CCNE Accreditation
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing/ master’s degree program in nursing/Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Oakland University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Program description
The Master of Science in Nursing: Forensic Nursing degree prepares professional nurses for advanced nursing practice, leadership in the nursing profession, and future doctoral study.
The Forensic Nursing program prepares graduates for professional practice in the role of the forensic nurse through the application of knowledge and principles foundational to nursing science and forensic science. Curriculum emphasizes interprofessional education related to the diverse roles and responsibilities of the forensic nurse as an independent practitioner and collaborator within the multidisciplinary forensic team while providing specialized care and services to individuals, families, communities, populations, and systems that have experienced violence, trauma, or maltreatment.
The Forensic Nursing program prepares graduates to practice globally as a forensic nurse examiner with the ability to sub-specialize in a specific area of forensic nursing if desired. Graduates may practice in a variety of forensic nursing areas such as sexual violence, intimate partner violence, child/elder maltreatment, death investigation, and emergency preparedness and disaster management.
Master’s program outcomes
Building on the foundation of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program will prepare graduates as transformational leaders with advanced nursing knowledge and practice expertise for optimizing health outcomes. (Essential IX)
The MSN program prepares graduates to:
- Integrate theories and scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, and organizational sciences using translational processes to improve evidence-based nursing practice across diverse settings. (Essentials I & IV, VIII, IX)
- Describe concepts from organizational leadership, systems leadership, and information technology in the promotion of quality improvement and safety. (Essentials II, III, V, IX)
- Synthesize requisite knowledge of legal and regulatory processes, health policy, ethics, and advocacy to improve health outcomes of diverse populations at the organizational, local, state, and federal level. (Essentials IV, VI, VIII, IX)
- Formulate intra/interprofessional collaborative strategies integral to the design and delivery of evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention interventions to improve health outcomes in individuals, families, communities, and populations. (Essentials IV, VII, VIII, IX)
- Integrate professional standards and guidelines in the provision of nursing practice in a specialty area. (Essentials IX)
Admission terms and application deadlines
Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in NursingCAS by the deadline listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.
All applicants to this program are admitted for the fall semester only. The application deadlines are:
- Fall Semester - February 15 (early): April 15 (regular): July 15 (late). All applications completed by July 15 will be considered for admission to the following Fall Semester.
- International students: April 1 for admission to the following Fall Semester (see additional requirements below)
Application requirements
Applicants do not submit an online Oakland University Graduate Application. A completed application and required materials must be submitted through the Nursing Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS). Information and instructions for applying through the NursingCAS can be found at the School of Nursing website.
To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines.
Additional department application requirements
- Applicants for admission to the Master of Science in Nursing program must have completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree with an overall undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above from an institution accredited by the National League for Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
- Proof of a current unrestricted Registered Nurse license in the United States or its territories.
- A minimum of one year of clinical experience as an R.N. (at the start of the program) is required during which time the applicant must have functioned as an independent decision maker and demonstrated advanced psychomotor skills.
- Two (2) Recommendations must be completed by healthcare professionals in forensic nursing, leadership, administration/management, or education and are able to attest to the applicant’s nursing skills and/or abilities. One reference must be from a colleague who is familiar with the applicant’s work.
- Professional statement of 500 to 1,000 words. The professional statement should focus on the applicant’s reason for seeking formal forensic nursing education, how recent clinical experience has prepared him/her for forensic nursing practice, career goals after program completion, as well as plans for professional development in the specialty of forensic nursing. The professional statement will be evaluated on content and appropriate use of grammar, style, spelling and rhetoric.
International Students
- International students are encouraged to contact The Graduate School (www.oakland.edu/grad) to determine what additional documentation is required for admission eligibility.
Admission review and assessment
Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, professional statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.
Qualified applicants may be selected for an individual interview with a School of Nursing faculty. The interview will be scheduled after all application materials have been submitted.
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