the enhancement of professional practice.
4. Administration: Developing, critiquing, and implementing nursing and health policy in relation to disciplinary growth and professional practice.

Course Requirements

Programs of study are planned in relation to specified foci of nursing scholarship in concert with program design, supervisor expertise, and anticipated contributions to knowledge.

The PhD program requires satisfactory completion of at least 13.5 units of coursework (including a mandatory NURS 693 Candidacy Examination preparation course and Dissertation Seminar), candidacy exams, a 30-unit Dissertation, and a final oral examination for a total program requirement of 43.5 units. Students who are not enrolled in the PhD in Nursing program may take only one course in the program with the permission of the instructor in the course.

It is strongly recommended that students take a graduate level statistics course. This course is chosen in consultation with the student’s supervisor based on the student’s background and research area, and is distinct from all other required PhD courses.

Candidacy

Candidacy will be held following satisfactory completion of required coursework and within three years of first registering as a doctoral student in the program. Candidacy exams will include both a written and oral component. Students will write two papers approximately 25-30 pages in length, one focused on the substantive area of interest and the other on a chosen research methodology. Following submission of the written candidacy papers, candidates will engage in an oral defense of their written papers.

Dissertation (30 units)

All doctoral students must write and publicly defend a research proposal and have it approved by their supervisory committee before continuing the research process. All doctoral students are required to prepare a dissertation upon which a public examination and defense is conducted. The dissertation must qualify as a significant and original contribution to disciplinary knowledge.

Elective Courses, Topical Seminars, Research Internship

In consultation with academic advisers and/or dissertation supervisors, students may seek or be required to enrol in additional, elective course work. The number and nature of courses beyond those identified as required will vary according to the student’s academic background, research and practice experience, and career goals. Electives in the student’s substantive area and research method can be taken from the existing graduate program in the School of Nursing, courses developed by the School, in other departments or Faculties (in acknowledgement of the interdisciplinary nature of much nursing related research), by directed studies, or offered at other institutions (perhaps under the Western Dean’s Agreement). Opportunities to engage in research internships will be available. You will need to discuss the appropriateness of elective courses with a graduate academic adviser or your supervisor. The following courses may be of interest to students seeking to deepen their appreciation of research within the discipline (NURA 503, 504, NURS 680, 690).

Elective course options for all nursing graduate programs

The following courses may be applied by fourth year BSN (with permission), MN and PhD in Nursing students to respective BSN, MN or PhD program requirements. Students outside of the program option may choose from:

• Advanced Practice Leadership: NURA 503, 504, 509, 514
• Health Information Science: HINF 572, and one of 550, or 450. HINF 450 requires permission from department.
• Nurse Educator: NUED 570
• Nurse Practitioner: NUNP 531, 532, 540/541 (with permission from department). NURS 565, 566, 567.