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Year Course ID Course
2026-2027 NURS 443

Clinical Practice: Consolidation

Concepts of nursing care are applied to the provision of acute, rehabilitative, or palliative nursing care and health promotion in acute or community placements.

Course Credits: 6
Prerequisite(s): NURS 100, 200, 300 level courses and other non-nursing prerequisites designated on curricular pattern
NB: Pass/Fail course
2026-2027 NURS 510

Foundations of Nursing Knowledge

An exploration of the historical and current trends in nursing theory and philosophy. Students explore the role of models, meta-paradigms, concept analyses and middle range theories in relation to traditional and emerging views of science. Issues and controversies within nursing philosophy are introduced with emphasis on understanding the relevance of these debates for both the health care system and the discipline of nursing.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduate nursing research course or equivalent
NB: This course is offered in summer.
2026-2027 NURS 520

Knowledge Synthesis

This course addresses the principles of knowledge synthesis as the basis for informing nursing theory and practice. Students broaden their understanding of different kinds of evidence while learning the skills of locating, coding, synthesizing, and applying evidence from research studies. Students learn to draw on Christian values and principles to critically reflect on the implications of evidence-based knowledge for theory and practice.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduate nursing research course or equivalent
NB: This course is offered in summer.
2026-2027 NURS 530

Nursing Inquiry I

An entry-level course in understanding the philosophical foundations of nursing inquiry and evidence with a focus on qualitative methods. Students explore the inquiry process in the context of the following methods: phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, critical inquiry, narrative analysis, historical and philosophic inquiry. The processes of data collection, analysis, and interpretation are examined. Attention is given to Christian values and principles in relation to research ethics and the applicability of research findings to the various contexts of nursing practice.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): NURS 510, 520
2026-2027 NURS 540

Nursing Inquiry II

This course addresses principles of nursing inquiry and evidence with a focus on quantitative design and statistical literacy. Students will broaden their understanding of quantitative research methods and enhance their ability to analyze quantitative data and interpret statistical results for answering research questions of relevance to nursing theory and practice.

Course Credits: 4
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduate nursing research course or equivalent; introductory course on statistics; first year Master of Science in Nursing courses as designated on curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 550

Health Care Policy

A broad overview of the policy process and its application to health care. Reflecting on Canadian priorities, concerns, and obligations, health care issues are analyzed with a specific focus on policy, politics and influence. The roles of nursing and nurse leaders in health policy development, implementation, and advocacy for the health and social needs of the public are critically evaluated. A required on-site residency at the Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa exposes students to the key people and process of health care policy at federal and international levels. International policy, through WHO and other agencies, is examined for its relationship to federal policy and for global perspectives on health and nursing.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): NURS 510
2026-2027 NURS 607

Nursing Topics

This graduate course critically examines issues related to nursing knowledge and advanced professional practice. Topics may vary, depending on student interest and professor availability. Sample topics include: Issues in Nursing History and Issues in International Nursing.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Eligible for admission to Master of Science in Nursing program
2026-2027 NURS 611

Perspectives on Nursing Education

An overview to the history, theory, research, ethics, and issues shaping nursing leadership in Canada and international health communities. Utilizing thoughtful Christian perspectives, students critically explore the history of leadership in health care, and the sociopolitical context in which it operates, and the attributes of morally good leaders, analyze current and future issues affecting health care leadership, and apply the role of nursing leadership to that context.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year Master of Science in Nursing courses as per curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 612

Learning/Teaching in Nurse Education

A practical focus on the competencies required to facilitate learning in nursing education. Students explore pedagogical concepts and techniques in classroom and clinical contexts including constructing syllabi, lesson plans, clinical learning experiences and evaluative measures, with attention to Christian perspectives.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year Master of Science in Nursing courses as per curricular plan; NURS 611
2026-2027 NURS 621

Perspectives on Nursing Leadership

An overview to the theory, research, and issues shaping nursing leadership in Canada and international health communities. Students will explore the history of leadership in health care, and the sociopolitical context in which it operates; analyze current and future issues affecting health care leadership, and apply the role of nursing leadership to that context. Nurses who bring disciplinary nursing knowledge about health promotion, patient responses to illness, interpersonal and inter-professional communication, population health, and the social contexts of health and illness together with emerging knowledge regarding health care organizations and leadership theory are in a unique position to provide highly effective leadership to today's changing, complex healthcare environments.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year Master of Science in Nursing courses as per curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 622

