Nursing instructor talking with two students in the hall

Congratulations!

Welcome to Baker University’s Master of Science in Nursing Program

The following outlines the enrollment procedure and policies for the MSN program.

Headshot

Marlene Eicher

School of Nursing

Associate Dean of Graduate Programs

Program Requirements

  • Working computer and reliable internet access
  • Active registered nurse license

Practicum Requirements

Upon notice of official acceptance to the graduate program, the student must make arrangements to secure and present evidence of the following to Marlene Eicher, assistant dean, at meicher@stormontvail.org:

  • Completed background check
  • Proof of health insurance
  • A drug screen is required for all admitted students.

Proof of Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for health care professionals (documentation must be submitted to the assistant dean):

  • Online courses are not accepted. This proof must be resubmitted before expiration.
  • “Professional Rescuer” from the Red Cross or “Health Care Provider” from the American Heart Association

Health requirements (documentation must be submitted to the assistant dean):

  • Report of a physical examination
  • Negative skin or blood tuberculin test or, if positive, a negative chest X-ray
  • A positive rubella titer
  • Documentation of Hepatitis B vaccination series
  • Current Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) immunization
  • Documented Varicella 2-step vaccination or serologic evidence of immunity
  • Other as required by practicum sites

Enrollment Process

How to Send a Transcript

Mailing Address

Please mail your transcript to the following address.

Baker University
Attn: SON Enrollment (MSN)
PO Box 65
615 Dearborn St.
Baldwin City, KS 66006-0065

Some institutions use electronic transcript services (e.g., National Student Clearing House, eScript, Parchment) to transmit transcripts electronically.

Baker University accepts these as official if they are transmitted appropriately by either choosing Baker University as the recipient in the drop-down box or by placing incoming.transcripts@bakerU.edu as the recipient email address.

Official transcripts that are not sent directly from the school (i.e., goes to the student or other representative of the student who then sends it on to Baker) cannot be used to transfer credit or for financial aid purposes.

Academic Advising

Each student will be assigned a graduate faculty advisor upon admission to the graduate program. The advisor provides the student with assistance in program planning and matters pertaining to academic work and can also provide assistance with study habits and personal adjustment issues.

Course Enrollment

Enrollment in nursing graduate courses should occur in collaboration with the academic advisor and review of the POS. Registration is not available in nursing courses after classes are one week into the semester

Students engaged in project work must be continuously enrolled every term, including the summer session, until the project is completed and a grade submitted to the registrar. The graduate project must be completed within three semesters with no option for additional enrollment.

Developing a Plan of Study (POS)

A plan of study provides guidance in the progression toward a graduate nursing degree. This document will be kept in the student’s file and will be reviewed with each semester’s enrollment. The POS is not a binding agreement and can be changed by communication between the student and the faculty advisor. The advisor will present the POS for review and approval by the Graduate Nursing Education Committee.

Academic Policies

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to participate actively in and contribute to the learning experience in an online course. Attendance for online courses is taken once a week. Attendance in an online course is defined as a learner who logs into the learning management system and completes at least two significant activities in the course during the class session. A class session is a seven-day timeframe of instructional time (typically Monday 12 a.m. to Sunday 11:59 p.m.).

In the case of an absence, the student must notify the instructor before the absence, make arrangements to complete missed assignments and complete additional makeup work if allowed by the instructor. It is at the instructor’s discretion to assign a lower grade because of a class absence.

Under no circumstances may a student miss more than 30 percent of course class sessions and receive credit for the course. This is a university policy and is not at the discretion of the instructor. A student who misses 30 percent of a course is required to repeat the course with additional tuition expense for that course. Refer to the Withdrawal Policy in the  Graduate Handbook regarding withdrawal dates from a course or program.

If a student’s attendance record demonstrates a pattern of missed class sessions, that student is administratively withdrawn from the program. After being withdrawn from the program, the student must contact the assistant dean for readmission to the program.

Course  Load

For each fall and spring semester, the maximum credit load for graduate students is 9 graduate credits. For the summer session, the maximum credit load is 6 credits. Permission from the Graduate Nursing Education Committee is required for any student to take more than the maximum load.

Progression in Good Standing

After admission to the graduate nursing program, students must take all courses toward the MSN degree at Baker University.

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for both good academic standing and degree conferral. The student must complete each course and the requirements for the course in the graduate curriculum. Grades are subject to review by the Graduate Nursing Education Committee. If the academic average falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on probation.

Grading Scale

Points Letter
Grade
Quality
Points
Grading
Notations
93 – 100 A 4.0 I – Incomplete(temporary grade)
85 – 92 B 3.0 W – Withdraw
77 – 84 C 2.0 ( ) – Indicates a repeated course
69 – 76 D 1.0 * – Indicates a grade change
68 or below F 0

Degree Completion Timeframe

Requirements for the degree must be completed within six years of the student’s initial semester of course work. Exception may be made by the associate dean if the student’s situation demonstrates circumstances beyond his or her control that temporarily interfere with the ability to complete the program on time or because of time spent in the military.

Graduation Requirements

For the Master of Science in Nursing degree, successful completion of the specified program curriculum (32 credit hours) is required for graduation and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above for the program of study, with with no more than two courses completed with a C grade. A minimum of 26 credit hours must be completed at Baker University School of Nursing.