MSN in Nursing Administration
Leading a team of nurses and healthcare staff with the goal of providing better care to patients and improving the work environment is a job that takes organization and leadership. Colorado Technical University’s Master of Science in Nursing with a Nursing Administration concentration is designed to help students prepare for possible nursing leadership and management positions. By learning how to communicate effectively, understand relationship-building strategies to drive positive change and through demonstrating ethical personal, professional and fiscal accountability, graduates of the MSN-NA program at CTU could be positioned to pursue leadership or managing teams of nursing staff.
Highlights of CTU's Nursing Administration Program:
- Can be completed in as little as 18 months
- Offered 100% online excluding practicum
- Potential to complete your practicum hours at employment site
- Aligned to nursing industry standards and competencies
- Tuition cost of $17,760
MSN program goals:
- Employ leadership skills to improve the quality of care in a variety of healthcare settings
- Integrate advanced nursing and science knowledge into practice
Ranked Among the Best Online Nursing Programs
CTU’s online Master of Science in Nursing degree programs are ranked among the Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs by U.S. News and World Report for the third consecutive year.*
* CTU programs are ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Online Programs.
* CTU programs are ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Online Programs.
CTU is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission www.hlcommission.org
The Master of Science in Nursing degree program at Colorado Technical University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org)
Program FAQs
Licensed practicing nurses return to school with different knowledge and experience levels due to variations in accumulated nursing experience. At CTU, our nursing students:
- Use CTU’s intellipath® adaptive learning technology to focus on new knowledge development while bypassing content they know. Intellipath® is like the computerized adaptive testing nurses use to enter the profession.
- Experience faculty-led nursing courses infused with intellipath® assignments, writing assignments, discussion boards, virtual simulations, clinical experiences and journaling, among others.
- Bypass group project assignments due to interdisciplinary collaboration in clinical courses.
- Complete clinical experiences and a mix of traditional assignments.
Students must disclose if they are requesting to do their practicum with their employer.
Students may not complete practicum hours in their current department or with in-line supervisors.
For the MSN Nursing Administration and Nursing Education programs, campus visits are not required.
The structure of the MSN-Nursing Education and MSN-Nursing Administration concentrations are designed to allow the working nurse to advance in his/her MSN degree while continuing to work within the community. With an asynchronous (any time of day) classroom format, this allows students to formulate a study schedule that can be incorporated into their professional life. Instructors also provide synchronous chats to support varied adult learning needs.
Information about the practicum requirements can be found in the Nursing Learning Center where the Master of Science in Nursing Practicum Guide is located. The Clinical Coordinator also partners with students to assist with practicum related questions.
Students work with the Clinical Coordinator to prepare for practicum courses. Students receive emails with instructions about practicum preparation starting in the first session with CTU.
Each concentration has two practicum courses built into the degree plan. Practicum courses are 5 weeks in duration and require 60 clinical hours each for a total of 120 hours. Students receive individual support from the Clinical Coordinator to help them prepare for the practicum experiences.
Students receive communication each session with instructions about how to prepare for practicum. The Clinical Coordinator also provides individual guidance. Student engagement in the placement process is important as it promotes a positive, educational experience for adult learners.
The MSN Capstone course does not require clinical hours. There are a variety of weekly deliverables that measure a student’s progress toward meeting programmatic outcomes. The MSN Capstone does not require the student to conduct research.
CLASSES START
- December 06, 2022
- January 17, 2023
- February 21, 2023
TOTAL CREDITS
PROGRAM AVAILABILITY
- Online
Program Details
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Total tuition for this degree program will vary depending on your educational needs, existing experience, and other factors.
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Program Overview
Building Your Nursing Knowledge
An active unencumbered U.S. RN license, a bachelor's degree in nursing and a 3.0 GPA is required for acceptance into CTU's MSN program. If you do not have a BSN, CTU also offers an RN-BSN so you can pursue your academic goals in one easy to follow path. Students start the MSN-NA program with courses in the core area of nursing and then build upon that knowledge with coursework specific to the field of nursing administration. The program is 48 quarter credits for their program in all, credits that are divided between both core nursing education and the area of concentration.