The Skills of Nursing Leadership

A practical focus on the competencies required for nursing leadership. Students have the opportunity to develop leadership skills necessary for today’s complex healthcare environments, which take into account Christian values and principles. Building on their existing practice expertise, students explore ways to innovatively incorporate emerging research, theory and practice concepts into a particular field of healthcare leadership practice, including (but not limited to) health care administration and operational management. Emphasis is placed on concepts such as values clarification, engagement and relationship building, patient advocacy, inter-professional communication and team building, quality improvement, and the ethics of leadership.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year Master of Science in Nursing courses as per curricular plan; NURS 621
2026-2027 NURS 631

ANP I: Perspectives on Advanced Practice (Gerontology)

An overview to the history, research, ethics, and issues affecting advanced nursing practice in Canada and internationally. Attention is paid to Christian values and principles as students explore the history of advanced nursing practice and the inter-professional and sociopolitical contexts in which it operates. The interrelated domains of advanced nursing practice (ANP), consultation, education, research, and leadership are explored in the context of older adult care, as well as ANP practice roles such as clinical nurse specialist, clinician, and professional practice leader. Attention is given to the moral issues surrounding aging, including end-of-life issues.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year Master of Science in Nursing courses as per curricular plan.
2026-2027 NURS 632

ANP II: Themes in Care (Gerontology)

An advanced practice course with a specialty focus on older adult nursing care across the spectrum of health and illness. Students develop expertise about role of nurses in the contexts of primary care, home care, parish nursing, long-term care, and palliative-hospice care. Utilizing faith-based perspectives, fundamental concepts pertaining to primary health care, chronic disease management, and the supportive needs of older adults and their families are emphasized.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year Master of Science in Nursing courses as per curricular plan; NURS 631
2026-2027 NURS 633

Health Care Ethics & Decision Making

This course provides students with a solid framework for addressing ethical issues and ethical decision making. Through a contextualized approach that draws on a variety of ethical theories, learners in this course critically analyze a range of issues facing leaders in healthcare settings, including micro or individual level decisions (e.g., treatment withdrawal) to meso or organizational level questions (e.g., resource allocation pertaining to organ donation or restructuring decisions), to macro or social level issues (e.g., public health policy that focuses on prevention rather than treatment, or the challenge of conflicting worldviews in a pluralistic society). Exploration of moral leadership and the processes of ethical decision-making includes Christian principles, personal values, and professional obligations. Resources such as the profession's code of ethics and moral policy-making statements are utilized in addition to ethical theories.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): NURS 510
2026-2027 NURS 690

MSN Thesis l

The thesis provides an opportunity for the student to conduct independent nursing research in an area of interest. The process of research—from identification of problem for investigation, research design, data collection and analysis, to written report of findings—is the focus.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): All first year Master of Science in Nursing courses, as per curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 691

Thesis II

The thesis provides an opportunity for the student to conduct independent nursing research in an area of interest. The process of research—from identification of problem for investigation, research design, data collection and analysis, to written report of findings—is the focus.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): All first year Master of Science in Nursing courses, as per curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 692

Knowledge Translation Project I

A synthesis of research, theory, and practice within the student's stream, substantive area of focus, and particular practice setting. Students work alongside a mentor in practice (e.g., education, administration, or advanced practice with the older adult) to design, implement, and evaluate a knowledge translation project that will be of service to the healthcare community (either practice or education).

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): All first year Master of Science in Nursing courses, as per curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 693

Knowledge Translation Project II

A synthesis of research, theory, and practice within the student's' stream, substantive area of focus, and particular practice setting. Students work alongside a mentor in practice (e.g. education, administration, or advanced practice with the older adult) to design, implement and evaluate a knowledge translation project that will be of service to the healthcare community (either practice or education).

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): All first year Master of Science in Nursing courses, as per curricular plan
2026-2027 NURS 700

Doctoral Seminars

This seminar guides students in exploring topics related to nursing education leadership, development of advanced professional competencies, and their dissertation research. The online seminar will include presentations of ongoing and proposed research by students and faculty, the creation of a professional dossier, and preparation for the comprehensive exam. As students develop their dissertation proposal, they may use the doctoral seminar to test their emerging ideas and obtain feedback from peers and faculty. Students participate in this online seminar until they successfully complete their comprehensive exams (Years 1 and 2).

