Nursing, RN to MSN

A minimum of 5 credit hours of NURS 7000 (Research Thesis) must be completed if the research option is chosen. 

• NURS 6100: Philosophical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice
• NURS 6110: Advanced Nursing Practice in Healthcare
• NURS 6120: Research and Knowledge Translation in Nursing
• NURS 6280: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics
• NURS 6730: Advanced Health Assessment
• NURS 6740: Advanced Pathophysiology
• NURS 7000: Research Thesis OR NURS 7024: Research Analysis and Application 

• 47 credits
• Manage the unique needs of people as they age

Courses 

• NURS 6915: Primary Care of Acute Care Conditions
• NURS 6925: Primary Care of Chronic Care Conditions
• NURS 6950: Primary Care of Geriatric Patients and Families
• NURS 6960: Gender Health Primary Care
• NURS 6980: Synthesis Practicum
• NURS 6982: Pre-Synthesis Practicum 

• 47 Credits
• Care for people across their entire lifespan, including preventing and managing acute and chronic health conditions

Courses 

• NURS 6900: Primary Care of Pediatric Patients and Families
• NURS 6915: Primary Care of Acute Care Conditions
• NURS 6925: Primary Care of Chronic Care Conditions
• NURS 6960: Gender Health Primary Care
• NURS 6980: Synthesis Practicum
• NURS 6982: Pre-Synthesis Practicum 
   

• 48 Credits
• Help patients manage psychiatric disorders and substance abuse both in primary and acute care settings

Courses 

• NURS 6800: Mental Health Assessment and Interventions Across the Lifespan
• NURS 6801: Adult Psychiatric Diagnosis and Management for the PMHNP
• NURS 6802: Geriatric Psychiatric Diagnosis and Management for the PMHNP
• NURS 6803: Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Diagnosis and Management for the PMHNP
• NURS 6985: Psych Mental Health Synthesis Practicum 

Provides knowledge of cellular mechanisms and the clinical application of therapeutic drugs by practitioners in primary and acute health care settings. Educates Advanced Practice Nursing students about common drug uses, drug categories, and integrative health therapies.

Explores the foundation and techniques of advanced health assessment across the life span. This course requires 45 contact hours of precepted assessments.

Synthesis of pathophysiologic concepts for therapeutic assessment, diagnosis, management, and intervention fundamental to advanced practice nursing across the life span in various health care settings.

We know that affordability is an important factor, and that’s why we’re here to help you explore all of the options available to fund your education. Our enrollment navigators can help answer any of your questions about financial aid resources and make sure you’re able to pursue your goals. From financial aid and scholarships to transfer credits and corporate tuition assistance programs, we’ll work with you to find the best way to finance your UCCS Online degree. Complete the form on this page to be contacted by an enrollment navigator.

Financial aid is available for eligible students to use toward paying educational costs while enrolled in a UCCS Online program. To determine your eligibility and apply for financial aid, you'll need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). When you submit your FAFSA, you will be considered for three types of aid: grants, work-study, and student loans. To be considered for federal financial aid, you will need to apply early and annually.

• Scholarships | You may be eligible for scholarships at UCCS. We offer many scholarships and grants to students who are ready to earn their degrees and achieve success. Between both UCCS-offered and external scholarships, our students earned more than $10 million in scholarship awards last year alone.

UCCS Online is military-friendly and committed to providing service members and their families with a high-quality education that fits their distinct needs. As a UCCS Online student, you will have access to UCCS Veteran and Military Affairs, which connects veteran, active duty, reservist, National Guard, and dependent students with fundamental support, services, and resources to ensure academic and professional success. UCCS is a proud home campus to many veteran and military students.

Eligible veteran and military students may use veteran benefits, military tuition assistance, and/or financial aid to pay for their education. Military benefits with UCCS Online include:

• Waived application fee for active duty and veterans
• Military benefits approved program

Connect with our Enrollment Navigators to learn more about the benefits and financial assistance available to military and veteran students.

All students are automatically opted in to the TAAP program with the choice to opt out. The TAAP program provides all your course materials for one flat fee per credit hour. That means no more time spent searching for, ordering, and paying out of pocket for your own course materials.

Many companies offer tuition assistance benefits as part of their employee compensation program. Generally, these policies determine a set number of credit hours per year that the company will fund on behalf of the student/employee. Some policies place a cap on eligible tuition dollars and related expenses while others reimburse employees on a per-credit-hour basis. Get in touch with your organization's human resources department to learn more about your educational benefits.

UCCS accepts applications throughout the year through a rolling admissions process; however, we advise prospective students to submit their applications by the preferred deadline(s). 

• Fall Semester: August 5
• Spring Semester: January 5
• Summer Semester: May 5

• Fall 2025 – August 25, 2025
• Spring 2026 – January 20, 2026
• Summer 2026 – June 15, 2026
• Fall 2026 – August 24, 2026
• Spring 2027 – January 19, 2027

If you are looking for more autonomy in your career or advanced roles in nursing, you will need the credentials employers are seeking, especially licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). While it does require a considerable time and monetary commitment, your master’s degree can increase your earning potential and open doors to greater professional fulfillment in the years ahead. This MSN program prepares you for the national certification exam to become a nurse practitioner. 

UCCS also offers a Post Master’s Nurse Practitioner Certificate program. It is designed to expand your knowledge and prepare for clinical roles as a nurse practitioner in family nurse practitioner (FNP), adult-gerontological nurse practitioner, or the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) track. The post master’s certificate requires 34 credit hours for FNP and AGNP tracks and 35 credit hours for the PMHNP track. Each track is offered fully online with no on-campus requirements; however you must complete 630 hours of preceptor practice to be successful.

During fall and spring terms, courses are typically 16 weeks long. During the summer term, classes range from 8-11 weeks long.

The student-to-faculty ratio for the MSN program is 24:1. For clinical oversight, six students are assigned to one faculty member.

It typically takes two weeks following receipt of your completed application for the committee to make an admissions decision and notify you. Because this is a rolling admissions process, applications are reviewed as soon as they are received, so the sooner you apply, the sooner you will receive a notification about your admissions.

No, our MSN and Post-Master’s programs are focused on primary care nurse practitioner roles. They are not intended to prepare you for emergency room or urgent care settings, so you will need to seek an acute care nurse practitioner program for those career goals.