Nursing
Saint Xavier University College of Nursing, Health Sciences and Business offers an accredited graduate nursing program leading to a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.
The goals of the graduate nursing program are to:
- Prepare registered professional nurses to meet current and future health care needs of populations through advanced nursing practice and transformative leadership, grounded in Mercy values.
- Provide a foundation for research or practice-focused doctoral study in nursing.
The MSN program outcomes are to:
- Synthesize knowledge from other disciplines with nursing theory, research and policy to improve health care delivery and outcomes.
- Assume leadership in designing, providing, and coordinating comprehensive care in complex and varied settings.
- Lead initiatives to improve quality, safety, and communication in managing and providing health care.
- Translate evidence into practice to improve patient and population outcomes.
- Evaluate care outcomes through aggregate data analysis and appropriate application of informatics and health care technologies.
- Advocate for patients/populations, the professional, and health-promoting policies across the health care continuum.
- Apply professional standards within a framework of ethical decision-making and an awareness of personal and professional values and beliefs.
- Practice in collaborative and interdependent relationships with diverse patients, populations, and colleagues across a variety of health care settings.
- Design patient/populations-centered and culturally responsive strategies in the delivery of clinical prevention and health promotion services.
- Engage in professional behaviors that promote lifelong learning and accountability for practice while serving as a role model.
The graduate program offers tracks in:
Three Post-Master's Certificates are available:
- Clinical Leader: This certificate enables a nurse who already has earned a master's degree in nursing to become prepared as a clinical nurse leader and sit for the national CNL certification.
- Family Nurse Practitioner: This certificate enables a nurse who already has earned a master's degree in nursing to become prepared as a family nurse practitioner and sit for the national FNP certification exam.
- Nurse Educator: This certificate provides an opportunity for a nurse with a master's degree to specialize in nursing education and sit for the CNE exam.
All graduate nursing tracks are offered in an online format.
The master's degree program in nursing at Saint Xavier University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Speech-Language Pathology
The Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) program provides a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology. The program includes academic and clinical preparation that meets the requirements of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, the requirements for Illinois State Licensure to practice as a speech-language pathologist, and the requirements for a Professional Educator License endorsed in Speech-Language Pathology Non-Teaching to work as a speech-language pathologist in Illinois public schools.
Exercise Science
The College of Nursing, Health Sciences and Business also offers a Master of Science in Exercise Science (MSES). The Master of Science in Exercise Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning is designed for individuals with a bachelor's degree in science or a health care-related field interested in advancing their knowledge within their discipline. The program is grounded in evidence-based practice, decision-making, and leadership across health care and wellness settings; the curriculum is designed to increase and expand the knowledge needed for 21st-century health care.
Goals and objectives of the graduate exercise science program are:
Goal 1: Engage in a transformative leadership practice to promote health and wellness across the lifespan.
- Objective 1: Effectively design programs for athletes, the general population, the military, and post-rehabilitation using current research and evidence-based techniques.
- Objective 2: Demonstrate appropriate evaluation methods for program design of strength and conditioning protocols.
Goal 2: Utilize critical appraisal techniques to develop an evidence-based practice approach in decision-making.
- Objective 1: Use critical thinking skills to identify and prescribe recovery and regeneration techniques for both the athlete and non-athlete.
- Objective 2: Demonstrate an evidence-based approach to practice, using both quantitative and qualitative research.
- Objective 3: Appraise current literature and apply evidence in the health and science fields to selected practice settings.
- Objective 4: Apply ethical principles in decision-making in health science practice.
The College of Nursing, Health Sciences and Business reserves the right to amend policies, procedures and other program information as necessary. All changes will be communicated promptly.