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    MSN, Nurse Executive

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    Master's in Nursing Executive Online Degree Overview

    Increase your impact by earning your online MSN degree as a Nurse Executive. Today, there is a great need for educated, experienced nurses to assume senior management positions in healthcare systems and other organizations.

    Our program provides you with management techniques and business acumen that, when combined with the values and attributes you've acquired as a nursing professional, will prepare you for an executive leadership role.

    Nursing salaries for nurse executives vary widely in the U.S. and are based upon many factors including geography, job description, specialty and experience. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates the median salary in May 2023 in the United States for Medical and Health Services Managers was $110,680 ($53.21 per hour), with a much faster than average projected job growth of 29 percent between 2023 and 2033.

    Want to learn more? Watch our most recent Virtual Information Session.

    Program Perks
    • Online, CCNE-accredited program can be completed in 24 months
    • No GRE required 
    • Designed to further skills as a nurse, leader & capable business executive
    • Provides skills and knowledge to work as a nurse executive 
    • Courses 5-10 weeks long, with 1 week off before next course
    • Access courses at any time of the day and from anywhere 
    • Students gain administrative experience through practicum & projects
    • Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible for executive certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Association for Nursing Leadership
    CCNE

    Accreditation & Licensure

    The master's degree program in nursing at Nebraska Methodist College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791.

    Graduates must pass programatic certification exam based on practice specialty

    Admissions Information

    Criteria

    Applicants are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

    • Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) from a state approved program of nursing or a program professionally accredited by NLN CNEA, CCNE or ACEN.
    • BSN program GPA of 3.0.
    • GPA below 3.0 will be considered on an individual basis.
    • Current unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse.
    • Non- Nebraska Residents meet State Authorization
    • No GRE required for admission

    Requirements

    To be considered for admission the following items must be submitted to the Admissions Office:

    Deadlines

    Prospective students may apply anytime and are accepted from deadlines throughout the year. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt, and students will be notified of their application status by postal mail, email or phone.

    Starting Term - Fall 2026

    Priority Deadline - 1/30/2026

    Standard Deadline - 7/10/2026

    Starting Term - Spring 2026

    Standard Deadline - 12/5/2025

    Costs & Financial Aid

    NMC is committed to helping you find every avenue to finance your education. View the Tuition by Program & Degree page for a comprehensive list of all fees.

    Cost Per Credit Hour

    $588

    Cost of Attendance

    NMC Scholarships

    NMC Scholarships consist of funds generously provided by the Methodist Hospital Foundation to assist our students.

    Student Grants or Loans

    Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about what's available and how to apply.

    Employee Education Benefits

    Employees of Methodist Health System can find details on the MHS Intranet.

    External Scholarships

    Visit our Scholarships page to learn more.

    Calculate Your Net Price

    Nebraska Methodist College Net Price Calculator.

    Curriculum

    All MSN students are required to complete specific coursework. This list should only be used as a curriculum guide. Course listings and required curriculum are subject to change.

    A student must earn a minimum of 36 total credit hours to be eligible for the Master of Science in Nursing degree. All course requirements as outlined below must be met.

    Required

    NRS 500
    MSN STUDENT ORIENTATION
    DETAILS
    This course provides an orientation for new MSN students to the Masters of Science in Nursing program at Nebraska Methodist College. Emphasis is placed on program expectations and student resources essential for success in the MSN program. Students will learn how to navigate our virtual learning platforms, access research materials, and engage with faculty and peers.

    Prerequisites: Admission to MSN program

    NRS 502
    LEADERSHIP IN AN ADVANCED NURSING SPECIALTY ROLE
    DETAILS
    In this course, students explore the transition of the nurse into the advanced nursing specialty role. This course will promote an understanding of how a nurse in an advanced nursing specialty role acclimates to new leadership responsibilities by influencing change, responding to chaos/crisis and managing conflict. The significance of team- building and interdisciplinary collaboration will be explored. Students begin to develop their professional portfolio based on program outcomes.

