HEGIS Code: 1203.10 | CUNY Plan Code: COMPHNU-MS | Program Fact Sheet (PDF)

The Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing offers a 42-credit hybrid program in community/public health nursing leading to a master of science (MS) degree. This program prepares advanced public health nurses who can assume leadership roles in community and population health in a variety of settings, including community-based programs, clinics, and public health agencies.

Students learn to apply advanced knowledge and research findings to practice through coursework and 501 hours of supervised clinical practicum experience.

Course of Study

The program consists of core nursing and public health courses taken with other graduate students in nursing, specialization and clinical courses, and one elective course. The elective may be chosen from any graduate program at Hunter College.

Course descriptions are available in the graduate section of the Hunter College Course Catalog.

Nursing Core Courses (12 credits)

NURS 700    Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Science (3 cr.)

NURS 702    Advanced Nursing Research (3 cr.)

NURS 704    Healthcare Systems and Policy (3 cr.)

NURS 749    Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Diverse Populations (3 cr.)

School of Public Health Core Courses (9 credits)

PH 750        Fundamentals of Biostatistics (3 cr.)

PH 752        Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3 cr.)

PH 754        Fundamentals of Environmental Health (3 cr.)

Specialization and Clinical Practicum Courses (18 credits)

All core nursing and public health courses must be completed prior to beginning the specialization and practicum courses.

All didactic portions of the specialization and clinical practicum courses are online with the practicums being supervised and in-person.

NURS 775    Community Health Assessment (3 cr.)

NURS 771    Community/Public Health Nursing I (5 cr., 167 hrs practicum)

NURS 772    Community/Public Health Nursing II (5 cr., 167 hrs practicum)

NURS 773    Community/Public Health Nursing III (5 cr., 167 hrs practicum)

Elective (3 credits)

One elective (any graduate-level course)

How to Apply

Review our admission requirements for all nursing master's specializations. Information on the application process is available from the Office of Graduate Admissions.

The CPHN MS program reviews applications twice a year for admission in the fall (March 1 deadline) and spring (December 1 deadline) semesters.

Graduate Academic Program Outcomes

The program prepares graduates to:

1. Synthesize knowledge from nursing and arts/sciences to provide a theoretical framework for advanced practice.
2. Generate a philosophy and definition of advanced practice that emphasizes full range of health services for all members of society, affirms the worth and dignity of every human being, and demonstrates a humanistic caring approach that values diversity.
3. Collaborate with clients in managing their health-illness status through the advanced practice-nursing role.
4. Foster client participation and shared decision-making in health care and health care policy to maximize health and wellness for humans and the environment.
5. Evaluate specialized knowledge and skills needed to deliver care to clients and design programs to meet the health care needs of specific groups and communities.
6. Identify appropriate nursing science phenomena for nursing research to enhance practice.
7. Describe the nature of scientific inquiry in nursing as the basis for nursing practice.
8. Demonstrate activism, advocacy, and leadership in the health care environment and in the nursing profession.
9. Identify a nursing practice issue needing change and/or problem solving and use techniques for research utilization to translate and systematically use research findings and other credible information and data sources to facilitate evidence-based nursing practice.
10. Use the research process to systematically investigate ways to enhance nursing practice, improve delivery of health care services, and recommend innovative health policy initiatives.

For more information, please contact Dr. Judith Aponte, Community/Public Health Nursing Specialization Coordinator, at jap@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-481-7568.