Graduate Advising Resources

Academic advising

Who is my faculty advisor?: You can locate your assigned faculty advisor by logging into Buckeyelink and looking at the information listed in the “Program Advisor” box on the right side of the screen. To find your advisor’s contact information, please visit the College of Nursing directory.
What is the role of a faculty advisor?: Academic advising is an interactive process with the aim of helping the student move smoothly through the academic program they have chosen. This process works best when the advisor and the advisee partner to achieve a mutually agreed upon outcome. Both parties have accountability to assure that this process proceeds smoothly and beneficially. Academic advisors are formally assigned by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). More information can be found in your program’s handbook here.
Who is my Graduate Program Manager?: Graduate Program Managers work with students of specific degree programs. Please visit the College of Nursing website for the name and contact information of your Graduate Program Manager.
What is the role of a Graduate Program Manager?: The Graduate Program Managers are staff within the Office of Student Affairs and Success that act as administrative advisors. Each supports specific programs in the College and are considered experts on that program.

Scheduling and adding courses

Scheduling conflicts

How do I enroll in a course that directly conflicts with another course?: Students are not permitted to enroll in conflicting courses without obtaining special permission. If you need assistance with enrolling or with selecting a different course, or if modifications are needed to your curriculum plan, please email your Graduate Program Manager.

Enrollment Errors and Prerequisites

How do I resolve an error message in the registration process?: If you encounter an error message, contact your Graduate Program Manager. Please include a screen shot or the nature of the error message in your email. Your Graduate Program Manager can help troubleshoot enrollment issues.
I am interested in taking a course that requires instructor permission for enrollment. What steps should I follow to enroll in this course?: Currently enrolled College of Nursing students should email the instructor directly to request permission to enroll in their course. You can find the instructor’s name on the Schedule of Classes and their email address by searching for their name on osu.edu. If you receive permission from the instructor, please forward the email to your Graduate Program Manager.
How do I know what section of a course I should enroll in if there are multiple sections available?: Some sections of a course are reserved for specific student populations. Clicking the “class #” link on the class listing should take you to a “details” page where additional information can be found regarding the class sections. In some instances, the Graduate Program Manager will email students instructions about which course or section a student should enter if the class is offered through the College of Nursing. If the course has specific undergraduate/graduate sections, make sure you are enrolling in the graduate section (designated in the “details” page).

Opening of Enrollment Window

Where can I find my enrollment appointment?

To view your enrollment appointment, please log into your Buckeyelink account and find “Enrollment Information” on the right-hand side. Under the “Details” link you will find the exact date/time you can begin enrolling in classes. If the correct term is not showing, click on “Details” and change the term.

Why can I not find the class I am searching for in Buckeyelink?

There may be a variety of reasons why you cannot locate a course in Buckeyelink:

The course is not offered in that term
The course could be full. To correct this, you can uncheck the “show open classes only” box.
- If a class on your curriculum plan is full, please email your Graduate Program Manager.
You are not searching correctly for the class. Be sure the class subject is correct when conducting the search process. For example, a DNP student may need to tailor their search by filtering the subject to “Nursing Practice.” DNE students will need to tailor their search by filtering the subject to “Doctor of Nursing Education” as shown below.
Double-check that you are searching correctly using either the course number or the class number. The course number is used to find the course and the class number is used to enroll.
- The course number is like the title- it never changes.
- The class # is the unique 4- or 5-digit number assigned to a specific class section in a specific semester to let the system know the student is enrolling for a specific section of a class.

How can I resolve the hold that appears on my Buckeyelink account?

You can find more information about the Hold on the main page of your Buckeye Link Center, on the right side, under the heading “Holds.” In most situations, the university places a hold on a student’s account to prevent them from enrolling in courses because a particular action has not been taken by a student. The most common holds are for the completion of the Financial Responsibility Statement or financial holds. It is important to review the hold and instructions to resolve the hold in your Student Center. Please note you must complete the Financial Responsibility Statement each semester, regardless of whether you have completed it in the past.

Beacon and curriculum plan

What is Beacon and how do I log into Beacon?

