Department of Graduate Nursing

Mary Minton, Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing
Department of Graduate Nursing
Wagner Hall 217, Box 2275
605-688-4114

Faculty

Professors

Lori Hendrickx, Polly Hulme, Mary Anne Krogh

Associate Professors

Linda Burdette, Paula Carson, Cynthia Elverson, Leann Horsley, Mary Isaacson, Cristina Lammers, Heidi Mennenga, Mary Minton, Thomas Stenvig, Melinda Tinkle, Jo Voss

Clinical Associate Professor

Mary Kay Nissen

Assistant Professors

Alham Abuatiq, Victoria Britson, Robin Brown, Karin Emery, Christina Plemmons

Clinical Assistant Professors

Robin Arends, Nicole Gibson, Brandi Pravecek

Instructors

Janice Conlee, LeAnn Lamb

Emeritus

Margaret Hegge, Barbara Hobbs, Kay Foland, Sharon Hofland, Martha Iken, MaryLou Mylant, Coral Joffer, Roberta Olson, Lois Tschetter

Overview

Graduate nursing education is crucial for role preparation in advanced practice, nursing education, nursing administration, nursing leadership, and research. Collectively, these roles meet the growing needs of the healthcare and academic settings. The Department of Graduate Nursing offers a variety of degrees, specializations, and curriculum plans.

Students can earn a Master’s of Science (M.S.) degree in four specializations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator, and Clinical Nurse Leader.

For students with a previous Master’s degree, four post-graduate certificate options are available: Clinical Nurse Leader, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Graduate options continue in the doctoral programs. The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree will prepare Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to bring a transformative level of care and leadership to primary care settings in rural and underserved communities. Students can earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) with the specialty area of a Family Nurse Practitioner. Students may enter these programs with either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in nursing.

Established in 2005, the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing prepares nurse scientists to assume roles as healthcare researchers, faculty, and healthcare administrators with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention in underserved and rural populations. The Ph.D. program educates nurse scientists in academic, research, practice, and policy roles to address healthcare issues in urban, rural, frontier, and reservation areas.

Programs

Master’s Degrees*

Nursing (M.S.) - Clinical Nurse Leader Specialization
Nursing (M.S.) - Family Nurse Practitioner Specialization
Nursing (M.S.) - Nurse Administrator Specialization
Nursing (M.S.) - Nurse Educator Specialization

Doctoral Degrees*

Nursing (Ph.D.)

Professional Doctoral Degrees*

Nursing (D.N.P.) (Post Master’s to D.N.P. - NPs, CRNAs, CNSs, and CNMs)
Nursing (D.N.P.) - Family Nurse Practitioner Specialization (Post Master’s to D.N.P.)
Nursing (D.N.P.) - Family Nurse Practitioner Specialization (B.S. to D.N.P.)

Certificates*

Post-Graduate Clinical Nurse Leader Certificate
Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Post-Graduate Nurse Educator Certificate
Post-Graduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate

* Graduate degrees are offered in collaboration with the Graduate School. For details, see the Graduate Catalog.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master’s degree in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice and APRN certificate programs at South Dakota State University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Facilities & Services

The College of Nursing has state of the art Simulation Labs that enables educators to enhance the quality and delivery of rural nursing education. Simulation provides an opportunity for nursing students to practice nursing care with a variety of patients and patient scenarios. The high-technology simulation setting allows students practice in the areas of electronic health records, informatics, and tele-health.