Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Degree
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Degree Program1
Graduate Post-Licensure
- In as few as 6 semesters for MSN2
- Nurses looking to change or enhance their practice
- Advance your education while you work
- Online Coursework
- Choose from five specialty tracks:
- Healthcare Policy
- Nurse Educator
- Nurse Executive
- Nursing Informatics
- Population Health
- Total credit hours
- Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics or Population Health Specialty Tracks: 36
- 1
Program/Program option availability vary by state/location.
- 2
With year-round, full-time enrollment
Note: National certification exams are available to graduates in select specialties. Licensing requirements vary by state and may include additional criteria.
MSN Program Overview
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program is a graduate degree program designed to prepare nurses for expanding roles in healthcare and enhance their opportunities for professional advancement. The minimum credit hours required to graduate and earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree is 36 semester-credit hours. Students may select one of five specialty tracks: Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics or Population Health. Program options and specialty track approval varies by state. A student may expect to complete the program in six semesters of full-time study comprised of one to two courses per semester, three semesters per year, for a total of six semesters, depending on which specialty track is pursued. Students in the Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive or Population Health Specialty Tracks are required to complete a 144 hour1 practicum. Students in the Informatics Specialty Track must complete a 216-hour2 practicum. Students are responsible for specifying their own practicum site and qualified mentor that meet the criteria established by Chamberlain. If students are unable to secure their own practicum site and qualified preceptor, Chamberlain will assist in identifying site/preceptor upon the student providing documentation of at least five potential sites that have not been able to accommodate the student, and must submit the request three sessions in advance of the need. Students using Chamberlain's preceptor matching service will be provided with one preceptor option within a 100-mile radius of their home address. Students must have an active and unrestricted nursing license in the state where they will complete their practicum. If the preceptor, mentor and/or field instructor you are submitting for Chamberlain University’s review and approval was found using a student-arranged third-party preceptor matching service, be advised that Chamberlain University will not reimburse any fees you may have incurred.
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) curriculum provides core courses in nursing theory, research and evidence-based practice, leadership, professional role development, health policy and information systems. After completing core courses, the student begins specialty coursework in one of five specialty tracks – Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics or Population Health – all of which allow students to build upon their knowledge of the foundations of professional nursing practice.
Students who have not chosen an area of specialization may begin the program in “Undeclared” status; however, students must select a specialty track by the time they have earned nine semester credit hours toward their degree. “Undeclared” status may result in additional coursework requirements, tuition and fee obligations.
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100-hour practicum is required for students enrolled prior to March 2017.
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200-hour practicum is required for students enrolled prior to March 2017.
The Healthcare Policy Specialty Track builds the foundational skills essential to nurses in healthcare policy roles including leader, change agent, advocate, and activist. Coursework includes the foundations of healthcare policy, economics, strategies to advance health equity and inclusivity, improve quality of care in vulnerable populations, global health, and nursing leadership in the policy arena. Students also complete a 144 hour1 healthcare policy practicum, allowing them to apply the knowledge and skills acquired from course work.
The Nurse Educator Specialty Track includes courses designed to prepare the student to teach in an academic or clinical-practice setting. Coursework includes educational and clinical foundations, instructional methods, program assessment and evaluation and curriculum development. Students complete 1441 practicum hours, 48 hours in a direct care setting preparing for nursing practice at an advanced level and 96 hours in an educational setting to further develop teaching skills with the support of an experienced nurse educator.
The Nurse Executive Specialty Track builds the foundational skills essential to nurse leaders. Coursework includes the foundations of organizational leadership, including managerial communication, organizational change and decision making. Students also complete a 144 hour1 Executive Specialty Track leadership practicum with the support of an experienced nurse executive, allowing them to further develop leadership skills.
The Nursing Informatics Specialty Track builds the foundational skills essential to informatics nurse specialists. Coursework includes the foundations of nursing informatics, including the practice of nursing informatics, management of data and information, healthcare information workflow and project management. Students also complete a 216-hour2 informatics practicum with the support of an experienced informatics nurse, allowing them to apply the knowledge and skills acquired from coursework. National certification exams are available to graduates in select specialties. For more information about national certification in nursing informatics,
visit nursingworld.org/our-certifications
The Population Health Specialty Track is designed for nurses who practice in settings where the goal of care is improvement in population health outcomes, and in settings where aggregate outcomes drive quality improvement in the delivery of healthcare. These settings include but are not limited to public health systems, clinical healthcare systems, public policy, school health, occupational health, acute care, long-term care, ambulatory care, disaster management and patient centered medical homes, just to mention a few. Building upon its strengths, the profession of nursing is positioned to integrate population health concepts across a variety of practice contexts. As the coming years unfold, innovative roles for nurses to lead population health initiatives will continue to emerge.
Graduates of Chamberlain’s MSN degree program are prepared to work as leaders in a variety of healthcare settings. Graduates exhibit well-developed skills in informatics, inquiry, leadership and communication and have a strong foundation for further graduate study.
