School of Nursing Master's Program 
Accreditation FAQs

Yes. We have confirmed with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) that students who graduated from the master’s program in May 2019 have graduated from an accredited program.

Yes. Courses for current master’s (MSN) students will continue in fall 2019. If the review is successful, current students in the nursing master’s program will be considered to have graduated from an accredited program.

While we believe the program will in fact be accredited in spring 2020, we are prepared to facilitate the transfer of interested students to a similar nursing program elsewhere in the CSU system.

Students who choose to delay returning to the program and are in good academic standing may notify the School of Nursing. The school will allow students to reenter at the point in which they left the program.

We will, of course, explore options with any student who may request a refund for previously paid tuition and fees. The University will then make a determination based on individual circumstances.

The School of Nursing and the University are committed to supporting our students through this process. It is our hope that students will continue on in the program. However, students may also take a leave of absence or withdraw from the program.

Students pursuing these options are asked to please contact School of Nursing Chair, Dr. Sylvia Miller at symiller@csufresno.edu by Monday, July 15, 2019 regarding their decision.

Yes. The School of Nursing will retain the applications received for fall 2019 admission and all application fees will be refunded.

No. All students who applied for admission for the fall 2019 semester will not need to reapply.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) site visit for the master’s program and Post-Master’s Certificate Primary Care Nurse Practitioner - Family is scheduled for September 2019. CCNE will also review the baccalaureate program in accordance with regular accreditation and not as a result of any issues.

In addition, the CCNE will review the Certificate of Advanced Study Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner to address concerns raised in fall 2018 regarding the program’s accreditation status.

Once the site visit in September 2019 is complete, the Accreditation Review Committee will review all materials and make a recommendation to the CCNE Board of Commissioners. The CCNE Board will then make the decision at their spring 2020 meeting and notify the University. If the review is successful, current students in the nursing master’s program will be considered to have graduated from an accredited program.

We are fully committed to successfully addressing concerns noted by CCNE, and anticipate that once the program regains accreditation, students will be admitted into the program in the Fall 2020 semester.

The School of Nursing is working with nursing consultants and an assessment expert to ensure that an infrastructure is developed that will strengthen the ability for faculty to share and track information necessary, and to show evidence of continuous improvement.

The faculty in the School of Nursing believed they were accurately addressing areas of concern expressed by the CCNE. However, it is now evident that additional education and professional development are necessary to assist faculty in further developing knowledge around program review and improvement.

In addition to plans to offer additional faculty training, the chair of the School of Nursing and dean of the College of Health and Human Services will regularly attend the American Association of Colleges of Nursing meetings in an effort to obtain additional knowledge of accreditation, as well as topics such as interprofessional education, quality and safety education in nursing, and sustainability in nursing education.

All questions and concerns can be directed to Dr. Sylvia Miller, chair of the School of Nursing, at symiller@csufresno.edu.