Nursing – Clinical Research Nursing [MSN]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

The Clinical Research Nurse Masters program is a 2-year full time program. Graduates will matriculate as a MSN prepared Clinical Research Nurse as described by the Association of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN).

Clinical research nursing is the specialized practice of professional nursing focused on maintaining equilibrium between the care of the research participant and fidelity to the research protocol. This specialty practice incorporates human subjects’ protection, care coordination, and continuity;

contribution to clinical science; clinical practice; and study management throughout various professional roles, practice settings, and clinical specialties. (IACRN, 2012).

Clinical Research Nurse graduates will be eligible to test for national certification (Association of Clinical Research Professionals [ACRP]; Society of Clinical Research Associates [SOCRA]) who can work as clinical research coordinators, project managers, research nurse managers, research associates, and program administrators. Employers may be academic medical centers, private practice research sites, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, healthcare corporations, health insurance companies, data information companies, contract research organizations, and federal agencies.

The program typically requires 2 courses per semester year-round to complete the program in two years. The program may be completed part-time over three years, requiring students to take 1-2 courses per semester year-round to complete the program.

Students must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited School of Nursing (or complete Bridge requirements if the applicant is an RN with a bachelor’s degree in another field) and be eligible for a Michigan Nursing License.

Program Admission

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

This program is available in-person and online. The University takes 2-3 weeks to make admission decisions. Therefore, the response time from the School of Nursing may be longer depending on the submission date and application deadlines. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the program director if you have not received any response within 2-3 weeks from application submission.

Online Education Eligibility

The U.S. Federal Government limits the number of online courses international students may enroll in while living in the United States. For this reason, we cannot admit students on F1 or J1 VISAs to fully online programs. Please checkwith International Admissions to confirm eligibility before applying.
All applicants, please review Online Education for Out-of-State Students to confirm your eligibility to enroll in an online program based in Michigan.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.

Possess a BSN degree (Applicants holding an RN license with a bachelor’s in another discipline may apply for conditional admission).
Have at least a cumulative 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) college GPA. (Applicants may seek conditional admission with a GPA of 2.75).
Have a current unrestricted license to practice as a professional registered nurse in the US or eligibility to obtain a Michigan license.

Have completed an approved basic statistics course that includes descriptive and inferential statistics within the last ten years.
Have completed a basic health assessment course.
Have completed an undergraduate community health nursing course and clinical (or equivalent) from an accredited university. RNs with a Bachelor’s in a discipline other than nursing must either complete the Community Health Nursing courses (NURS 4 5 0 and NURS 4 51) or complete the Community Health ATI Examination to demonstrate equivalency.
A telephone or in-person interview may be a part of the admission process

Additionally, the following documents are required and must be submitted with the application.

Current licensure as a registered nurse in the state in which practice will occur (Applicants who are eligible for a license may apply for conditional admission)
Resume or Curriculum Vitae
A two to three-page (500 words maximum) personal statement that describes your goals as a Clinical Research Nurse. The personal statement should show that you understand the role of a Clinical Research Nurse and that your goals fit your chosen program. It is most effective when you have researched the program and the scope of practice of your area of interest before writing your statement. The personal statement is evaluated based on your understanding of the role of the Nurse Educator, your fit with our program, and your ability to express yourself clearly and professionally.
Two (2) professional references who can document competence in nursing practice and the potential for success in a graduate program of study.

Application

Your application will be submitted using, NursingCAS a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate appli- cation.

2025-2026 Application

Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously at- tended institutions.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions

School Information

School of Nursing, Marshall 311, 734-487-2310, chhs_nursing@emich.edu

Dr. Kim Lindquist, PhD, RN, CNE, Interim Director of Nursing/Director of Nursing Operations

Advisor Information

Dejuana Jackson, Associate Director of Graduate Nursing Studies, 311 Marshall, 734.487.2279

Vicki Washington, Associate Director for Online Nursing Studies, 360 Marshall, 734.487.7671

Degree Requirements: 35 hours

Core Courses: 18 hours

Clinical Research Core: 17 hours

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.

In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.