Online Nursing Leadership & Management MSN
Master of Science in Nursing Degree
Attain the clinical skills and knowledge needed to lead health systems by earning your Nursing Leadership and Management master’s degree online at the University of Central Florida, recognized among the nation’s best for online nursing degrees.
Taught by nursing faculty experts, UCF’s online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program builds upon a baccalaureate nursing education and professional experience to prepare nurses to assume leadership positions in a variety of healthcare settings.
Program Objectives
- Translate evidence from nursing science and other disciplines into professional nursing practice to improve outcomes.
- Utilize clinical judgement to design initiatives that improve health, healthcare quality, and safety.
- Engage in collaborative interprofessional partnerships that optimize care coordination and delivery across professional practice settings.
- Evaluate data from technologies to improve outcomes.
- Develop a professional identity that reflects nursing values and ethics.
- Promote advocacy for the profession and all patients.
UCF equips emerging nurse leaders with the advanced skills, evidence-based strategies, and
real-world experience needed to drive meaningful change in today’s complex healthcare systems.”
Why Earn Your Nursing Graduate Degree Online at UCF
Designed For You
Convenient, flexible online learning
with accelerated and part-time options.
Plus, earn clinical and internship hours
in your home community.
Invest in the Future
Nurse leaders and managers are in high demand, with a 23% job growth
through 20341. Advance in your career
and lead nursing’s future.
Learn from Experts
Ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, UCF offers high-quality online instruction from industry-leading faculty. Learn about accreditation.
Student Success
“UCF represents opportunity, elevation, pride and family to me. It is truly an honor to be a Knight alumnus.”
Curriculum Overview
UCF’s online MSN degree in Nursing Leadership and Management is offered in accelerated and part-time tracks, starting in either fall or spring.
Curriculum emphasizes evidence-based management and patient-care practices to achieve quality outcomes, innovation in the integration of healthcare services, and expertise in leading collaborative interprofessional teams for the novice and aspiring nurse leader.
This online MSN program prepares students for advanced leadership roles by developing independent expertise in the critical analysis and evidence-based evaluation of complex problems associated with organizations and systems.
The program includes 36 credit hours in online asynchronous instruction and a total of 500 clinical hours and internship completed in a student’s home community with a qualified preceptor.
Practice Hours
The 500 practice hours are related to the practice of nursing leadership and management. Students cannot be involved in direct delivery of patient care as part of these practice experiences.
Students admitted to the online MSN in Nursing Leadership and Management program will identify a practice site and an appropriate preceptor for that site.
Qualified preceptors need to be employed by the institution in which a student will complete practice hours, cannot be a direct report, must be a RN working in a nursing leadership role, and must hold a master’s degree related to practice in a nursing leadership role.
Typically practice hours are completed in the student’s place of employment as long as an affiliation agreement is in place or can be secured.
UCF’s College of Nursing maintains many affiliation agreements throughout the State of Florida. Please check with your organization to determine if an affiliation agreement is in place.
If there is not an affiliation agreement, please contact the College of Nursing Graduate Office at gradnurse@ucf.edu or 407-823-2744 immediately upon notification of admission to the MSN in Nursing Leadership and Management program. Students may not complete practice hours without a UCF affiliation agreement in place prior to the start of the practice hours.
Sample plans of study are below.
Electives and practicum can be tailored to meet individual learning objectives.
View current information on tuition and costs for UCF Online graduate programs.
