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 776 and NURS 777.
• 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 776 or NURS 777.

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.