The mission of Boston College William F. Connell School of
Nursing is to prepare professional nurses whose practice reflects
a humanistic ethic and is scientifically based, technically
competent and highly compassionate. The Boston College nurse
learns to think critically and to develop leadership skills
throughout the baccalaureate, master and doctoral programs. The
school aims to develop and disseminate knowledge for the
advancement of professional practice and the improvement of
health care by providing an environment that supports the
personal development and scholarship of its faculty and students.
The Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing includes
liberal arts, physical and social sciences and nursing courses.
The curriculum is designed to develop a student's diagnostic,
therapeutic and ethical reasoning in nursing practice. The
graduate is prepared as a generalist able to care for individuals
and groups at each developmental level and in varied health care
settings.
The program of study is approved by the Massachusetts Board of
Registration in Nursing and accredited by the Commission on
Collegiate Nursing Education.
Master of Science in Nursing
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The master's program is offered on a full- or part-time basis in
most cases. The majority of the core courses are offered twice a
year; some are offered in the summer. Some classes are scheduled
in the late afternoon or evening, with several courses available
on a single day of the week to meet the tight scheduling needs of
adult learners.
Core courses cover subjects related to advanced practice nursing
regardless of specialty area. Clinical specialty courses provide
in-depth knowledge about specific patient populations and
clinical practice in the management of their health care needs.
Specialties offered:
- Adult Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Community Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Gerontological Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
Certified Nurse Anesthetist Program
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The program in Nurse Anesthesia prepares registered nurses who
possess a baccalaureate degree in nursing and a minimum of one
year of critical care experience for the advanced practice role
of nurse anesthetist. The full-time curriculum provides students
with core and specialty theory courses and a structured practicum
and residency, all of which follows the standards of the Council
on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.
Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national
certification examination to become Certified Registered Nurse
Anesthetists.
Additional Specialty Concentration
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Advanced practice nurses who already hold a master's degree in
one specialty area of practice who wish to be prepared in an
additional specialty are eligible for the Additional Specialty
Certificate program. Plans of study are individually developed
based on students' previous course work. Students may sit for
certification examinations in any of the specialties offered at
the school.
Post-Master's Teaching Certificate Program
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The Post-Masters Teaching Certificate is a series of three
courses that are available to nurses with Master's degrees
in nursing who wish to have further academic preparation for
teaching nursing in schools of nursing or as clinical educators
in the clinical practice area.
Joint Degrees
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MS/MBA
The School of Nursing and the Wallace. E. Carroll Graduate
School of Management offer a joint degree program leading to
two separate graduate degrees, an MS in Nursing and an MBA.
This program prepares students for advanced nursing practice
while providing the management and financial skills required to
lead in the strategic planning and financial decision making of
health care organizations.
MS/MA in Pastoral Studies
The School of Nursing and the Institute of Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry offer a joint degree program leading to
two separate graduate degrees, a MS in Nursing, and a MA in
Pastoral Ministry. This program prepares students for advanced
nursing practice while providing ministry skills useful in a
variety of pastoral settings such as religious congregations
and health care institutions.
PhD in Nursing
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The curriculum of the PhD program includes three core areas of
study: knowledge development in nursing, research methods and
substantive nursing content. Students apply core content to a
selected research concentration. The curriculum includes courses
in philosophy of science, epistemology of nursing and strategies
for developing nursing knowledge. Research expertise is developed
through courses in qualitative and quantitative research methods,
statistics, clinical research topics, a series of research
practica and dissertation advisement.
Diversity at Boston College
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We seek to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere in
academics as well as in other areas of our student's lives.
Faculty and students practice, conduct research and promote
service to under served populations. Boston College has a number
of resources dedicated to maintain a diverse learning community
including student clubs supportive of social justice, programs
offering support to African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native
American undergraduate students, a women's resource center,
the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee and the Institute for the
Study and Promotion of Race and Culture. Please inquire about our
services offered through our AHANA program!
