Home Academics Degrees & Programs Nursing, M.S.N.

Nursing, M.S.N.

Advance your nursing skills to keep pace with the changing demands of health care.

Earn your M.S.N. and become a nurse leader equipped to guide nursing care and improve patient outcomes. Gain a foundation in theory, health care policy and research. Work with inspiring mentors to solve real-world challenges in health care.

Expand your job mobility, professional network and opportunities for higher earnings. Choose from tracks in:

At A Glance

Program: Master of Science in Nursing
Audience: Graduate students
Format: Online and hybrid
Next Start Date: January, 2025
Cost: $710/credit
Time to Completion About 3 years, while working full-time

"My experience in the M.S.N. program at Immaculata was a great one. The classes were small and personal, topics chosen related to current health care situations, and the faculty were knowledgeable. The faculty brought their professional experiences to the classroom, making the classes very interesting and easily relatable. The group discussions among the students and faculty were the best part—you learned from everyone’s professional experiences, with each person bringing a different specialty in nursing, creating a well-rounded experience. The practicum experiences along with the classroom experience help me prepare for the position I’m currently in today and positions I will hold in the future."

Colleen Terinoni
Nurse Manager at Bryn Mawr Hospital

Lead and Engage

The evolving health care industry requires strong leaders to respond to clinical, organizational and fiscal challenges. This track prepares nurse administrators with:

  • Strong communication skills
  • Financial knowledge
  • Personnel management
  • Organization theory
  • Negotiation skills
  • Business acumen

In the administration practicum, focus on professional development, quality outcome management, and legal, regulatory and ethical issues in relation to selected administrative functions of nurse administrators. Each student will develop competencies of a nurse administrator under the guidance of a preceptor, who holds a minimum of a master’s degree in nursing. You will be prepared to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Certified Nurse Executive Exam.

Opportunities and Outcomes

Career Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see high growth for managers of health services in the coming decade, and these professionals earn a median salary of $101,340.

Touch the Future–Teach!

Combining adult learning theory with hands-on teaching experiences, this track prepares you with instructional skills and mastery of content to teach future nurses or current practitioners in academic settings or professional settings in health care systems.

In the education practicum, examine the theory and methods of effective classroom and clinical teaching in nursing, and gain experience as a nurse educator. You will be prepared to take the National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator Exam.

Opportunities and Outcomes

Career Outlook

More nurse educators are needed to help train new professionals to address the nursing shortage. Nursing schools are working to make space for more students to meet high demand for new nurses.

To apply for the M.S.N. program, you must hold a baccalaureate degree in nursing from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited school or its equivalent. You may be eligible to apply if you are a registered nurse who holds a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing.

Please submit the required application materials for Immaculata University’s master’s programs, as well as:

  • Current résumé
  • Current R.N. license

Financial Aid

The M.S.N. program qualifies for federal financial aid. Apply through Immaculata for loans. Immaculata University will facilitate all financial aid, including the semesters nursing informatics students are enrolled at Penn State Great Valley.

R.N. to M.S.N. Bridge Program (For R.N.s who hold a non-B.S.N. degree)

If you are an R.N. who graduated from an accredited nursing school with a non-nursing baccalaureate degree, you must meet B.S.N.-equivalent competencies in nursing leadership, research, and community health. These competencies may be validated through a professional portfolio (a three-credit course) or collegiate coursework after admission. Immaculata’s R.N. to M.S.N. bridge program allows you to complete the B.S.N.-equivalent competencies that demonstrate knowledge foundational for M.S.N. study.

  • Attend classes as part of a cohort, which creates a professional learning community to enhance student interaction and support.
  • Hone your knowledge and skills through mentorship from preceptors in practicums. You will complete a clinical practicum that focuses on trends in a nursing specialty area, and a practicum related to your track in the program.
  • Analyze and reflect on a nursing practice issue in your capstone course, and present your research to a professional audience.

Format

  • Online (available for nursing administration and education tracks)
  • Hybrid (available for family nurse practitioner track)
  • Off-campus cohorts

Accreditation

CCNE logo
The master’s degree program in nursing at Immaculata University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

Cost

This 33-credit MSN program consists of the following:

  • General Core (3 credits)
  • Nursing Concentration (15 credits)
  • Specialization Core (15 credits)

Prerequisite

NURS 500 Professional Portfolio (for non-nursing bachelor’s admits) (3 credits)

General Core (3 credits)

GEN 503 Interpersonal Relations (3 credits)

Nursing Concentration (15 credits)

  • NURS 621 Role Development for Advanced Nursing Practice (3) -OR- NURS 623 Role Development for Nursing Informaticists (3)
  • NURS 625 Health Care Policy and Politics (3)
  • NURS 640 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • GEN 506 Interprofessional Health Care Research (3)
  • NURS 690 MSN Capstone (3)

Nursing Administration Track

  • MML 603 Managing Organizational Effectiveness (3)
  • NURS 670 Nursing Administration (3)
  • NURS 672 Financial Management of Health Care Organizations (3)
  • NURS 681 Clinical Practicum (3)
  • NURS 684 Administration Practicum (3)

Nursing Education Track

  • NURS 645 Advanced Pathopharmacology (3)
  • NURS 660 Seminar for Nurse Educators I (3)
  • NURS 661 Seminar for Nurse Educators II (3)
  • NURS 681 Clinical Practicum (3)
  • NURS 683 Education Practicum (3)
  • Critically seek, evaluate, and develop an expanding knowledge of nursing.
  • Use leadership abilities, moral and ethical principles, and professional standards to guide one’s own nursing practice and that of others.
  • Impact nursing practice through scientific inquiry and the dissemination of research findings.
  • Integrate concepts, models, and theories from nursing science and related disciplines into advanced nursing practice.
Young woman standing outside

Alumni Spotlight

Abigail Benbow ’21 M.S.N. maintains a positive outlook on her work as a nurse at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

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