| Semester | Course | Credit Hours | Clinical Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 1 | NGR 5720C: Organizational Dynamics | 3 | 20 |
| NGR 5871: Health Care Informatics | 3 | ||
| NGR 5884: Legal & Professional Behavior in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | ||
| Spring 1 | NGR 6874: Nursing Environment Management | 3 | |
| NGR 6801: Research Methods | 3 | ||
| NGR 6014: Management of Population Health & Illness Across the Continuum of Care | 4 | ||
| Summer 1 | NGR 6722: Financial Management and Resource Development | 3 | |
| NGR 6813: Evidence Based Practice | 3 | ||
| Fall 2 | NGR 6723: Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 | |
| NGR 6723L: Nursing Leadership Role Specialization Practicum | 4 | 240 | |
| Spring 2 | NGR 6772L: Nursing and Leadership Management Internship | 4 | 240 |
| Total | 36 | 500 | |
| Semester | Course | Credit Hours | Clinical Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 1 | NGR 5871: Health Care Informatics | 3 | |
| NGR 5720C: Organizational Dynamics | 3 | 20 | |
| NGR 6014: Management of Population Health & Illness Across the Continuum of Care | 4 | ||
| Summer 1 | NGR 6722: Financial Management and Resource Development | 3 | |
| NGR 6874: Nursing Environment Management | 3 | ||
| NGR 6801: Research Methods | 3 | ||
| Fall 1 | NGR 6723: Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 | |
| NGR 6723L: Nursing Leadership Role Specialization Practicum | 4 | 240 | |
| Spring 2 | NGR 6772L: Nursing and Leadership Management Internship | 4 | 240 |
| NGR 6813: Evidence Based Practice | 3 | ||
| Summer 2 | NGR 5884: Legal & Professional Behavior in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | |
| Total | 36 | 500 | |
| Semester | Course | Credit Hours | Clinical Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 1 | NGR 5871: Health Care Informatics | 3 | |
| NGR 5884: Legal & Professional Behavior in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | ||
| Spring 1 | NGR 6014: Management of Population Health & Illness Across the Continuum of Care | 4 | |
| NGR 5720C: Organizational Dynamics | 3 | 20 | |
| Summer 1 | NGR 6801: Research Methods | 3 | |
| Fall 2 | NGR 6722: Financial Management and Resource Development | 3 | |
| NGR 6813: Evidence Based Practice | 3 | ||
| Spring 2 | NGR 6723: Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 | |
| NGR 6723L: Nursing Leadership Role Specialization Practicum | 4 | 240 | |
| Summer 2 | NGR 6874: Nursing Environment Management | 3 | |
| Fall 3 | NGR 6772L: Nursing and Leadership Management Internship | 4 | 240 |
| Total | 36 | 500 | |
| Semester | Course | Credit Hours | Clinical Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 1 | NGR 5871: Health Care Informatics | 3 | |
| NGR 5884: Legal & Professional Behavior in Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | ||
| Summer 1 | NGR 6014: Management of Population Health & Illness Across the Continuum of Care | 4 | |
| Fall 1 | NGR 5720C: Organizational Dynamics | 3 | 20 |
| NGR 6801: Research Methods | 3 | ||
| Spring 2 | NGR 6813: Evidence Based Practice | 3 | |
| NGR 6722: Financial Management and Resource Development | 3 | ||
| Summer 2 | NGR 6874: Nursing Environment Management | 3 | |
| Fall 2 | NGR 6723: Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 | |
| NGR 6723L: Nursing Leadership Role Specialization Practicum | 4 | 240 | |
| Spring 3 | NGR 6772L: Nursing and Leadership Management Internship | 4 | 240 |
| Total | 36 | 500 | |
Application Requirements
Individuals applying to UCF’s Online Nursing Leadership and Management MSN program must meet the following minimum program requirements:
- Fulfill general UCF graduate admissions requirements. (See the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog for details.)
- Licensed RN for the state or country in which you practice. Out-of-state limitations apply.
- Meet one of the following:
- Passed an undergraduate statistics course.
- NO GRE required.
Please note: Online programs do not meet immigration requirements for students holding an F1 or J1 Visa to maintain status. If you have questions, please contact UCF Global at global.ucf.edu or call 407-823-2337.
Admissions Process
Ready to apply? You will need the following:
- Schedule an appointment with a UCF College of Nursing graduate program advisor to discuss your goals for graduate study. (Strongly recommended, but not required.)
- Official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) reflecting prior education, recent clinical and/or practice accomplishments, any recent scholarly work (publications, presentations, grants and/or research participation), awards and scholarships received, additional professional certifications, volunteer activities, and membership, leadership and activities with professional organizations and community service organizations. For recent graduates, this can include accomplishments as a student.
- Three (3) recommendations.
- Written essay, 500 words or less, double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins addressing the following:
- Describe your future career plans and how the program to which you are applying will help you achieve your career goals.
- Describe the changes you would make in your personal and professional life to ensure success in your graduate nursing education.
- Identify one significant contemporary issue or problem in U.S. healthcare and explore how members of the nursing profession can help address that issue or solve that problem.
An interview with faculty may also be required.
Admissions are decided by a committee of faculty and staff within UCF’s College of Nursing, based on an applicant’s overall GPA, GPA of the last 60 hours of undergraduate program, CV, and written essay.
Boldly advance your career and healthcare’s future by adding an online certificate in Artificial Intelligence or Healthcare Simulation.
