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UIC - University of Illinois at ChicagoCollege of Nursing
 
   
 

Master's (MS) & Post-Master's: About the Programs

Traditional MS

UIC’s Master of Science (MS) degree in nursing builds upon your skills and education to transform you into a highly skilled, competent advanced practice nurse (APN), a nurse leader in administration or a community leader. The program emphasizes vulnerable populations, evidence-based practice, and scholarly activity.

There are two ways to enter the MS program. Students who have a BSN degree are able to apply directly to the MS program. Students who have a RN license and a baccalaureate degree in another field need to complete three transitional courses prior to starting the MS degree.

Each one of the MS specialties are available at all of our campuses: Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, Urbana and Quad Cities.

Programs can be completed on a part-time or full time basis and offer flexible scheduling. Most of the MS programs can be completed within 2-4 years depending on a student's part-time or full-time status. Many courses are offered online or in a blended format (combination of online and in person). In addition, many courses are videoconferenced to/from our regional sites. At this time, none of the MS programs are offered in a true distance format. Students do need to be available at one of the sites for some coursework (Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, Urbana, Quad Cities)

Post-Master’s

Post-master’s study is for students with a master’s degree in nursing who want to advance their knowledge within one of the specialty areas listed below. Post-master’s study prepares you to sit for the certification exam in the selected area. Length of program can vary depending on your past education.

Advanced Practice Specialty Areas

UIC offers a variety of specialty options that are part of three departments:

Maternal Child Nursing (MCN)

Medical Surgical Nursing (MSN)

Public Health Mental Health and Administrative Nursing (PMA)

The following options are available. Most specialties fall into the category of Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). Program requirements and descriptions can be found here:

Specialty Dept. MS or Postmaster's(PM)
Acute Care CNS MSN MS or PM
Acute Care NP MSN MS or PM
Adult NP MSN MS or PM
Adult/Geriatric NP MSN MS or PM
Geriatric CNS MSN MS or PM
Geriatric NP MSN MS or PM
Family NP PMA MS or PM
Mental Health CNS PMA MS or PM
Mental Health NP PMA MS or PM
Occupational Health CNS PMA MS or PM
Occupational Health NP PMA MS or PM
School Nurse Specialist PMA MS
School Nurse Practitioner PMA MS
Pediatric NP MCN MS or PM
Pediatric CNS MCN MS or PM
Perinatal CNS MCN MS
Nurse Midwifery MCN MS or PM
Women's Health NP MCN MS or PM
Adminstrative Leadership (can be comibined with MBA or Health Informatics for a dual degree) PMA MS or dual degree option
Advanced Community Health Nurse (Can be combined with MPH for a dual degree) PMA MS or dual degree option