SUNY Stony Brook University Online NP Programs

What to Expect from the SUNY Stony Brook University Online MSN and Certificate Programs

Admission Requirements: SUNY Stony Brook University’s nursing programs offer admission to many students. Applicants eligible for admission consideration include existing nurses, individuals holding a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, individuals who already hold a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in nursing, international students, active military personnel, veterans and more.

Nursing professionals with a BSN must submit a completed application, a current curriculum vitae/resume, and three online letters of recommendation. They must demonstrate they hold a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from an accredited nursing program in which they maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 as documented on required unofficial transcripts, and prove they have a current unencumbered RN license for their state of clinical practice. Applicants must also have a three-credit undergraduate course in health assessment, and a three-credit undergraduate course in statistics. 

It is also preferred that applicants have at least one year of recent relevant experience. Post-graduate certificate program students must hold at least an MSN and also submit a personal essay as part of their application.

Applicants with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree must submit a clinical practice portfolio. This portfolio will be used to evaluate the nursing competencies expected of baccalaureate-level trained nurses. Applicants must pay a $300 non-refundable fee for the evaluation of their portfolio. A portfolio deemed insufficient to meet academic standards results in denial of an admission offer.

Applicants should take note they will be required to fulfill additional requirements after being offered admission. Details on these requirements can be found on the SUNY Stonybrook University nursing program website. The Stony Brook University School of Nursing reserves the right to change admission and program criteria to meet accreditation, regulatory and registration requirements.

State Restrictions: The SUNY Stonybrook nursing programs are open to a variety of students. Activity duty military personnel, veterans and their affiliated family members should direct questions about resources specific to their circumstances to the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services. 

International applicants must have their transcripts from foreign institutions evaluated by a NACES-accredited evaluation service. An example of such a service provider is World Education Services. International students whose native or primary language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. Students who are US permanent residents but completed degrees outside the USA and whose native or primary language is not English may request proficiency test exemptions. Information regarding what may qualify as an exemption may be found by contacting the Graduate Admissions Office. Exemption requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Study Plan: SUNY Stony Brook University’s MSN programs all require the completion of 45 credit-hours. Certificate programs are a smaller time commitment. Clinical placements are identified and secured with the assistance of the Office of Clinical Placements. Applicants should contact the university directly for information on degree study maps, estimated duration of program and other important topics.

MSN Curriculum: All students, regardless of specialization, must complete 45 credit hours of coursework consisting of core, research, pharmacology, pathophysiology, health assessment, and clinical practicum courses. Core and research courses across all specializations are as follows: organizational leadership and role transformation; quality improvement, safety, and healthcare technologies; healthcare policy and advocacy; nursing research & evidence-based practice I; nursing research & evidence-based practice II. 

Pharmacology, pathophysiology and health assessment coursework typically provide knowledge and training relevant to the particular patient population the corresponding specialization primarily works with. Finally, all specializations require completion of a series of practicum courses again focused on providing training relevant to the particular patient population(s) that specialist will focus on.

Primary skills all MSN program students will develop include the ability to promote, maintain, supervise and restore mental health, identify health risks, and assess, diagnose, and manage mental health issues. Regardless of specialization many nurses will often be called upon to ‘wear multiple hats’ by performing roles including educator, leader, consultant, advocate, and change agent. Below appears a brief listing of the specializations with descriptions of their area of focus. Graduates of all MSN programs have the knowledge and skills necessary to take the national certification exam corresponding to their specialization.

AGACNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses to offer advanced practice nursing care to young adults, older adults, and frail elderly with complex acute and/or chronic health conditions and to develop solutions for such care at multiple system levels.

AGPCNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses to become expert providers of primary healthcare to young adults, adults, older adults and their families within various care settings.

FNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses to become expert providers of primary healthcare to individuals across the lifespan in various healthcare settings. The actual duties an FNP will commonly fulfill are similar to the adult gerontology specializations. The major difference is that FNPs have particular training in caring for family systems. 

Nurse-Midwifery Specialization: This program prepares nurses to provide expert care to women across the lifespan. Midwives provide individualized care to women and their newborns and collaborate with other professionals to facilitate such care. Midwives typically work in settings featuring normal births as opposed to complicated or high-risk pregnancy situations. 

NNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses to become expert healthcare providers for newborn children (neonates) and their families.

PACNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses to practice as advanced practice nurses in support of pediatric patients experiencing acute, critical, and/or complex chronic health conditions. PACNPs are also trained to develop patient care solutions at multiple system levels.

PPCNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses to provide primary healthcare to children and their families. Unlike PACNPs, PPCNPs generally provide primary care to patients for concerns commonly seen in primary care settings.

PMHNP Specialization: This program prepares nurses as expert providers of care to patients with psychiatric or psychosocial issues.

Certificate Program Curriculum: As previously noted, SUNY Stonybrook offers post-graduate certificates in all eight specializations offered within the MSN program. Completing such a certificate is a smaller time and financial commitment than the degree program. The credits necessary to earn an advanced certificate align with state and national requirements for certification. Students complete anywhere between 11 and 25 credits to earn their certificate. 

However, a student may be required to take additional credits upon the recommendation of the faculty. Certificate programs also prepare students for national certification exams in their respective specializations.

Online Experience: In recognition of the busy lives many nursing professionals have and the challenges many nurses confront in advancing their education, SUNY Stony Brook University uses a distance education model. All nursing students, onsite and distance, will have several courses available primarily by computer. Each student entering the School, onsite and distance-based, must have access to a Windows-based or Macintosh-based computer. Maintenance of this computer will be the student’s responsibility. Details of the technology requirements each student must fulfill are available online.

On-Site Requirements: Though students will complete most of their nursing training online, all students must complete a clinical placement in person. Students receive assistance from the Office of Clinical Placements for this part of their degree program. The Office of Clinical Placements facilitates processing clinical placement requests and contracts for clinical affiliations within the baccalaureate, master’s, advanced certificate, and DNP nursing programs. The office works with faculty to secure clinical placement sites for students. Critical to the placement process is creating a clinical affiliation agreement and clinical contract to be executed between SUNY and the clinical site.