Academic Advising
The Graduate Nursing faculty and staff will assist students with questions they may have about admission to the Graduate program. Once a student is admitted to the Graduate program, a faculty advisor will be assigned based upon the specialty of the student. Each student will have access to their faculty advisor through their MyUSI Portal. Student’s will be provided with a copy of their individual Plan of Study when receiving the electronic information packet.
The student may also contact any of the following people for assistance with advising or other questions:
University Policies
All University policies, as published in the Graduate Bulletin, extend to all sites where students are engaged in the role of a Graduate Nursing Student. Refer to the College of Nursing and Health Professions Handbook for college specific policies.
Graduate Nursing Policies
Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The University of Southern Indiana College of Nursing and Health Professions adheres to standards set forth in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. A copy of the Act is available from the College Office. Any personal data/information about students or graduates of the University of Southern Indiana of Nursing and Health Professions will be protected under the tenets of this Act. Students may request review of their academic file. Students usually provide permission for the College to provide information to employers and other educational institutions when they are admitted to the Nursing Program by signing the "Permission to Disclose Personal/Confidential Information" form.
Click below for the University Policy concerning:
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is an expected behavior of all students. Academic dishonesty may include, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication and knowingly assisting others in an act of academic dishonesty. Students who engage in academic dishonesty in any form, even as a first offense, place themselves in jeopardy of receiving a failing grade for the assignment or course, as well as dismissal from the nursing program and University. In accordance with the university policy, no penalty shall be imposed until the student has been informed of the charge, has been informed of the evidence on which it is based, and has been given an opportunity to respond. Policies and procedures governing academic dishonesty can be found in the Student Rights and Responsibilities section of the University Bulletin. Cheating on an examination, quiz, or any other assignment will be a basis for dismissal from the program.
Learn more about the Academic Integrity Policy.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using the work and/or ideas of another person or source as if it is your own.
Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
- Quoting another person’s actual work without appropriate citation
- Using another person’s ideas, opinion or theory without appropriate acknowledgment
- Using facts, statistics, or other illustrative material without appropriate citation
- Using AI generative tools
Learn more about plagiarism in the Academic Integrity Policy.
Student papers/assignments may be displayed as student examples for course files and accreditation purposes. Student work used for any other purpose will require permission from the student(s) prior to faculty use. Sharing assignments, exams information, and graded work is considered academic dishonesty. This includes social media sites such as Facebook. If postings to social media sites are identified, an academic integrity violation will be charged.
Professional behavior is an expectation online, in the classroom, and in the clinical environment with faculty, patients, and clinical preceptors and their staff. The Professional Behavioral Agreement Statements (Appendix C) are expectations for all students and are to be signed and uploaded through the third-party repository. Unprofessionalism may result in formal disciplinary action.
Courses and clinical assignments may be scheduled with relative short notice during the semester. This allows us to provide you with optimal learning experience. We cannot guarantee absence of conflict with your work schedule.
Students not meeting course and/or program expectations may be formally notified of their deficiencies and an improvement plan developed that addresses these deficiencies. The Performance Improvement Plan will include specific expectations and a timeline for the improvements to occur. If more than one course performance improvement plan needs to be established during the student’s plan of study, progression in the program will be formally reviewed by the Admissions and Progression committee.
If a student withdraws from a course when a Performance Improvement Plan is in place, they will be required to go through the Graduate Nursing Admissions and Progressions committee to return to the program.
If you are relocating to another state, please be advised our online program is limited to working with certain states in the U.S. only. Moving into a state not recognized by the Graduate Nursing Program will lead to inability to continue in USI Graduate Nursing coursework. The exception to this is active military status.
The USI Office of Online and Adult Learning maintains an updated listing of states USI may offer online nursing courses within. Students must hold an unencumbered nursing licensed in any state where they are performing clinical hours.
Note: It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Program Chair and APRN Director with intent for relocation.
Financial Aid
Students should contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance to obtain information about the financial assistance opportunities available. Students should also monitor the Graduate Program Organization located in the Virtual Center in Blackboard for ongoing information about available scholarships.
Scholarships and Grant Funds
Grant funding and scholarship funds, when available, are posted in graduate courses for students who wish to complete applications and are enrolled in graduate courses.
Current graduation requirements and deadlines can be found on the Registrar’s Office webpage.
Meeting graduation requirements and formally applying for graduation is each student's responsibility.
Candidates for graduation must apply to graduate.
Timely submission of the Formal Application for Graduation and Diploma Form help ensure that degree candidates are included in commencement mailings and the commencement program will be considered for commencement honors, and will have a diploma ordered.
The names of graduates submitting formal applications after the deadline may not appear in printed program.