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Academic ProgramsPaula Milone-Nuzzo,Associate Dean for AcademicAffairs and Chairperson,Master’s ProgramThe Yale School of Nursing has always been committed tothe confluence of research, practice, and education. The facultybelieves in practicing what it teaches, and teaching whatit practices. As a result, students work alongside clinicallyactive faculty members, senior nurse researchers, andexperts in health care policy. The array of faculty expertise isvital to the accomplishment of the School’s mission and curriculargoals. This approach is unique among programs ingraduate education in nursing.The Yale School of Nursing is a vibrant, exhilarating, andrigorous place to study nursing at the graduate level. Studentsfrom diverse backgrounds meet in an environmentthat nurtures an appreciation for high standards and the pursuitof excellence in nursing practice.The School offers a master’s program with nurse practitioner,clinical nurse specialist, and nurse-midwifery specialties.Students may enter the master’s program with or without previous education innursing. The Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) is designed to providegraduate-level nursing education for those who hold baccalaureate degrees, but whohave no previous nursing education. The GEPN is three years in length. Students whocurrently hold a license as a registered nurse can complete their master’s education in twoyears. For further information see Clinical Specialties. An Articulated M.S.N./D.N.Sc.option allowing a student to meet the requirements of both master’s and doctoral programssimultaneously is available. This option is open to students who wish to combinea career in clinical practice and research. For more information see page 56.Post master’s certification is available in six areas: acute care nurse practitioner,adult nurse practitioner, gerontological nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse practitioner,oncology nurse practitioner, and psychiatric–mental health. Application and curricularspecifics for each offering are found on pages 71–74.The Doctor of Nursing Science Program was launched in 1994. The program’s majorgoal is to prepare expert nurse scholars in understanding health care issues and deliverywhile advancing the development of nursing knowledge. At the completion of the program,students are expected to be able to design and conduct research relevant to nursingpractice; extend the theoretical base of nursing through empirical investigation ofnursing phenomena; test conceptual models and theories that are derived from theknowledge of nursing and related disciplines; assume leadership roles in the professionand in the larger health care system; and disseminate knowledge generated by independent,collaborative, and multidisciplinary research efforts. The doctoral program can becompleted in four to five years of full-time study. A full description of the program canbe found on pages 77–81.