Hawaii Pacific University
Nursing
Honolulu, HI 96813
Overview
Hawai`i Pacific University is the largest private postsecondary institution in the state of
University enrollment currently stands at nearly 9,000, including more than 1,200 graduate students. All fifty states and more than 100 countries are represented.
The Community
The University has three campuses linked by shuttle. Hawai‘i Pacific combines the excitement of an urban, downtown campus with the serenity of the windward side of the island. The main campus is located in downtown
Programs of study and degree requirements
Hawai`i Pacific University's Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree program is designed to prepare students to assume enhanced roles in community-based care as advanced practice nurses. With three concentrations, community clinical nurse specialist (CNS), community clinical nurse specialist educator option, or family nurse practitioner (FNP), students learn contemporary approaches for delivering cost-effective, qualitative health care, especially to chronically underserved populations such as the poor, elderly, and those in multiethnic communities. The program focuses on those skills needed by nurses to succeed in the changing health-care environment: enhanced critical-thinking, assessment, problem-solving, and communication skills.
The nursing program’s RN-M.S.N. pathway allows registered nurses without baccalaureate degrees in nursing to transition into the M.S.N. program. Students entering the RN-M.S.N. pathway are granted provisional admission status until all prerequisites have been completed. Students who successfully complete the 5 RN to MSN pathway courses can proceed directly into the M.S.N. program.
Hawai`i Pacific University also offers the joint Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Business Administration program to complement a nurse's clinical skills with a solid business foundation. The joint program focuses on skills needed by both health-care and business leaders: analytical reasoning, leadership, and effective communication.
Forty-two credits are required to complete the M.S.N with a clinical nurse specialist concentration and forty-eight credits to complete both the M.S.N. with clinical nurse specialist educator option and the family nurse practitioner.
A post master’s family nurse practitioner certificate is another offering from the Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program at HPU. This certificate allows nurses with a master’s degree in nursing from a school accredited by one of the nursing organizations to retool into a family nurse practitioner without completing another master’s degree.
The registered nurse may also pursue a nurse educator certificate. This certificate prepares registered nurses to perform efficiently as Advanced Practice Nurse Educators within the health care community or as nursing faculty. Registered nurses may earn a nurse educator certificate by taking five graduate level courses designed to provide a strong theoretical and practical application foundation.
Facilities & Resources
To support graduate studies, Hawai’i Pacific University’s two libraries – Meader Library, located on the downtown campus; and Atherton Library, located on the windward Hawai’i Loa Campus have combined holdings in excess of 153,000 volumes, and add an average of 2,500 volumes annually. Periodical titles number more than 1,700, and 205,000 pieces of microfiche and 5,300 rolls of microfilm are maintained. Dial-up access to local area databases of public and state university library catalogs, legislative information, and business-oriented statistical data is available in the library. More than 500 CD-ROM titles and educational software programs in every subject including other in-house, business-related, and commercially vendored databases support specialized information needs. The University's accessible on-campus computer center houses more than 100 IBM-compatible microcomputers with stand-alone and networked configurations that support the graduate programs’ integrated computer applications approach.
Expenses and Aid
For the academic year, graduate tuition is $760 per credit hour, with RN-M.S.N. pathway tuition at $475 per credit hour. Including tuition, books, housing, food, health insurance, and miscellaneous expenses, the cost of living for a typical single student for two semesters (nine months) is approximately $28,840.
Housing
The University has on-campus residence halls, off-campus housing for graduate students and an apartment referral service.
Financial Aid
The University participates in all federal financial aid programs designated for graduate students. These programs provide aid in the form of subsidized (need-based) and unsubsidized (non-need-based) Federal Stafford Student Loans. Through these loans, funds may be available to cover the student's entire cost of education. To apply for aid, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1. Mailing of student award letters usually begins in April. The University also offers several institutional scholarships and assistantships.
How to Apply / Application
Hawai`i Pacific University seeks students with academic promise, outstanding career potential, and high motivation. Applicants should complete and forward a graduate admissions application form, a $50 (U.S.) nonrefundable application fee, have official transcripts sent from all colleges or universities attended, and submit two original and current letters of recommendation (one from a professional associate, preferably with a graduate degree, and one from an immediate supervisor detailing the applicant's clinical performance). Applicants should also submit two essays, a resume, and a current license as a registered nurse in the state of Hawai`i. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis, and applicants are notified one to two weeks after all documents have been submitted. Applicants to Hawai`i Pacific University's graduate program are encouraged to submit applications online at the Web address below.
Who to contact
Graduate Admissions
Hawai`i Pacific University
808-544-1135
866-GRAD-HPU (toll free)
Fax: 808-544-0280
E-mail: graduate@hpu.edu
The Faculty
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• Patricia Burrell, Ph.D., RN,
• ReNel Davis, Ph.D., RN. Elder health, community health, transcultural health, service learning.
• Hobie Feagai, Ed.D., M.S.N., RN, APRN,
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• Patricia Lange-Otsuka, Ed.D., M.S.N.,
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