Health Care Leadership, M.S.N. - CPS, CPSO

Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, the Health Care Leadership M.S.N. is pausing admissions to the program. Current students will continue to have access to the same high-quality education and resources until they graduate.

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Health Care Leadership equips baccalaureate nurses with executive‑level leadership skills through a strong interdisciplinary approach that blends nursing science with principles from business, public health, and organizational leadership. The program prepares students to lead interprofessional teams in diverse and rapidly evolving healthcare environments, cultivating a commitment to advanced inquiry and the application of new knowledge to improve healthcare outcomes. Through meaningful, practice‑focused learning experiences, nurses develop competency in evidence‑based leadership standards that reflect best practices in contemporary nursing leadership, emerging as strategic, systems‑minded leaders ready to influence organizational outcomes and drive innovation across the healthcare continuum.

Additional Admissions Criteria for Full Acceptance to the Health Care Leadership (M.S.N.) Program

• License: An active RN license issued from the state where the student is currently practicing; and
• Education: Graduate from a regionally and nationally accredited nursing program.

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
Minimum GPA: 3.0

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Graduate credit is only granted for courses completed with a grade of B-­ or higher

Program Learning Outcomes

• Integrate the practice of nursing with sciences and humanities to assess the unique needs of a diverse population and design, implement and evaluate a plan to impact the outcomes of nursing care within the population;
• Apply leadership competencies in the provision of safe, high quality and cost effective care to individuals, populations, or communities within the health care system;
• Analyze information from health care information systems related to quality initiatives that promote improved quality, cost, safety and health care outcomes;
• Communicate research and practice outcomes to advance clinical practice;
• Demonstrate competence in the analysis of current and emerging technologies that impact health care outcomes;
• Advocate for policies that lead to improved population health outcomes or the improvement of the quality of the health care system;
• Demonstrate caring, culturally responsive leadership communication both written and verbally, capable of effectively leading interprofessional teams;
• Advocate for ethical health care practice through effective communication with interprofessional teams and stakeholders;
• Demonstrate competence in the advanced practice as a nursing leader to promote improvement in health care outcomes for individuals, systems, or populations.
• Nurse Leadership Concentration Expected Student Learning Outcomes
• Demonstrate ability to lead initiatives that promote culturally competent and ethical care that promotes health and improvement of health among individuals, populations, or communities;
• Implement and evaluate practice change based on innovative evidence-based nursing practice;
• Demonstrate competency in financial management, human resource management, and strategic and operational planning within the health care setting.

Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures

This is a non-licensure degree program. No additional license is required to practice in this field.

Visit the Office of the Registrar's website for more information about university programs that lead to professional licensure or certification eligibility.

Apply now

Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: Rolling Admissions. Final Deadline October 24
• Spring: Rolling Admissions. Final Deadline March 20
• Summer: Rolling Admissions. Final Deadline May 23
• Special: N/A

Application Fee: Application fee waived for CPS Online applicants.

Campus: Online

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters Eligible: No

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of Recommendation: 2 Required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Resume

A current resume is required with your submitted application.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:

1. Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
2. Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.