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Online MSN, Nursing Education

Nurse educators work within the academic systems and hospital training settings to assist in the development of new nurses. They might teach 3-year diploma programs within a hospital setting, a 2-year Associate degree through a college, or a 4-year Bachelor of Science in nursing program through an accredited university. Nurse educators may also teach refresher courses for nurses who have been out of the field for some time and want to return to their nursing careers. This kind of schooling would allow them to retake the NCLEX-RN licensing examination or other certification examinations with confidence. Nurse educators may also be in charge of conducting research, maintaining standards within the clinical nursing setting, and a number of other tasks related to nursing and academics.

Nursing educators work to educate other nurses entering or reentering the field, but they also perform a variety of other tasks such as maintaining the clinical standards in a medical institution, writing grant proposals, performing research for laboratories, and evaluating learning curriculum for other nurse educators. In a classroom setting nurse educators must also help nursing students to identify problem areas and surpass expectations within the course, and design and implement a learning plan for in and out of the classroom.

Nurse educators can work in a variety of settings including local hospitals and private practices, training other nurses. They may also work in public and community settings, teaching school-aged children about the specifics of nursing, in community colleges, universities, and as a tutor through online learning programs. Some of their most frequent job titles include:

  • Clinical Educator
  • Nurse Educator 
  • Occupational Health Nurse Instructor
  • Patient Care Coordinator and Educator
  • Diabetes Consultant

Program Curriculum

Apply to GSW

Graduate Major

Master of Science in Nursing, Nursing Education

Health & Human Science Complex
Carter I

Tiffany Aldridge
229-931-2239
tiffany.aldridge@gsw.edu

Faculty & Staff

Nursing Students

The School of Nursing offers two admissions cycles for Nursing Education students: Fall Admission - March 1st; Spring Admission - October 15th

Curriculum Information

The nursing education concentration focuses on preparing nurses to facilitate learning in various environments through the application of knowledge in instructional design, curriculum development, technology utilization, and evaluation of learning. The education track has five (5) core courses and seven (7) courses concentrating in nursing education. Included in the track is a 3 hour focused project. Fulltime students may complete the program in 22 months.

Plan of Study & Models

Course Delivery
Accreditation
Student Resources

All courses in the MSN program are offered fully online through the Georgia On My Line (GOML) learning management system. A separate sign-on is required for GOML from that of the email system used by the home institution. The GOML Common Academic Calendar details specific deadlines for each semester. 

All theory (didactic/lecture) courses are offered online via GoVIEW online platform. The clinical requirements (preceptorship, practicum internship) in the curriculum will not be online. Preceptors for these experiences will be arranged in the student's locale whenever feasible. The student and preceptor in a clinical course must hold licensure as a registered nurse in the state in which the clinical experience will be provided and will comply with the Board of Nursing's regulations regarding placement.

The master's degree program in nursing at Georgia Southwestern State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. This CCNE approval for the MSN program extends from February 1, 2021 to December 31, 2026.

Admission Requirements

Graduate students can submit required documents through the document portal after completing the admissions application process. Students must complete the following items in order to be considered for the MSN program:

  • Graduate application for admission & $25 application fee
  • Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended with a minimum 3.0 GPA
  • Applicant must have their BSN at time of application
  • Three completed recommendation forms from professional or clinical associates
  • Current professional resume
  • Current active, unencumbered RN license
    (An unencumbered license means a license that is not currently on probation, monitoring, suspension, and/or does not have any other type of limitation including current participation in an alternative to discipline program.)