Western’s Master of Science in Nursing Education is a two-year, full-time, 48-credit non-thesis master's degree. The program combines online coursework with immersive face-to-face sessions three times per quarter on the Bellingham Campus and hands-on practical experiences arranged by the faculty in the community. Students collaborate with seasoned preceptors across various settings, including palliative care, public health, primary care, rural health, tribal health, nursing education, and acute care.

Information Session

Join us at a virtual Information Session on Wednesday May 1^st 4:00pm-5:00pm to learn more about the program. Register for the event or email nursing@wwu.edu to request the Zoom link.

Advance Your Career

The MSN in Nursing Education empowers students to excel in educating future nurses, communities, nursing staff, and patients. Graduates are prepared to integrate health equity and inclusive teaching and design principles into nursing education, including online formats and simulation modules. Real-world practice experiences in clinical and educational settings provide hands-on experience.

Graduating students will have many opportunities, such as academic educators, clinical educators, staff development educators, educational consultants, clinical coordinators, simulation educators, and community health educators. These professionals are pivotal in improving patient care, advancing healthcare education, and leading healthcare organizations and communities.

Innovative Curriculum

At the core of our MSN program lies a commitment to population health and the ecological model. Foundational courses promote lifelong transformative learning and collaborative approaches to addressing the social determinants of health. Students apply structural competencies to conduct holistic assessments, implement practice transformations, connect individuals with care resources, form partnerships for equitable health outcomes, and advocate for policies promoting health equity. Additional core courses include equity-focused scholarship and an informatics course.

Specialty nursing education courses are grounded in the National League of Nursing (NLN) Nurse Educator competencies. Unique to our program is inclusive online design, simulation design, and curriculum and program evaluation. Students undertake a capstone project completed during the final two quarters of the program, guided by a mentor.

The curriculum meets the didactic requirement to sit for advanced credentialing: NLN Academic Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) or Academic Novice Nurse Educator Certification (CNEn) certification programs.