Beacon is a comprehensive student portal for currently enrolled students in a degree or certificate-granting program. Students can view personalized curriculum plans and find information about their program compliance status. Beacon also contains updates from the College of Nursing related to academic deadlines, special events and leadership opportunities. Beacon can be accessed via web browser here or via iOS devices by downloading the app here. To log into Beacon, please use your Ohio State username and password. Please note that you should use only your name.#, and not include the “@osu.edu.”

If you have issues accessing Beacon, please email Con-S-Help@osu.edu.

What is a curriculum plan?

Each student has an assigned curriculum plan in Beacon, which outlines when students are to enroll in each course. Students should follow their curriculum plan to ensure timely completion of their degree program. Students may not deviate from their plan without first obtaining permission from their faculty advisor.

How can I request a change to my curriculum plan?

If changes are needed to your curriculum plan, please submit the curriculum plan change form in Beacon. Once the request has been formally approved in Beacon, Graduate Program Manager will update the student’s curriculum plan.

Why might a curriculum plan change be necessary?

Changes may be needed for a variety of reasons including when classes are taken out-of-order, you have experienced a progression issue, you are requesting a change from fulltime to part-time, if a course number on the curriculum does not mirror the name of the class in Buckeyelink, and/or if you have earned previous credit for a course.

How do I request to change specialty tracks or specializations?

Please follow the instructions below based on your program to request a change in specialty:

If you are an MCR student and wish to change your track or enroll in the dual specialization, please submit the “Transfer To/From a Specialization in the MCR Program” form in Beacon.
If you are a post-master's DNP or DNE student and wish to change your track, you will need to submit the “change DNP/DNE program track” form in Beacon.
If you are enrolled in the Traditional MS in Nursing, GE, BSN to DNP, or BSN to PhD student you can petition to transfer specialties by submitting the Transfer To/From a Specialty Track in MS in Nursing, BSN to DNP, or BSN-PhD Program form in Beacon. These requests are reviewed every autumn semester. More detailed instructions can be found here.

Leave of absence and reactivation

What is a leave of absence?: A leave of absence is defined as any time away from your academic program. LOAs can range from one semester to two years in length.
What is the process I should follow if I plan to take a leave of absence?: Please consult your program handbook for information about the leave of absence process. Program handbooks can be found here. To request a leave of absence, you should reach out to your faculty advisor. Once your advisor is aware, please visit Beacon to submit the appropriate form. You will need to obtain an updated plan of study from your Graduate Program Manager to submit with the form.
How can I petition for reactivation after a temporary leave of absence?: Please consult your program handbook for information about the reactivation process. Program handbooks can be found here. If you are having trouble accessing Beacon, please contact your Graduate Program Manager.

Course-specific information

What section of NUR 7410 should I enroll in?

The specialty for each lab section is listed in Buckeyelink in the class detail, found by clicking the “class #” hyperlink in the schedule of classes. An email is also sent out the week prior to Spring enrollment appointments with a list of the class #’s used to enroll. Enroll in the lab corresponding to your specialty and for the correct number of credit hours, and you will automatically be enrolled in the lecture.

If you are an FNP student, you should enroll for 4 credit hours. All other specialties should enroll in 3 credit hours. Support with enrolling in N7410 and other variable-credit courses can be found on the Student Web Advising Tips for Graduate Students.

Am I required to attend the NUR 7410: Advanced Health Assessment lab and lecture in-person?

If you are enrolled in an on-campus specialty, your lab will be in-person. Lectures may be online and may be synchronous in nature depending upon your specialty.

What is the process for enrolling in an Individual Studies course (N8193, NP8193, N7193, N5193)?

If you need to enroll in an Individual Studies course, please submit the Curriculum Change Request form and Individual Studies form in Beacon. You should discuss the course's objectives and how success will be measured with the course instructor before submitting the form on Beacon. Additional details can be found on the Student Web. Once the form has been approved, your GPM will update your plan of study and enroll you in the course.

As a DNP student, what is the process for enrolling in NRSPRCT 8998.01 or NRSPRCT 8998.02?

Your Graduate Program Manager will need to enroll you in these courses. Please email your Graduate Program Manager once your enrollment window is open and you have completed your financial responsibility statement/cleared any holds on your account.

If I am a certificate student, where can I find a list of approved electives courses, if my certificate program requires that I complete an elective course?

