MSN in Nursing Leadership
Curriculum
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Leadership-Focused Curriculum that fits Your Career
The University of San Diego’s MSN in Nursing Leadership program is designed to build the critical thinking, communication, and executive skills you need to lead in today’s complex healthcare environment. Rooted in evidence-based practice and guided by core values of compassion, integrity, and excellence, our curriculum prepares RNs to take the next step in their career without stepping away from their current role.
You’ll learn from faculty who are active in the field and understand the real challenges nurse leaders face today. Our online format is designed for working professionals, with asynchronous courses, practical assignments, and a dedicated student support team to help you balance school with your career and life.
20
Average number of months it takes to graduate from the program
15–20
Average number of hours of coursework to expect each week
What You’ll Learn
In this program, you’ll develop advanced leadership competencies and gain a deeper understanding of how to:
- Manage and lead diverse teams within complex health systems
- Improve patient outcomes through quality and safety initiatives
- Analyze healthcare policy and organizational behavior
- Apply business concepts in budgeting, finance, and strategic planning
- Advocate for equitable, ethical, and evidence-based healthcare delivery
Our curriculum was developed by expert faculty and reviewed by a group of diverse nurse leaders, ensuring it meets the demands of today’s nursing leadership roles.
Curriculum Highlights
- 36 total units, including 8 courses and 4 clinical practicums over 5 terms
- Courses are taken year-round in the spring, summer, and fall terms
- Complete two courses per term, taking one 7-week course at a time
- Practicums start in the second term and will last the duration of a full term (14 weeks)
- Asynchronous, online curriculum format – study when it fits your schedule
- 500 clinical practicum hours completed in your practicum
- Part-time friendly schedule: 15-25 hours/week
- Add on specialty coursework in Nursing Education or Informatics – these tracks add extra courses and an additional two terms to the program schedule
Leadership and Business Skills
Develop expertise in areas like budgeting, healthcare operations, strategic planning, quality improvement, and change management — skills essential for nurse managers, directors, and executives.
Policy and Advocacy
Courses explore healthcare policy, system reform, and advocacy, equipping you to drive change beyond the bedside.
Real-World Leadership Experience
Clinical practicums are customized to your professional goals, giving you real-world experience in administration, education, informatics, or policy.
Real-World Curriculum Designed For Impact
The MSN-NL curriculum combines clinical, operational, and strategic skills designed to build a strong foundation in clinical leadership, business operations, and healthcare systems, preparing you for both immediate and long-term career growth.
| CourSe Theme | Real-World Value |
|---|---|
| Advanced Assessment and Pharmacology | Sharpen clinical judgment and care planning |
| Transformational Leadership | Lead teams, navigate change, drive performance |
| Systems-Based Practice | Analyze health systems, finance, and policy |
| Population Health | Design care that improves outcomes at scale |
| Quality and Safety | Manage risk while advancing improvement initiatives |
| Healthcare Information and Communication Management | Leverage data and systems to optimize care decisions |
Learn more about the curriculum:
Note: A few course unit values may vary slightly for students pursuing a specialty track in Nursing Education or Informatics. The total number of units for students choosing a specialty track will be 45 units.
| Course | Units |
|---|---|
|
Explore the foundations of advanced nursing practice, including the integration of nursing knowledge, person-centered care, and population h… |
3 |
|
Explore leadership skills, interprofessional collaboration, and the role of nurse leaders in population health.… |
3 |
|
Study disease processes, patient assessments, and treatment plans using an evidence-based approach.… |
4 |
|
Learn how nursing knowledge is developed and has influenced the practice of nursing and clinical decision-making.… |
3 |
|
Gain hands-on experience in advanced patient assessment, care management, and ethical leadership.… |
2 |
|
Explore healthcare technologies, data security, and communication strategies to improve patient care.… |
3 |
|
Study disease prevention, public health policies, and strategies for improving community health.… |
3 |
|
Analyze health data and develop public health interventions with interdisciplinary teams.… |
2 |
|
Learn to identify and improve quality and safety in healthcare systems.… |
3 |
|
Apply quality improvement methods to enhance patient safety and care.… |
3 |
|
Understand healthcare systems, policy, and strategic planning to optimize system effectiveness.… |
3 |
|
Apply healthcare systems, policy, and strategic planning to optimize system effectiveness.… |
4 |
Technology Requirement
All students in the MSN-NL program are required to have unrestricted access to a Windows- or Mac-based computer by the start of their first term.
