Master of Nursing
Program Overview
The MN program is designed to prepare advanced practice nurses to provide professional leadership in their chosen advanced practice field. The MN program has three different fields of study: Clinical Nursing, Health Systems Leadership and Administration (HSLA) and Nurse Practitioner. Students choose one of the three fields of study and are admitted into one field. Once enrolled in a field of study, students are not permitted to switch between them.
All three fields of study must be completed on a full-time basis. The usual MN program length is 2 years over 6 semesters.
The Program is designed to provide students with the skills and competencies required for advanced practice nurses. The Program provides a) opportunities to effectively implement in practice, a broad range of theoretical and research evidence relevant to nursing, b) a learning environment that reflects the research-intensive university, and c) an education that is responsive to a breadth of ideas and the complexities of caring for highly diverse populations within a variety of political, socioeconomic, and health care systems.
For additional details, please see the SGS Calendar.
Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Program Objectives (PO)s describe the general competencies expected of degree holders, while Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)s focus on what students are expected to know and do in relation to a program of study. The POs and PLOs of the MN program reflect both the wide range of competencies that graduates need to meet across the three fields and the complexities of advanced practice nursing. As a result, our POs and PLOs have been thoughtfully aligned with both the broader professional standards of advanced practice in Canada, in particular the Canadian Nurses Association (2019) framework, and the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous Reconciliation. In addition, the POs and PLOs of the MN program are aligned with the University of Toronto’s Graduate Degree Level Expectations.
Program Objectives
The MN program prepares graduates who are able to:
- Formulate a complex understanding of current and anticipated health trends.
- Develop into healthcare leaders who utilize critical thinking and multiple forms of knowledge to create and work towards a strong vision for nursing and healthcare.
- Play an active role in formulating, translating, and disseminating new knowledge.
- Initiate and lead systems-level innovations in practice, policy, research, scholarship, and education that produce positive impacts.
- Enact ethical leadership across client, organizational, and disciplinary levels.
- Develop a professional identity that is committed to life-long learning, growth, and responsiveness to rapid changes in healthcare.
- Engage, lead, and collaborate with multiple collaborators in healthcare and beyond to foster positive partnerships.
- Implement the awareness and practice of social justice, inclusion, and anti-oppression for equity deserving groups.
Learning Outcomes
MN Program supports students to be able to:
1. Draw on the empirical, historical, philosophical, theoretical, and socio-political foundations of nursing knowledge to advance critical thought about health and healthcare.
2. Understand and integrate a complex understanding of multiple forms of evidence in clinical, organizational, and health system level decision making.
3. Critically appraise, evaluate, synthesize, and utilize current research and other relevant forms of knowledge to inform advanced practice. 4. Initiate and lead scholarly inquiry into gaps in care and other barriers to health at the micro, meso, and macro level.
5. Develop expertise in knowledge translation to facilitate the application of relevant evidence to clinical practice, program development, policy, and leadership.
6. Utilize theories of leadership, management, negotiation, and conflict resolution to lead individuals, teams, and organizations towards positive change.
7. Fully participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy, standards of care, guidelines, and programs to improve the quality of nursing and health care.
8. Facilitate evidence-informed practice by acting as educators and knowledge brokers for clients, nurses, other healthcare providers, and other collaborators.
9. Develop a strong foundation in advanced clinical practice, including diagnosis, assessment, diagnostics, intervention, and safe prescribing
10. Identify and critically reflect on ethical issues in advanced practice, leadership, and research, and enact appropriate strategies to navigate these issues through education, practice, and policy.
11. Exercise autonomy, accountability, integrity, justice, and relationality as a clinical, team, and/or organizational leader.
12. Communicate logically, coherently, with a sustained argument, and using a synthesis of knowledge and/or research findings in writing, speaking, and presenting.
13. Articulate and advocate for nursing knowledge and perspectives in interprofessional and intersectoral collaborations.
14. Identify sources of injustice, structural inequality, marginalization, and oppression, and enact strategies to address their impact on people, groups, and communities.
15. Appreciate the limitations of professional knowledge and practice and draw on other perspectives and client centered approaches to care.
16. Understand the historical and ongoing effects of colonialism and settlement on Indigenous Peoples and incorporate Indigenous knowledges and perspectives in direct practice and health systems design.
Learning Format for Fields of Study
The learning format for each field of study is unique.
| Field of Study | Learning Format |
| Clinical Nursing | Normally offered IN-CLASS only. Requires two mandatory in-person on-campus events/residency periods: 1. Orientation, Start of Fall Semester 2. Year 2, End of Summer Semester |
| Health Systems Leadership and Administration | Offered primarily ONLINE* but requires three mandatory in-person on-campus events/residency periods: 1. Orientation, Start of Fall Semester 2. Year 1, End of Winter Semester 3. Year 2, End of Summer Semester |
| Nurse Practitioner | Offered primarily ONLINE* but requires three mandatory in-person on-campus residency periods: 1. Year 1, Start of Fall Semester 2. Year 1, Start of Summer Semester 3. Year 2, End of Summer Semester |
* Online courses are primarily delivered asynchronously with students able to complete activities on their own schedule, however, some activities will be completed synchronously with students required to attend online at specific times. Dates and times for synchronous activities will be shared with students as early as possible to facilitate attendance.
