College of Nursing

Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus
123 Metro Blvd., Suite S
Nutley, NJ 07110
(973) 542-6200
nursing@shu.edu

Interim Dean: Kristi J. Stinson, Ph.D., R.N.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs: Judith Lucas, Ed.D., A.P.R.N., B.C.
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research: Kathleen Neville, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN
Assistant Dean for Student Success: Elizabeth McDermott, Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Admissions and Compliance: Gabriele Zengewald, M.A.
Undergraduate Department Faculty: Ampiaw; Barra-Schneider; Carolina; Conklin; Connolly; Conway (Chair); Darby; DeVito; Huryk; Innella;  Kass; Kenney-Lau; Leonard; Logan; Lucas; Pappas; Ropis; Sailsman; Sternas; Stinson (Interim Dean); Tevlin; Torres; Ulak; Wall; Wells
Graduate Department Faculty: Balsamo; Carolina; Conklin; Hansell; Hinic; Kendra; Maglione; McClure; Neville; Roberts (Chair); Sturm

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree programs in nursing/master's degree programs in nursing/Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Seton Hall University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Historical Overview

Nursing courses were first offered by Seton Hall University in 1937 with an enrollment of eight students. Each of these students received a bachelor’s degree in nursing education in 1940, at which time the School of Nursing Education was organized as an autonomous division. From this small beginning the College of Nursing has grown and now serves over 1,000 students annually. Seton Hall University has continued to recognize the complexity of modern healthcare delivery and the educational preparation needed to meet these challenges by initiating a graduate level master’s degree program in nursing in September 1975, a Ph.D. program in 2006, and a D.N.P. program in 2009. The M.S.N., DNP and post MSN/APRN Certificate programs are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the Ph.D. in Nursing and the D.N.P. programs meet all University requirements for doctoral education.

College of Nursing Mission Statement

The College of Nursing’s mission is to educate generalists and specialists in nursing at the undergraduate and graduate levels, respectively. Undergraduate and graduate curricula exist within a university community that embraces a student body enriched by cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity where religious and ethical commitment and academic freedom are valued. The College of Nursing aims to cultivate values in its students and graduates that enable a commitment to lifelong learning, service and leadership for the greater good of the global society.

Graduate Philosophy

The faculty of the College of Nursing believes that graduate education is achieved in a values-centered environment with diversity of educational and technological resources, and professional experiences that foster creative inquiry. Graduate level programs prepare students for entry into professional practice and/or advanced role development.

The faculty believes that graduate students in nursing initiate, as well as contribute to, change directed toward improving the quality of nursing care, education, and leadership. They develop skills in analyzing the economic forces of health care and in influencing the sociopolitical process as a means of affecting health care at local, national, and global levels. Collegial relationships among students and faculty at the College of Nursing are encouraged in an atmosphere that fosters scholarly achievements, continued development of critical thinking skills, and self-actualization.

The philosophy of the graduate nursing program is the basis for the development of the following outcomes. At the conclusion of the programs, the students will:

1. Communicate in a scholarly manner;
2. Demonstrate advanced critical thinking and decision- making skills;
3. Use best evidence to advance practice; and
4. Act as a servant leader in a global society.

Faculty Preparation

Faculty teaching courses in the Graduate Nursing Division hold advanced degrees in nursing. All of the full-time faculty possess an earned doctoral degree and most are actively engaged in research.

Faculty seek to disseminate nursing knowledge through the provision of consultation as accreditation visitors and through scholarly presentations at the state, national and international levels. They also promote scholarship through publications and service on the editorial boards of refereed journals.

In keeping with the College of Nursing’s belief in the importance of active involvement in professional and community activities, many members of the College of Nursing faculty and administration are active with and hold positions of leadership in a variety of professional organizations.

In addition, many clinical faculty have advanced certification in their areas of practice, exemplifying the College’s belief that excellence in teaching demands expertise in practice.

Academic Information

Academic Standards

The following academic standards apply to all students enrolled in the Graduate Program.

1. Students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.
2. Students receiving a first grade of “C” or “C+” in any course and/or a GPA less than 3.0 are not in good academic standing. Students who receive a grade of "C+" or lower are required to contact their adviser immediately.
3. If students earn a second grade of “C” or “C+” in the same or subsequent semester they will be dismissed from the program.
4. If students receive a grade of “F” in any course, they will be dismissed from the program.
5. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to graduate.

Leave of Absence

Requests for a leave of absence should be sent to Enrollment Services and the Office of the Registrar, with a copy to be sent to the program director, and the student’s academic adviser. Upon return to the University, the student must notify and meet with the program director. Students who have an interruption in their practicum sequence are required to develop a remediation plan with their adviser to assure success in their program. This is developed on a case-by-case basis. Such plans may include skill evaluation, additional studies and clinical practicum hours and fees. Students are advised to review the university catalog requirements for Leave of Absence.