Specialty Tracks
All MSN in Nursing Leadership students complete the same core curriculum, but those who wish to further tailor their learning experience may choose one of two specialty tracks.
Please note: These tracks require an extra 9 units of coursework over an additional two terms.
Nursing Education
Designed for those who want to lead clinical education initiatives or transition into academic or staff development roles. This track prepares graduates to shape the next generation of nurses or drive professional development in their organization.
Informatics
Combine nursing science with data and technology to optimize healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes. Students will gain expertise in technology integration, data management, and healthcare leadership, preparing them to lead innovations in healthcare informatics.
Clinical Practicums Designed Around You
Your leadership experience begins before graduation. USD partners with you to arrange clinical placements that align with your goals and interests, so you can focus on learning.
These clinical practicums will give you direct exposure to the kind of work you’ll be doing as a nurse leader and allow you to tailor the experience to your career aspirations. Students will complete four clinical practicums over the course of the program, culminating in 500 total clinical hours.
Under the guidance of experienced preceptors in nursing leadership roles, students set attainable, time-sensitive SMART goals that align with both the program outcomes and their individual leadership aspirations. The final practicum serves as a capstone experience within the systems-based practice course, allowing students to synthesize and apply the knowledge gained throughout the program.
Students are supported in securing clinical placements that match their career trajectory or leadership goals. The clinical placement may remain consistent or evolve throughout the program, depending on the student’s progress and needs. If you already have a preferred site or preceptor in mind—or would like to complete your placement at your current workplace—our team will work closely with you and your site to determine an appropriate fit and secure a placement that aligns with program expectations.
Beyond the Hospital
While many MSN-NL graduates pursue leadership roles in hospitals, this degree opens doors beyond traditional clinical settings. With a focus on systems leadership and population health, graduates are prepared to lead in community health organizations, nonprofits, academic institutions, government agencies, and private health care companies.
Whether influencing policy, improving public health outcomes, or advancing innovation through technology, MSN-prepared nurses are shaping the future of care delivery at every level.
Program Development
The MSN-NL program is offered through USD’s Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Founded in 1973, the Hahn School provides a range of comprehensive graduate-level degrees aimed at developing experienced, knowledgeable nursing professionals; empowering graduates to become changemakers across the country and around the world.
All faculty members are distinguished healthcare professionals with deep expertise in nursing leadership. They are dedicated to student success, offering coaching, mentorship, and support to help develop the next generation of nursing leaders.
Degree Plan
Degree candidates are admitted throughout the year and begin the program in the spring, summer, or fall. Students typically take two courses per 14-week term, focusing on one 7-week course at a time. Practicums span the full 14 weeks of the term. This program is designed to be completed, on average, in five terms (20 months).
Download a PDF of your degree plan that corresponds with your start term.
Important dates for your starting term can be found in the degree plan. Important dates for subsequent terms can be found in your student success center after acceptance.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, MSN-NL graduates will be equipped to:
- Apply knowledge from nursing, other disciplines, sciences, and liberal arts to advance the practice of professional nursing and promote health equity.
- Deliver person-centered care to individuals and significant others based on scientific knowledge to promote positive outcomes and health care equity.
- Promote population health that spans the healthcare continuum.
- Engage in scholarship for the nursing discipline to improve health outcomes and transform healthcare.
- Provide safe, quality care using safety science principles to enhance quality and minimize harm to patients and providers.
- Engage in interprofessional partnerships through Intentional collaboration to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen outcomes.
- Coordinate resources within a complex health system to provide diverse populations with safe, quality, and equitable care.
- Use informatics and communication technologies to provide care, gather data, drive decision-making, and support professional practice.
- Cultivate a sustainable, ethical, professional identity that reflects nursing’s attributes and values and self-awareness of implicit bias.
- Foster participation in activities and self-reflection to nurture personal, professional, and leadership development.