Western's Master of Science in Nursing Leadership & Administration 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 for Zoom link.

Advance Your Career

The MSN in Nursing Leadership & Administration readies students to lead in healthcare organizations and community settings. Graduates are equipped to integrate health equity into nursing leadership and administration, including systems thinking, implementing effective change, and strategic financial management. Real-world practice experiences with nurse leaders provides hands-on experience.

Graduating students will have many opportunities, such as being nurse managers, directors of nursing, quality improvement specialists, case managers, healthcare consultants, and healthcare administrators. These professionals are pivotal in improving patient care 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 address 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 leadership and administration courses are grounded in the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) Nurse Leader Core Competencies. Students learn to navigate the art and science of guiding individuals, applying governance and leadership theories, systems thinking, and adaptive complex strategies, managing unexpected disruptions, implementing science, and applying economic principles. 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: Nurse Executive (NE-BC) and the Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) certification programs.