All Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) students are required to complete a scholarly activity that demonstrates the student’s advanced level of knowledge and professional competence. Students may meet this requirement by completing either a master’s paper (alternative to thesis) or a thesis.

The master’s paper and thesis share five important characteristics:

• Demonstration of scholarship, including mastery of a focused area of knowledge related to the student’s advanced practice area.
• Completion of NURS 774 (Research I) and NURS 775 (Research II).
• Completion of 3 credits for NURS 992 (Master’s Paper) or NURS 993 (Thesis).
• Supervision by a committee who guides the scholarly activity.
• Completion of a final written report.

Students may begin working on the master’s paper or thesis concurrently with their enrollment in NURS 774 (generally taken during the fall semester). The scholarly activity should not be completed prior to mid-semester of NURS 775 (generally taken during the Spring semester).

For both options, students must have a committee chair before beginning their scholarly experience. Further, the advisory committee must be formed and a written proposal for the scholarly activity must be approved by the committee before it is conducted.

As a reminder, no matter which option is selected, several drafts of the proposal and final report may be necessary to achieve clarity and brevity and to be consistent with a style of composition appropriate for scientific or technical reports. This should be factored into the overall timeline for the scholarly activity.