Advising and Academic Policies

Your assigned academic advisor will help you with course planning, policy information and graduation requirements.

As a student in the College of Nursing, you’ll also want to be familiar with academic and program policies, which are available in the student handbooks (hyperlink to page).

Students must meet with their Nursing Academic Advisor each semester

Scheduling Appointments

Current UMSL nursing students may schedule an academic advising appointment with their advisor via UMSL MyConnect.

Alyssa Nelson
Senior Academic Advisor
Office: 113 Nursing Administration Building
Email: an6gt@umsl.edu 
Phone: 314-516-4542

Stacy Pearson
Senior Academic Advisor
Office: 118 Nursing Administration Building
Email: pearsonsr@umsl.edu
Phone: 314-516-7028

Undergraduate Advising

Quality academic advising is critical to student success at UMSL. Nursing students are encouraged to seek out their academic advisor as a primary resource person. Academic Advisors help pre-nursing students, clinical nursing students, and RN-BSN students with registration and course scheduling, provide academic and clinical policy information and refer students to support services and campus resources to promote academic success.

Students are responsible for becoming familiar with academic and clinical policies and graduation requirements.

Students must meet with their Nursing Academic Advisor each semester, prior to registration. Once registration opens, students register themselves for courses via “MyView” only after meeting with their Nursing Academic Advisor.

Academic Success Plan

Academic Success Plan

Curriculum Check Sheets

• Accelerated BSN Check Sheet
• BSN Traditional Check Sheet

Clinical Policies

Students are responsible for securing transportation to and from clinical agencies. Clinical experiences are scheduled throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Jefferson County and parts of Illinois. Students using public transportation should inform their Program Director and the Director of Clinical Operations.

Clinical Policies

Sample Plans of Study

• Pre-Nursing
• Accelerated BSN
• Traditional BSN
• RN-BSN

Appeals

• Grade Appeals
• Undergraduate Program Appeal Process

Independent Study

• An independent study (NURSE 3873: Guided Study in Nursing) is available as an elective to increase a student’s knowledge in a specific content area. Students who wish to pursue an independent study course must follow the below guidelines:
• The student identifies and contacts the faculty member whose research and scholarship aligns with their academic interest.
• Using the Independent Study Approval Form (Appendix A), the student and faculty member establish mutually agreed upon learning outcomes and course evaluation criteria.
• Submit the Independent Study Approval Form to a nursing academic advisor at the advising pre-registration appointment. This form must be submitted PRIOR to registering for the course.
• The faculty member provides guidance and feedback, as needed, throughout the course. The degree of independence varies and is based on the courses learning outcomes as described on the Independent Study Approval Form.
• Independent Study courses are 1-3 credit hours and are determined by the nature of the learning outcomes and course content requirements. Credit value is calculated as one classroom hour per week = one semester credit. No more than six independent study credits may be used to meet graduation requirements.

Download Independent Study Agreement Form

Graduate Advising

The UMSL College of Nursing utilizes both professional staff academic advisors and faculty advisors to assist students in their academic and professional development. Each student is assigned to an academic advisor and a faculty advisor. The academic advisor helps with program application and admission, degree planning, enrollment and interpretation of policy and procedure. The faculty advisor provides research, capstone, and practice guidance and monitors academic performance and progress.

Download Graduation/Conferral Letter Request Form

DNP and Post-Graduate Certificate Handbook

Sample Plans of Study

PhD Program

DNP Program:

• Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Emphasis
• Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Emphasis
• Family Nurse Practitioner Emphasis
• Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Emphasis
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Emphasis
• Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Emphasis
• MSN to DNP Curriculum

Appeals

• Grade Appeals
• Graduate Program Appeal Process