Course Credits: 3
NB: Over 6 semesters
2026-2027 NURS 710

Advanced Nursing Philosophy

In this hybrid course, doctoral students will learn how various philosophic traditions inform nursing knowledge development, practice, and education. Nursing science, the disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledges that form the foundation of nursing, is examined. Emphasis is on the process of philosophic inquiry and the ability to analyze systematically and logically the contemporary issues facing health services, the nursing profession, and nursing education. Philosophic foundations are laid from which students develop as scholars in their contribution to the nursing profession

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 NURS 720

Advanced Research Methodology

Doctoral students will learn how to conceptualize nursing research methodology, with an emphasis on the foundations of nursing inquiry, the assumptions and claims underpinning the research enterprise, the philosophy of evidence, and justifications of how research questions and approaches articulate with socially and clinically relevant problems requiring investigation.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Graduate-level courses in qualitative methods and quantitative methods
2026-2027 NURS 730

Advanced Research Design

Based on research methodologies, this course provides the critical foundations of advanced research approaches to formulate procedures for inquiry (research designs) and detailed research methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation (research methods). The implications of research decisions will be differentiated. Students obtain the in-depth knowledge and skills required to independently conduct research with an emphasis on the new and emerging approaches of nursing research. Critical examination of theories employed in the nursing discipline, research questions, designs, the positionality of the researcher, rigour, and ethics will be discussed.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Graduate-level courses in qualitative methods and quantitative methods
2026-2027 NURS 750

Advanced Public Policy & Knowledge Translation

Doctoral students will learn how to affect health system and educational change through public policy and knowledge translation. The philosophical, theoretical foundations and multi-faceted strategies of public policy (including health policy and educational policy) and knowledge translation are examined during a residency at the world-class Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa. The student will apply knowledge translation concepts to their dissertation research plans.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): A graduate-level course in knowledge translation, health policy or leadership.
2026-2027 NURS 760

Advanced Educational Leadership

Doctoral students will learn how to provide leadership to nursing education, drawing on higher education and leadership theories to analyze the sociopolitical context of nursing education. Particular attention is given to understanding the trifold role of the nursing professoriate of teaching, research, and service; and the management of learning environments.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): A graduate level course in nursing education or nursing leadership or Advanced Nursing Practice
2026-2027 NURS 800

Dissertation Seminar

This seminar deals with theoretical and practical aspects of designing dissertation research through to the successful completion of the dissertation. Topics pertaining to access and recruitment of study participants, data collection, data analysis, and knowledge translation will be addressed. Doctoral students will engage with classmates and faculty on this online seminar once they have completed their comprehensive exams (Year 3 and 4).

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): NURS 700
NB: Over 6 semesters
2026-2027 NURS 833

Internship

Doctoral students will complete an internship (approximately 100 hours) in mentorship with an expert nurse scholar-educator, researcher, policy analyst or leader. In conjunction with a faculty mentor, students will design and complete a project that is individualized to their learning needs and builds the professional skills of a nurse academician.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): First year of PhD Nursing courses
2026-2027 NURS 900

Dissertation Proposal

Doctoral students will design independent research, with the supervision of a committee with relevant substantive and methodological expertise.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Comprehensive exam and all core courses
NB: 3 sem. hrs. per term. 9 semester hours total.
2026-2027 NURS 910

Dissertation Continuation

Doctoral students will conduct independent research, with the supervision of a committee with relevant substantive and methodological expertise.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): NURS 900
NB: 3 sem. hrs. per term. 12 semester hours total.
2026-2027 NURS 945

Dissertation Extension

Doctoral students will design and conduct independent research, with the supervision of a committee with relevant substantive and methodological expertise (dissertation extension).