    NRS 504
    ADVANCED HEALTH ASSESSMENT, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY
    DETAILS

    In this course, students synthesize advanced concepts of pathophysiology, health assessment and pharmacology across the lifespan for the advanced nursing specialty role to complete an accurate health database, including history and holistic assessment, across the lifespan. Physiologic changes, clinical manifestations, and drug therapy are integrated to facilitate critical analysis to support clinical decision-making. Virtual clinical experiences allow for practical application of course theory.

    Prerequisites: NRS 502, or by permission

    NRS 506
    INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
    DETAILS
    In this course, students examine nursing roles in informatics and information technology within the healthcare system. The history, theoretical models, and best practices of nursing informatics are explored. Students investigate ethical, legal, and regulatory standards and workplace policies. Exploration of digital health literacy will be performed. Students examine the consequences of using information and communication technology on the quality of care, efficiency of communications, and connections between the healthcare team, patients, and consumers.

    Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 517, or by permission

    NRS 507
    POPULATION HEALTH IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY
    DETAILS

    In this course, students explore concepts of population health and social determinants of health. Students will investigate issues that contribute to understanding population health and health inequities. Emphasis is placed upon the analysis of a population health assessment in informing strategies to advance health outcomes. Students will explore population-focused interventions to address health risks and disparities across selected health care delivery settings. Critical analysis of population health concepts and implementation of management strategies in a community-based practice setting will be examined. The practicum experience allows for practical application of course theory.

    Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

    NRS 510
    HEALTH POLICY & SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE
    DETAILS
    In this course, students investigate the impact of local, regional, national, and global systems and regulations on the safety and quality of care for individuals and diverse populations. The relationship between healthcare economics, health policy, and the complex health system will be explored. Students will examine legislation on current health policies and factors shaping policy development. Students will explore factors of cost containment, resource allocation, risk benefit analysis, quality, advocacy, interprofessional collaboration, and developing and implementing systems solutions in systems-based thinking.

    Prerequisites: NRS 509 or by permission

    NRS 513
    MEASUREMENT & STATISTICAL CONCEPTS FOR DATA INTERPRETATION
    DETAILS
    In this course, students apply nursing knowledge with theory and statistical methods to broaden understanding of nursing concepts and nursing outcomes. Measurement principles, descriptive statistics and relationships between variables are explored to better comprehend nursing and nursing phenomena. Using the framework of disparity and risk in a specific population, students apply content on variable association. Reports using statistics to compare groups and measure patient improvement over time are analyzed for implications for patient populations.

    Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

    NRS 517
    CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF KNOWLEDGE FOR PRACTICE
    DETAILS
    The purpose of this course is the understanding of research processes and interpretation of statistics to make accurate critical appraisals. Students apply the process of drawing conclusions, finding implications, and making recommendations based on an appraised study. Students learn to judge relative merits of studies in answering particular research questions. Questions of the fit of evidence or theory within an identified agency or institutional setting are explored.

    Prerequisites: NRS 509 & NRS 513, or by permission

    NRS 552
    LEADING AN ORGANIZATION
    DETAILS
    The major focus of this course will be the planning, organizing, and coordinating aspects of management. The role of the nurse executive from the perspective of transformational, quantum, and organizational leadership theories will be explored. The concepts of creating a vision, planning, power, risk-taking, decision-making, reflective practice, emotional intelligence and competence, forces of magnetism, AONE and IOM competencies, and personal and professional responsibility and accountability will be discussed.

    Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

    NRS 554
    HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
    DETAILS
    This course will focus on the directing and controlling or human resource management (HRM) aspects of the management process. Under the umbrella of quantum and transformational leadership, topics to be covered include delegation, motivation, staffing, empowerment, employee engagement, recruitment and retention strategies, employee selection, performance evaluation, compensation, staff development, coaching/mentoring, disciplinary action, cultural competence and diversity in the workplace, and legal issues associated with human resource management.

    Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 550, or by permission

    NRS 558
    FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & ECONOMICS
    DETAILS
    The history of healthcare reimbursement, economics and healthcare, accounting principles and information systems for data retrieval will serve as the introduction to budget principles, development, variances, and strategies. Strategic management, business plans, cost-benefit analysis, cost- effectiveness analysis, collective bargaining, productivity, marketing, staffing, and patient care delivery systems will be discussed from a financial perspective. Students will use Excel for solving financial problems and budgeting exercises.

    Prerequisites: All program course work except NRS 559, NRS 592 and NRS 594, or by permission

    NRS 559
    NURSE EXECUTIVE PRACTICUM
    DETAILS
    Each student will choose a healthcare setting (acute care, long term care, etc.) to work 126 contact hours with a nurse executive/administrator who will serve as a preceptor. Throughout this course, the student will synthesize management and leadership principles into the nurse executive role. The student must identify a project or topic for improvement, develop a strategy for improvement, use evidence and theory to support the proposed improvement strategy, implement and evaluate the improvement strategy and share the findings and outcomes of the project.

    Prerequisites: All program course work except NRS 592 and NRS 594, or by permission

    NRS 592
    CAPSTONE I
    DETAILS
    In this first course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education and leadership content as well as experiences learned throughout the master's programs of study. Groups of students will collaboratively begin a group-selected evidence-based project. Emphasis is placed on the process of identifying a nursing problem (PICO [T]), searching and critically appraising the literature with development of a summary matrix table.

    Prerequisites: Typically taken in the second-to-last semester, or by permission

    NRS 594
    CAPSTONE II
    DETAILS
    In this second course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education and leadership content and experiences learned throughout the master's program of study. Groups of students will collaboratively complete the group-selected evidence-based project begun in NRS 592. Emphasis will be on the process of completing an evidence-based manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, a poster presentation suitable for delivery at a local, national or regional conference or a webinar presentation.

    Prerequisites: Typically taken in the last semester, or by permission

    Meet the Faculty

    Our nursing faculty are highly experienced and credentialed in their own fields, giving you constant real-world insight you can use. While any instructor can recite from a textbook, ours go a step further and draw from vast personal and professional experiences. Instructors here care as deeply about their students as they do the subject matter and it shows.

    Meet the Faculty

    Additional Information

    Program Outcomes

    Graduates of MSN program will be able to

    1. Integrate scholarly inquiry into nursing practice to improve outcomes in healthcare.
    2. Demonstrate attributes of a professional, transformative, and visionary nurse leader in an advanced specialty role.
    3. Embrace life-long learning to advance personal growth, the nursing profession, and health outcomes.
    4. Foster interprofessional collaboration through mutual respect, effective communication, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
    5. Address the impact of social, political, legal, and ethical influences on diverse populations, health policies, and nursing practice.
    6. Demonstrate competence in an advanced specialty role using knowledge, skills, and professional judgment to promote evidence-based nursing practice.
    7. Advocate for compassionate person-centered care in the planning, coordination, and evaluation of care for individuals, families, groups, and populations.
    8. Engage in emerging technologies and information systems to optimize the multifaceted healthcare environment and nursing practice.
    9. Navigate complex systems to improve cost-effectiveness, quality, and safety initiatives that support health care outcomes and systemic equality.

    Online Technology Requirements

    See the Online Technology Requirements

    Example Plans of Study

    Plan of Study - Fall
    Plan of Study - Spring

    MSN Blog Posts

    Professional Organizations

    Testimonial

    "I have a passion for healthcare and leadership. The NMC Nurse Executive program gave me the tools and the confidence to apply for a Senior Director position at my current job. Two years later, I have a degree and positioned myself to get the promotion I dreamed of!"

    - Shelly K., 2021 NMC Graduate

    Program Handbook