Core nursing education. The MSN at CTU teaches leadership skills to students regardless of the specialization chosen. Students complete 24 quarter credits in overall core courses, allowing them to gain more insight into management theory and application, and evidence-based practices. Some of the courses at the core nursing level include:
- Healthcare Informatics and Technologies
- Advanced Nursing Practice
- Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare
- Promoting and Preserving Health in a Diverse Society
- MSN Capstone
Concentration. After completing their core nursing courses, students can finish their degree by taking six (6) more courses, or 24 quarter credits. These courses are designed to help students learn about the specialty of nursing administration and to apply their newly learned nursing administration theory into clinical practice. Some of these courses include:
- Healthcare Finance
- Innovation for Quality Care
- Strategic Planning
- Systems in Healthcare
The two practicum courses included as part of the concentration require 60 hours each, for 120 hours total. In some cases, these practicum hours can be completed onsite at your place of current employment.
College of Nursing Mission Statement
Through an innovative curriculum and student-centered teaching, the nursing faculty teaches, supports, and inspires students to become competent, caring, and accountable professionals who serve a diverse client population within a dynamic health care environment.
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Degree Requirements
Courses - Core
CreditsCourse Title Course Description Credit Hours NRSG610 Advanced Nursing Practice 4 NRSG612 Integrating Theory and Research for Evidence-Based Practice 4 NRSG615 Healthcare Informatics and Technologies 4 NRSG617 Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare 4 NRSG625 Promoting and Preserving Health in a Diverse Society 4 NRSG640 MSN Capstone 4 Total Credit Hours: 24 Courses - Concentration
CreditsCourse Title Course Description Credit Hours HCM632 Systems in Healthcare 4 HCM670 Management of Human Resources in Healthcare 4 HCM676 Healthcare Finance 4 NRSG620 Strategic Planning 4 NRSG622 Innovation for Quality Care 4 NRSG630 New Knowledge and Innovations in Nursing Leadership 4 Total Credit Hours: 24 Total Credit Hours: 48
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Ways to Save
Ways to Save
Cost of this degree may be reduced based on one or more of the following:
- Active duty military status (see the tuition tab for details)
- Number of credits transferred and accepted from other institutions
- Eligibility for a Corporate Alliances Grant (check with your CTU Admissions Advisor)
- Tuition Reimbursement (talk to your HR Manager)
- Grants or scholarships at CTU
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Outcomes
MSN Program Learning Outcomes:
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing and a variety of sciences in diverse settings for the purpose of improving nursing care
- Apply organizational and systems leadership concepts to promote quality patient care
- Evaluate performance improvement processes designed for the purpose of providing quality patient care
- Apply research outcomes and evidence-based practice to recommendations for improved patient care
- Synthesize health policy processes established for the advocacy of quality healthcare
- Integrate interprofessional collaboration to the management of patient and population health outcomes
- Apply organizational, client-centered, and culturally appropriate concepts to clinical prevention and population care to identified populations
MSN - Nursing Administration Concentration Learning Outcomes:
- Integrate effective communication and relationship-building strategies in diverse communities of interest that drive change towards quality organizational outcomes
- Apply leadership principles and systems thinking that positively influence human resources in the healthcare environment
- Demonstrate ethical personal, professional and fiscal accountability in the advocacy for clinical enterprise and nursing practice
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Admission Requirements
Admission to this program requires an unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States. All students must maintain this licensure throughout the program of study.
Students must have graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from a regionally accredited institution. A cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 for the last 90 quarter (60 semester) hours of study undertaken for full acceptance into the program.
Prior to starting the nursing program all applicants must submit an unofficial or official copy of college transcript from their BSN degree for review. Applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing degree program who meet all general admission requirements, but who have a CGPA for the BSN degree between 2.75 to 2.99 for the last 90 quarter (60 semester) hours of study, may be granted provisional admission. Students must successfully complete their first two MSN courses with a minimum of 3.0 GPA to be granted full admission to the nursing program or be administratively withdrawn.
At this time, Colorado Technical University cannot accept inquiries for the Master of Science in Nursing program from residents of the states of Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
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