Course Credits: 0
Prerequisite(s): NURS 910
2026-2027 PHIL 100

Philosophy for Life

Explores philosophy as a way of life accessible to all, in order to think more truthfully, act more justly, and live more faithfully. This course focuses on critical thinking as an invaluable ethical tool for interpreting current events. Students will learn to analyze and evaluate the claims of contemporary culture and religious faith.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 103

Introduction to Logic

An analysis of the use of reasoning in ordinary language. Students are introduced to deductive logic by learning how to recognize arguments by identifying some common fallacies and by learning several methods of assessing the quality of arguments. Both traditional and modern methods of determining deductive validity, including a formal theory of inference, are studied. In the process, students will apply logical reasoning to their own ideas and assumptions.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 105

Introduction to Philosophy

This course introduces some of the major questions about existence and what it is to be human while providing some of the foundational philosophical responses to these questions. Topics to be discussed include: the relation between perception and knowledge (appearance and reality); the existence and nature of God; human freedom and determinism; the meaning of human existence; the nature of moral judgments; the mind-body problem; artificial intelligence; feminist philosophy; the problem of suffering; and whether humans are capable of selfless motivation. Students will be encouraged to interpret and reflect upon the meaning of the relation between reason and faith as the joint foundation for addressing these questions in a logical and ethical manner.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 106

Introduction to Philosophy II

An historical overview of the western philosophical tradition from Socrates to the present day. Considerable discussion will be devoted to the distinct approaches of ancient, medieval, and modern thinkers to the relation between reason and faith. Additionally, there will be extensive attention devoted to the history of logical and ethical reasoning as we evaluate the impact of these ideas on the present day. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged not only to analyze but also interpret these ideas in a respectful yet critical manner.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 109

Critical Thinking: Informal Logic

An introduction to critical thinking/writing and informal logic in practical settings. This course examines the value of rational thinking in the face of everyday challenges, e.g., problem solving, making informed decisions, and evaluating whether a statement is true. Students dissect examples of good and poor reasoning, analyze informal fallacies, detect hidden assumptions and irrelevant premises in arguments, determine where an argument's burden of proof lies, and practice transferring critical thinking skills to their writing skills. Socratic method and Socratic dialogue is employed as a tool to assist students with their inquiry-based learning.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 111

History of Western Philosophy: Ancient & Medieval Period

A survey of the teachings of the great philosophers of the West, from the discovery of physics by the Pre-Socratics, to the culmination of medieval Scholasticism (i.e. in John of St. Thomas), with a special emphasis upon developments in the philosophy of religion.

Course Credits: 3
NB: Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
2026-2027 PHIL 203

Ancient Greek Wisdom

An examination of key contributions to Greek philosophy, especially the writings of Plato and Aristotle. In the process of dialoguing about these ideas, we shall also study the importance of ancient Greek philosophy in the history of thought as well as the original intent of the philosophers in question with attention to their historic context. We shall also assess the enduring relevance of ancient Greek philosophy to the modern age.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 204

Asian Philosophy

A critical study of some of the most influential philosophies originating from South and East Asia, including but not limited to Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Students will analyze selected writings of significant Asian philosophers from these philosophical traditions, including both primary texts and commentaries, with a particular focus on metaphysics, philosophical anthropology, and ethics for the purpose of exploring and evaluating these authors’ approaches to philosophical questions about reality, happiness, wisdom, the soul, morality, and the Divine. Understanding the historical importance of these Asian philosophies will help students to evaluate their ongoing contributions to the contemporary world.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 208

Philosophy of Society & Law

An introduction to the philosophy of society and law in Canada and around the world. In this exploration of the relation between society and the law, the first half of the course begins with an historic survey of the debates over the meaning of the law from antiquity to the present. The second half of the course reviews legal cases which have provoked, or are still provoking, debates over the meaning of law and society.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 210

Contemporary Ethical Issues

Through readings and class-discussion, this course introduces students to the foundational moral frameworks of western civilization and requires them to bring these frameworks to bear on some of the most important ethical issues arising in contemporary society: consumerism, technoculture, environmental ethics, responsibility to distant peoples, genetic engineering and cloning, and the promise and peril of nanotechnology.

Course Credits: 3
2026-2027 PHIL 220

Philosophy of Sex & Gender

This course explores questions such as: What is feminism? What are the main schools of feminist thought? What is patriarchy? What is gender and does it differ from sex? Are there only two sexes? Are there only two genders? What is homosexuality? What are the different views on how same-sex attraction arises? Do feminism and Christianity have convergent trajectories? Is there a place in the church for those from the LGBTQ community? What are the cultural forces that format the thinking about these questions?