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100-hour practicum is required for students enrolled prior to March 2017.
- 2
200-hour practicum is required for students enrolled prior to March 2017.
Graduate Program Outcomes
The MSN program outcomes are aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing publication, The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (2011). The expected outcomes for Chamberlain’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program are as follows:
- Provide high quality, safe, patient-centered care grounded in holistic health principles.
- Create a caring environment for achieving quality health outcomes.
- Engage in lifelong personal and professional growth through reflective practice and appreciation of cultural diversity.
- Integrate professional values through scholarship and service in healthcare.
- Advocate for positive health outcomes through compassionate, evidence-based, collaborative advanced nursing practice.
Program Details
Master of Science in Nursing (Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics and Population Health Specialty Tracks) Prior to January 2024
Degree: Master of Science in Nursing | Semesters: 4-8 Full Time (36-45 credit hours)
MSN Core Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-500 | Foundational Concepts and Applications | 3 |
| NR-501 | Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-504 | Leadership and Nursing Practice: Role Development | 3 |
| NR-505 | Advanced Research Methods: Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Health Care Policy 1 | ||
| Quality and Safety in Healthcare 1 | ||
| NR-512 | Fundamentals of Nursing Informatics | 3 |
Healthcare Policy Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-552 | Economics of Healthcare Policy | 3 |
| NR-553 | Global Health | 3 |
| NR-555 | Health Policy: Advancing Health Equity & Outcomes | 3 |
| NR-556 | The Nurse Leader and Health Policy | 3 |
| NR-651 | Healthcare Policy Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-652 | Healthcare Policy Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Nurse Educator Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-524 | Curriculum Development | 3 |
| NR-535 | Theoretical Foundations and Instructional Strategies for the Nurse Educator | 3 |
| NR-536 | Advanced Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-537 | Assessment and Evaluation in Education | 3 |
| NR-621 | Nurse Educator Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-622 | Nurse Educator Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Nurse Executive Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-531 | Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| NR-532 | Healthcare Operational Planning and Management | 3 |
| NR-533 | Financial Management in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| NR-534 | Healthcare Systems Management | 3 |
| NR-631 | Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-632 | Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Nursing Informatics Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-541 | Practice of Nursing Informatics | 3 |
| NR-542 | Managing Data and Information | 3 |
| NR-543 | Information Workflow in Healthcare | 3 |
| NR-640B | Informatics Nurse Specialist Practicum I | 3 |
| NR-642 | Informatics Nurse Specialist Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-643 | Informatics Nurse Specialist Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Population Health Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-530 | Foundations Population Health | 3 |
| NR-538 | Population Health I: Assessment and Analysis of Data | 3 |
| NR-539 | Population Health II: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation | 3 |
| NR-540 | Leading and Managing Population Health | 3 |
| NR-611 | Population Health Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-612 | Population Health Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
For the most up-to-date curriculum grids, visit chamberlain.edu/curriculum.
Master of Science in Nursing (Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics and Population Health Specialty Tracks) Effective January 2024
Degree: Master of Science in Nursing | Semesters: 4-8 Full Time (36-45 credit hours)
MSN Core Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-581 | Foundational Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-582 | Leadership and Role Development for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-583 | Informatics for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-584 | Quality and Safety for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-585 | Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-586 | Population Health and Epidemiology for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
Healthcare Policy Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-552 | Economics of Healthcare Policy | 3 |
| NR-553 | Global Health | 3 |
| NR-555 | Health Policy: Advancing Health Equity & Outcomes | 3 |
| NR-556 | The Nurse Leader and Health Policy | 3 |
| NR-651 | Healthcare Policy Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-652 | Healthcare Policy Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Nurse Educator Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-524 | Curriculum Development | 3 |
| NR-535 | Theoretical Foundations and Instructional Strategies for the Nurse Educator | 3 |
| NR-536 | Advanced Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NR-537 | Assessment and Evaluation in Education | 3 |
| NR-621 | Nurse Educator Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-622 | Nurse Educator Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Nurse Executive Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-531 | Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| NR-532 | Healthcare Operational Planning and Management | 3 |
| NR-533 | Financial Management in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| NR-534 | Healthcare Systems Management | 3 |
| NR-631 | Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-632 | Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Nursing Informatics Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-541 | Practice of Nursing Informatics | 3 |
| NR-542 | Managing Data and Information | 3 |
| NR-543 | Information Workflow in Healthcare | 3 |
| NR-640B | Informatics Nurse Specialist Practicum I | 3 |
| NR-642 | Informatics Nurse Specialist Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-643 | Informatics Nurse Specialist Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
Population Health Specialty Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NR-550 | Population Health Disparities: Local, National, and Global Perspectives | 3 |
| NR-538 | Population Health I: Assessment and Analysis of Data | 3 |
| NR-539 | Population Health II: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation | 3 |
| NR-540 | Leading and Managing Population Health | 3 |
| NR-611 | Population Health Concluding Graduate Experience I | 3 |
| NR-612 | Population Health Concluding Graduate Experience II | 3 |
For the most up-to-date curriculum grids, visit chamberlain.edu/curriculum.