Approved electives for your certificate program can be found in your Virtual Admissions Packet.

Can I earn immersion hours for a project if I am not enrolled in the Immersion Course?

No, students can only earn or track immersion hours if they are enrolled in an immersion course. These courses include:

NRSPRCT 8405
NRSPRCT 8896
NRSPRCT 8897
NRSPRCT 8898.01
NRSPRCT 8898.02

I am enrolling in NRSPRCT 8896 next semester, why do I see two sections in Buckeyelink?

NRSPRCT 8896 is comprised of lectures and a separate, one-day training called Health Athlete. Students enrolled in NRSPRCT 8896 are required to do a Health Athlete training session. This session takes place on one day during the semester, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The program focuses on knowing and clarifying your purpose, understanding how you are currently using your energy to fulfill your purpose, understanding the story you tell yourself, creating a new story (aligned with your purpose) and learning how to set 90-day training missions to better invest your energy to be your best self with full engagement as much as possible.

If you have a conflict or if you have already completed this training, please speak with your instructor.

As a PhD student, how can I enroll in dissertation credits (NURSING 8999) or Research Residency (NURSING 8980)?

You cannot enroll yourself in these courses. You must submit the appropriate enrollment form in Beacon. Once the Beacon form has been approved, your enrollment will be completed by your Graduate Program Manager. Please be aware that these forms must be completed each semester you are planning to enroll in one of these courses, regardless of whether the form was completed in a previous semester.

Enrollment in Variable Credit Courses

How do I correctly enroll in a variable credit course?

Registering for variable credit courses (Clinical, Research Residency, Dissertation)

Once you have logged into your Student Center choose the Add a Class link. Enter the class number for the Clinical section into the “Enter Class Nbr” field and select the Enter, then Next buttons.

This should take you into a screen where you can adjust your credits/units. Ignore the Permission number field, if there is one. Choose the appropriate number of credit hours and select the Next button. Please note- “10” will be found under the “1” for Units, not after the number “9.”

This will place the course into your shopping cart, along with the related component, which will automatically be added. If you get an error message you do not understand, reach out to your Graduate Program Manager.

Enrollment in a College of Nursing Certificate

I would like to enroll in a certificate program offered through the College of Nursing, in addition to my degree program. What steps should I follow?: You will need to formally apply for the certificate you would like to pursue. Please visit the “College of Nursing Certificate Programs” page in your program’s handbook for instructions on how to apply for a certificate.

Transfer credits

How do I transfer a course?: To petition to transfer a course into your program, you will need to submit the appropriate form in Beacon. An additional process may be required with the Graduate School to complete the transfer. This process is used primarily by doctoral students to transfer in blocks of credit for the MS degree. Additional information can be found in the Handbook for the program.

Waiving classes

I have already taken a class required by my degree. How do I get it waived?: If you have completed graduate level coursework that you wish to use as part of your graduate degree at OSU, you can petition to waive the OSU class based on the prior coursework. MS in Nursing students will use the internal waiver process instead of the external transfer process because the credits are not needed to graduate. Additional information can be found in the handbook for the program.

Doctoral examinations

When am I eligible to complete my candidacy examination (PhD students) or my professional examination (DNP and DNE students)?: You are eligible for these examinations once all required coursework is completed. To review the specific requirements for each program, please visit your program handbook.
How do I schedule my exam?: Scheduling of your exam occurs in conjunction with your faculty advisor and committee members. Please review the scheduling procedures outlined in your program handbook.
As a PhD student, what is the dissertation proposal defense and how do I schedule it?: The Dissertation Proposal Defense is a requirement of the College of Nursing and occurs after successful completion of the Candidacy Examination. The proposal defense ensures students are ready to embark on their final dissertation work and have a plan to accomplish their goals. Please review the information in your program handbook for more information and how to schedule the proposal defense.
What items need to be complete before I defend my final dissertation (PhD students) or my final project (DNP and DNE students)?: The Graduate School and College of Nursing each have requirements for the scheduling and defense of a student’s dissertation or final project. Please review the information included in your program handbook to ensure you are meeting all requirements. Deadlines for defenses are firm and failure to meet deadlines may result in a delay of your defense, as well as your graduation.

Ohio State nav bar