Boston College - William F. Connell School of Nursing

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.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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

  Back to top

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!

Information

If you are interested in this school and would like to find out more, please Request Information from Boston College.

For more information, visit the home page of Boston College - William F. Connell School of Nursing.