Continuity

Students in the Master’s degree programs who do not register for courses in the Fall and Spring semesters (as well as the semester of graduation) must register for ‘Registration Continuation’ (RGCN 8000 Registration Continuation). Students who are not registered in courses and are resolving incomplete grade requirements in order to qualify for their degree must also register for RGCN 8000 Registration Continuation. Failure to register without being granted a leave of absence is interpreted as withdrawal from the program.

For doctoral programs, please see specific program requirements.

Add/Drop Policy for Students Enrolled in Clinical Nursing Courses

A student is not permitted to change from one clinical course to another once the semester has started.

Status of Students

1. Matriculated students in the Master’s programs may take up to six years to complete the requirements. Students in the Ph.D. and D.N.P. programs may take up to 10 years to complete the requirements.
2. Nonmatriculated students in the master’s and D.N.P. programs may not take more than 6 graduate credits. Nonmatriculated master’s students may only enroll in NURS 6123 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice and/or NURS 6124 Forces in Health Care prior to application. Enrollment as a nonmatriculated student does not guarantee admission. Students are considered to be matriculated at the time they are offered official acceptance into the program and accept the offer. 
3. Students who wish to change their nursing major within the graduate programs must consult with the program director from the current program and the program director from the desired program within the College of Nursing.
4. Registering for a course during pre-registration does not assure admission into the course.
5. Undergraduate students may be permitted to register for NURS 6123 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice and/or NURS 6124 Forces in Health Care in their last two semesters of undergraduate study if they have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 at the time of enrollment in the course(s).

Financial Aid

In addition to aid available through Enrollment Services, graduate nursing students may be eligible to apply for aid through the Assistant Dean for Business Affairs in the College of Nursing. Scholarship, loans, and/or any traineeship funding opportunities are posted on the graduate student Blackboard sites with application deadlines and forms.

Honor Society

Eligible graduate nursing students may be invited to apply for membership in the Gamma Nu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing. Refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for further information.

Learning Resources

The College is one site where didactic instruction is provided. The College of Nursing is co-located with the School of Health and Medical Science, and the Hackensack/Meridian School of Medicine in a new building in Nutley, NJ which is approximately 10 miles from the South Orange Campus. This new Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) building is shared by the three schools with a focus on Interprofessional education. This state-of-the-art facility contains many classrooms, including traditional and state-of-the-art learning studios which better accommodate a flipped classroom pedagogy.

This campus provides many opportunities for interprofessional experiences related to simulations, service learning, and work on inter-professional teams and guest speakers for students in all three schools.

Classrooms in the IHS building are located on floors 1, 2, and 3 of the building. The lower level (below floor 1) houses security offices, a student lounge and a bookstore. The 1st floor of the building is where the library with an Associate Dean and 4 health sciences librarians, the chapel and chaplain, food service, student support services including rooms for disability services and quiet testing environments and counseling services are located. A chapel and full-time chaplain, quiet and group study rooms and some classrooms are located on this floor as well. There is adequate office space and conference rooms for faculty, administration and staff throughout the building.

All of the labs and more classrooms are located on the second floor along with some administrative offices. The skills labs include 3 flexible skills rooms with 8 beds in each room which can be flexed into 1 large room with 24 beds if needed, and 2 part-task training rooms, for practice of foundational and specialized clinical skills. The health assessment labs include 16 standardized patient encounter rooms and 3 health assessment examination table labs with 8 exam tables per room. The simulation labs include state-of-the-art clinical, control room, and debriefing environments for each of the 7 rooms, along with state-of-the-art adult, birthing, pediatric and neonatal high fidelity simulation mannequins, a nursing/communication station and an operating room. Some of the patient simulation rooms can be flexed between a single or double patient room or an ICU, PACU etc. There are two debrief rooms which can be flexed into simulation rooms for use during high traffic times during the semester. Nurse practitioner students, since those programs are online, will utilize the laboratory environments during their mandatory residency immersion weekends, and as needed.

A wide variety of clinical sites are used to prepare students with the advanced nursing knowledge and skills necessary for their roles as educators, administrators or advanced nurse practitioners.

Major

Accelerated and Dual Degree

 Certificate

Note to Students: The following listing represents those courses that are in the active rotation for each department, i.e., have been offered in the past five years. Some departments have additional courses offered more rarely but still available – to find the complete list of all official courses for a department, please use the “Course Catalogue Search” function in Self-Service Banner

Course Descriptions