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Second-year standing
NB: Not offered every year. See department chair.
2026-2027 PHIL 303

Medieval Philosophy

This course explores philosophical issues in the West from the second to the 14th century, in particular the impact of Greek philosophy on the development of Christian thought. There are three natural stages of this interaction: 1) Defensive philosophy (apologetics): responses to rational objections brought to bear against Christianity; 2) Methodology: reflection on the interaction between faith and reason, and, in particular, the nature of theology as a science; and 3) Constructive philosophy: struggles from within over a systematic metaphysics and ethics. A central theme of the course is the role of the doctrine of creation in the image of God.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy
NB: May not be offered every year. Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
2026-2027 PHIL 304

Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas

This course studies key texts from Thomas Aquinas. The focus is on the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, but special attention is paid to his commentaries on Aristotle and on his Christian interpretation of ancient philosophy. The challenge that modern science and modern philosophy presents to Thomistic metaphysics is also discussed, with special attention paid to the highly influential critique made by Immanuel Kant.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy
NB: Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
2026-2027 PHIL 305

Philosophy of the Human Person

This course addresses what it means to say that human beings are persons having freedom and subjectivity; examines the different powers of the human person, including the powers of understanding, willing, feeling, and loving; studies the difference between body and soul, as well as the unity of the two in humans; and explores the question of the immortality of the soul. Some classic texts from the tradition of Western philosophy are read.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy
NB: Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
2026-2027 PHIL 306

Philosophy of Culture, Media & Technology

A critical investigation of the philosophical questions and assumptions that underly the relationship among culture, media, and technology. Students will investigate the philosophical underpinning and the anthropological import of various views of culture, media, and technology, asking critical moral questions about their tendencies to change and shape our human way of being.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy or instructor's consent
2026-2027 PHIL 310

Issues in Social Justice

An examination of ethical issues that pertain to social justice, addressing such topics as the distribution of wealth, the difference between equality and equity, the effects of globalization, and the morality of war.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy or Political Studies or third-year standing
Cross-listed: POLS 310
2026-2027 PHIL 313

British Empiricism

A study of empiricist philosophy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Selected writings of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume are analyzed and interpreted. As we discuss each author’s ideas, we will evaluate their positions on the limits of knowledge and experience, the intelligibility of revelatory truth, the existence of God, the divisibility of reality, the role of nature, and the ethics and politics of human life.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of philosophy.
NB: Not offered every year. See department chair.
2026-2027 PHIL 314

Reason & the Enlightenment

A study of rationalist philosophy in the European Enlightenment period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Selected writings of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz are analysed and interpreted. As we discuss each author's ideas, we will evaluate their positions on: the limits of reason, the intelligibility of revelatory truth, the existence of God, the divisibility of reality, the role of nature, and the ethics and politics of human life. In the process of dialoguing about these ideas, we shall also study the historical importance of the Enlightenment in modernity as well as the original intent of the philosophers in question with attention to their historic context. We shall also assess the enduring relevance of the Enlightenment to the modern age.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy
NB: Not offered every year. See department chair.
2026-2027 PHIL 315

Kant

A study of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, focusing primarily on Kant's seminal work, Critique of Pure Reason.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 9 sem. hrs. of Philosophy
NB: Not offered every year. See department chair.
2026-2027 PHIL 320

Social & Political Philosophy

An examination of foundational ideas and problems in political life and thought. Both classical and contemporary texts are used. Concepts to be treated include the state, society, the citizen, democracy, liberty, equality, authority, obligation, and disobedience.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of Philosophy or Political Studies or third-year standing
Cross-listed: POLS 320
2026-2027 PHIL 331

Environmental Philosophy

Explores the theological and philosophical dimensions of the doctrine of creation and from there highlights the various philosophical shifts of outlook that helped usher in modern naturalism and its notions of nature. We will investigate the metaphysics behind the fact/value dichotomy, various environmental ethical frameworks, the case for the moral status of non-human animals and abiotic entities, the evolution of the ecological crisis, the conceptual substructures of some popular contemporary environmental frameworks, and some of the agendas of response to our current ecological crisis.

Course Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): Second-year standing or instructor's consent
NB: PHIL/GENV 221 and PHIL/GENV 331 may not both be taken for credit.
Cross-listed: GENV 331