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58 School of Nursingthe specialty area, emphasis is placed upon the development of clinical judgment. Inaddition to clinical experience, conferences with individual faculty advisers, group conferenceswith specialty faculty members, and courses presenting scientific data and contentrelevant to the specialty area provide opportunity for in-depth study.The required research courses in the years of specialization build upon experiencesand learning in the clinical area. The courses in nursing research and statistics aid studentsin formulating nursing questions, selecting and developing appropriate techniquesof measurement, and applying appropriate statistical techniques including computeranalysis. Through a critical review of the literature, the second-term research methodsseminar assists students in identifying problems for examination and in preparing ascholarly inquiry praxis.During the final year the student is expected to expand and consolidate knowledgeand skill in the specialty and to assume increasing independent responsibility for managementof patients and/or systems. In addition to the required curriculum, electivecourses are available in the School of Nursing, the Graduate School, and other professionalschools within the University that provide theoretical preparation in areas of educationand administration, research, advanced clinical work, or further study in relatedfields. The student prepares a program of study in consultation with a faculty adviser.All students are required to complete a scholarly inquiry praxis for the M.S.N. degree.Three options are available for students to meet academic requirements for the scholarlyinquiry praxis. They include the state of the science paper, the master’s thesis, and theresearch utilization or change project. Students choose one research adviser who has primaryresponsibility for the direction of the scholarly inquiry praxis.On completion of clinical specialties, graduates are eligible to sit for certificationthrough credentialing agencies.nursing research coursesThe nursing research courses provide core curriculum in research methods and statisticsfor all enrolled master’s students. The sequence of required courses taken during the firstyear of clinical specialization (525a/b, 529a) is designed to prepare the student to undertakea systematic investigation of a clinical problem. These required courses includeemphasis on research methods and design, analysis of data, and application of principlesin the development of a specific research plan. The scholarly inquiry praxis, which is tobe completed in the final year of specialization (721a/b), is designed to provide a learningexperience in which the student integrates knowledge of clinical management, scholarlyinquiry, and leadership in the course of identifying a researchable problem. Specificinformation on the preparation of the written component of the scholarly inquiry praxisis provided by the associate dean for academic affairs.