Nurse Administrator

Overview

The Nurse Administrator program will prepare you to provide leadership and management in many different areas of nursing and in different types of health care agencies.  Opportunities range from acute care (hospitals) to home care agencies to primary care clinics, public health, schools and even insurance companies.  As healthcare moves from an illness based focus to a wellness based one, new opportunities for nursing leadership are identified on a regular basis.  With a degree in nursing administration you are prepared to move beyond the bedside into areas where collaboration and engagement with interdisciplinary teams, and leading teams through successful change projects becomes part of your skill set.  Business practices such as budgeting, hiring and evaluating are part of the curriculum.  Quality Improvement and Patient Safety are also key topics. Roles, responsibilities, and titles for the Nurse Administrator will depend on the setting with positions ranging from supervisor, manager, director, executive, and leader, including the Chief Nurse Executive.  This program can also support your professional development towards certification or doctoral study since Nurse Executives are encouraged to seek educational preparation at the doctoral level to enhance their roles and contributions to improving health care outcomes and systems.

Our graduate programs are designed for working nurses.  You will complete courses online in an asynchronous format.  Clinical hours in the program are focused on acquiring the Nurse Administrator competencies congruent with the leadership/management setting of your choice.  You will gain experience in administration by completing a minimum of 288 hours in a clinical setting under the supervision of a qualified master’s-prepared Nurse Administrator preceptor.

Curriculum Plan (Click here for plan)

Core MSN Courses (15 units):

• MSN 502 Advanced Nursing Roles

• MSN 513 Healthcare Policy and Economics

• MSN 514 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

• MSN 530 Research Utilization in Advanced Nursing Practice

• MSN 531 Nursing Ethics

Nurse Administrator Elective Course (3 units):

• MSN 555 Quality Improvement in Health Care

Note: Course is only offered Fall Term.

Nurse Administrator Courses (12 units):  

• MSN 532 Nurse Administrator: Societal Institutions

• MSN 538 Nurse Administrator: Resource Management

• MSN 560 Nurse Administrator Role Performance I (144 clinical hours)

• MSN 570 Nurse Administrator Role Performance II (144 clinical hours)

Full course descriptions are presented in the University Catalog available online. http://www.csudh.edu/university-catalog/

Plan of Study

A part-time plan of study is presented because students are typically working full-time. It is possible to accelerate the plan for the MSN Core, and Elective course; however, the Nurse Administrator Role courses are sequenced and must progress over 2 semesters.

Costs of Attendance

Graduate student fees vary based on 0-6 units or more than 6 units and there is an additional fee for out-of-state residents.  Summary information is provided here: Student Fees and more detail is available on the Student Financial Services webpage.

Admission Requirements

Registered Nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing

1. Completion of a baccalaureate degree program with a CCNE- accredited upper division major in nursing (BSN) from a regionally accredited institution or the equivalent as determined by the School of Nursing.  See below for information on foreign degrees.

2. Overall grade point average of 3.0 (on a four-point scale) or higher in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units of upper division course work attempted. Students not meeting this grade point average requirement may be admitted to Conditionally Classified status on the recommendation of the faculty.

3. Registered nurse licensure in the United States, unencumbered, unrestricted, with no disciplinary action pending or imposed.

4. Completion of the following prerequisites:

   1. Statistics - including probability and inferential

   2. Research - introductory course or equivalent

5. Submission of a professional resume and a letter of intent describing how the role option you are applying for fits your career plans for the future and discuss your ability to learn online (maximum 350 words).

6. Residence in a state in which the School of Nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills is permitted to deliver online education.

As a result of the Department of Education regulations for higher education and state education laws, the School of Nursing cannot deliver online education in all states. If you are an out-of-state resident or anticipate a move during your academic program, please contact the School of Nursing prior to submitting an application to discuss your situation.

Application Information & Time Frame

1. Submit the University Online Application via CalState Apply (Video tutorial on how to apply) during the time frames provided below.  CalState Apply Applicant Help Center

2. Submit transcripts to Admissions and Records before the document deadline.

Registered Nurses with a Non-Nursing Bachelor degree

Nurses with a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field who would like to prepare for admission into an MSN program will have the opportunity to receive their BSN by completing the RN-BSN program. Please see the RN-BSN Admissions page for further information: https://www.csudh.edu/son/programs/rn-bsn/admission/.

Degrees Outside of the United States

If the Baccalaureate degree was completed outside of the United States:

• Please provide a word-for-word translation by an evaluation agency of your transcripts if they are not in English.

• Official academic records and diploma/certificate must be sent from the institution attended.

• If official records are not in English, certified English translations of all documents must also be submitted. Translations must be word-for-word (i.e. literal) translations

• English Proficiency must be established by exam

  • TOEFL minimum scores: 550 paper, 80 internet, 213 computer

  • IELTS minimum score 6.5

  • Pearson Test of English Academic minimum score 53

A waiver may be requested if 3 years full-time equivalent instruction at the secondary level or higher was received at a school where English was the principal language of instruction.

For more information, please email SONdepartment@csudh.edu