Program Requirements
Students in the Clinical and HSLA fields of the Master of Nursing program are required to complete a total of five (5) full course equivalents (FCE) (9 individual courses). Students in the Nurse Practitioner field of the Master of Nursing program are required to complete a total of five and one-half (5.5) FCE (10 individual courses). Some courses include an in-person residency and/or clinical practicum hours as detailed below. The MN program is normally completed within two years of full-time study over six consecutive terms. Please consult the SGS website for policies regarding maximum length of time for degree completion, requesting extensions, etc. Courses and the associated practicum hours and residency attendance for each field are detailed below. Course descriptions for each course are included in Appendix A.
For courses with a practicum component, the evaluation of practicum performance is on a “Pass/Fail” basis. In order to pass the course, the student must successfully pass both the academic and practicum components.
Field: Clinical Nursing
To qualify for the degree, students shall complete a program of study outlined by the Graduate Department of Nursing Science.
Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 6 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS-FWS)
Time Limit: 3 years full-time
Coursework: The MN program requires 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
| Code | Course Title | Content Delivery/Activities (hrs/wk) | Practicum Hours | Residency | Course Weight** |
| Year I | |||||
| NUR1170H | Introduction to Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 | 30 to 40 | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1176H | History of Ideas in Nursing Practice: Clinical | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1174H | Research Design, Appraisal, and Utilization: Clinical | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| Elective Field of Study Course* | Varies | – | – | 0.5 | |
| NUR1171H | Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| Year II | |||||
| NUR1175H | Introduction to Qualitative Research: Methodologies, Appraisal, and Knowledge Translation: Clinical | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| Elective Field of Study Course* | Varies | – | – | 0.5 | |
| NUR1177H | Program Planning and Evaluation in Nursing: Clinical | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1179Y | Advanced Nursing Practice Scholarship: Clinical | 3 | 160 | Two day; In-person | 1.0 |
*One of these two field of study courses may be selected from outside Bloomberg Nursing.
Field: Health Systems Leadership and Administration
To qualify for the degree, students shall complete a program of study outlined by the Graduate Department of Nursing Science.
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Program Length: 6 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS-FWS)
Time Limit: 3 years full-time
Courses are prescribed and normally students progress through the program within a defined student cohort.
Coursework. The MN program requires 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) including:
| Code | Course Title | Content Delivery/Activities (hrs/wk) | Practicum Hours | Residency | Course Weight** |
| Year I | |||||
| NUR1156H | History of Ideas in Nursing Practice: Health Systems Leadership and Administration | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1027H | Integrated Approaches to Research Appraisal and Utilization Part 1 | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1151H | Theories and Concepts in Nursing Leadership and Administration | 3 | – | Two day; In-person | 0.5 |
| NUR1127H | Integrated Approaches to Research Appraisal and Utilization Part 2 | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1152H | Leading and Managing Effective Health Care Teams | 3 | 30 to 40 | – | 0.5 |
| Year II | |||||
| NUR1016H | Health Systems, Policy, and the Profession | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1161H | Advanced Concepts in Leadership and Administration | Varies | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1157H | Program Planning and Evaluation in Nursing: Health Systems Leadership and Administration | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1169Y | Advanced Nursing Practice Scholarship: Health Systems Leadership and Administration | 3 | 160 | Two day; In-Person | 1.0 |
Field: Nurse Practitioner
To qualify for the degree, students shall complete a program of study outlined by the Graduate Department of Nursing Science.
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Program Length: 6 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS-FWS)
Time Limit: 3 years full-time
Coursework: Students must successfully complete a total of 5.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
| Code | Course Title | Content Delivery/Activities (2/wk) | Practicum Hours | Residency | Course Weight** |
| Year I | |||||
| NUR1401H | Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics 1 | 3 | – | Three day; Hybrid | 0.5 |
| NUR1094H | Research Design, Appraisal, and Utilization: Nurse Practitioner | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1402H | Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics 2 | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1095H | Introduction to Qualitative Research: Methodologies, Appraisal, and Knowledge Translation: Nurse Practitioner | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1403H | Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning | 3 | 75 | – | 0.5 |
| Year II | |||||
| NUR1404H | Advanced Health Assessment and Therapeutic Management 1 | 3 | 250 | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1138H | Global Health Topics for Nurse Practitioners | Varies | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1405H | Advanced Health Assessment and Therapeutic Management 2 | 3 | 250 | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1097H | Program Planning and Evaluation in Nursing: Nurse Practitioner | 3 | – | – | 0.5 |
| NUR1406Y | Nurse Practitioner Professional Roles, Leadership, and Responsibilities | 3 | 200 | Three Day; In-Person | 1.0 |