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Dual Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration (MSN/MBA) Program Curriculum

The online Dual Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)/Master of Business Administration (MBA) program curriculum is comprised of 69 credits and can be completed in less than four years.

Students must complete the MSN curriculum prior to beginning MBA coursework.

MSN Foundation Courses (15 credits)

NRHL 5501 Health Promotion and Interprofessional Collaboration (3 Credits)

This course provides an in-depth review of approaches to health promotion as well as effective collaboration among members of the healthcare community. Students explore the problems and issues in using behavioral and social science theories, concepts, and data to inform health promotion and health education research and interventions. The course emphasizes developing appreciation for the diversity of expertise in interprofessional collaborative teams as well as establishing basic concepts of effective teamwork.

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Prerequisite: This is a foundational course requiring a minimum letter grade of “B”.


NRHL 5502 Ethical and Culturally Competent Healthcare Professional (3 Credits)

This course draws upon philosophy, ethics, and the social sciences to examine key concepts of professional practice that form the foundations for leadership, including professional obligations, duties, rights, and cultural competence. Coursework leads to an increased understanding of interplay among socio-cultural contexts, ethics, and cultural beliefs about health and illness. Basic principles of epidemiology, community-based assessment and evaluation, issues of equity, and the risks to vulnerable populations are explored. Students also study the role of the educator, administrator, and social change agent to explore what it means to be a culturally competent, ethical healthcare professional and leader in health systems or education.

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Prerequisite: This is a foundational course requiring a minimum letter grade of “B”.


NRHL 5503 Evidence-based Nursing Practice: Research and Process Improvement (3 Credits)

This course provides students with skills required to systematically research and evaluate current nursing knowledge to promote evidence-based nursing practice. Coursework emphasizes critical analysis of the current literature and proposed research methods, including quantitative and/or qualitative approaches to research, sampling procedures, data collection methods, and data analysis planning. Research topics such as ethical and cultural issues, methodological procedures associated with scientific investigation, and potential barriers to evidence-based practice are also course themes. Students are encouraged to critically analyze differing research paradigms as well as current issues surrounding evidence-based research.

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Prerequisite: This is a foundational course requiring a minimum letter grade of “B”.


NRHL 5505 Healthcare Policy and Advocacy (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of healthcare policy, organization, and financing with emphasis on current industry trends. Students assess the atmosphere in which policy is created and how compromise and bargaining shape policy decisions. Current policy initiatives involving healthcare delivery as well as nursing are analyzed. Coursework emphasizes the role of the nurse as a healthcare leader and advocate in the healthcare policy formation process.

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Prerequisite: This is a foundational course requiring a minimum letter grade of “B”.


NRHL 5506 Quality Improvement & Safety in Healthcare Systems (3 Credits)

This course analyzes problems caused by the varying levels of healthcare quality and strategies for improving them using models of evaluation and process improvement. Students learn to apply principles of quality and regulatory management with an emphasis on defining, measuring, and evaluating outcomes within organizations and systems to become effective leaders and change agents. Students are expected to participate in the development of actual quality measures and explain how such measures could be used in a defined health or educational system.

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Prerequisite: NRHL 5503 – Evidence-based Nursing Practice: Research and Process Improvement.


Nurse Executive Leader Concentration Courses (21 credits)

NRHL 6620 Building Effective Communication and Relationships (3 Credits)

This course covers knowledge and skills related to effective communication and relationship- building across various healthcare settings. Students study communication strategies to address nursing and organizational issues and conflicts, as well as advanced communication skills related to diversity in the workplace, generational benefits, recruitment and retention, collaborative decision-making, and shared governance. Building trust and credible organizational relationships with key stakeholders is also emphasized.

Prerequisite: NRHL 5501, NRHL 5502, NRHL 5503, NRHL 5505, NRHL 5506


NRHL 6622 Professionalism and Executive Career Development (3 Credits)

Students focus on the knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively coach and further the professional development of others within the healthcare organization. Coursework emphasizes the concepts of professionalism, personal and professional accountability, transparency, advocacy, and ethical standards. Students complete a comprehensive executive leadership career assessment, conduct a gap analysis, and develop an executive career plan for the future.

Prerequisite: NRHL 5501, NRHL 5502, NRHL 5503, NRHL 5505, NRHL 5506


NRHL 6624 Advanced Knowledge of Healthcare Systems (3 Credits)

This course explores the skills and knowledge nurse executives need to effectively lead in a variety of healthcare systems. Students study the unique needs of healthcare settings such as hospitals, ambulatory facilities, community-based services, long-term care, and private practice as well as financial, operational, regulatory, and clinical aspects of management specific to a range of healthcare systems. Factors such as reimbursement, technology, staffing, leadership, organizational design and complexity, and for-profit and not-for-profit aspects of the system will also be addressed in the context of nursing leadership strategies.

Prerequisite: NRHL 5501, NRHL 5502, NRHL 5503, NRHL 5505, NRHL 5506


NRHL 6646 Nursing Leadership and Systems Thinking (3 Credits)

This course explores principles of nursing leadership and the skills required for nurse managers and executives to function effectively in complex healthcare environments. The student develops leadership self-awareness in order to effectively lead change, build strong cultures and effective teams, and resolve conflicts.

Prerequisite: NRHL 6620, NRHL 6622, NRHL 6624


NRHL 6648 Financial Management and Resource Allocation (3 Credits)

This course advances student knowledge regarding financial accounting, budgeting, cost analysis, planning and control, and management of financial resources. The role of nurse manager and executive leader as it relates to responsible financial management in healthcare is explored.

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Prerequisite: NRHL 6646


NRHL 6653 Advanced Nursing Practice: Clinical Immersion (3 Credits)

This course builds upon the synthesis of prior knowledge and skills that promote the advancement of professional clinical nursing practice. The student applies nursing research and evidence-based practice to develop advanced clinical competency in a defined area of nursing practice. The course requires 70 practicum clock hours of clinical learning experience in the practice setting and the development of a nursing project proposal.

Prerequisite: NRHL 6648


NRHL 6655 Advanced Nursing Practice: Capstone Project Implementation (3 Credits)

This course provides opportunities for the student to apply knowledge and skills learned throughout the program into nursing practice. Under the direction of the faculty and guidance from the preceptor, students complete a nursing project that demonstrates their cumulative learning, nursing practice abilities, and professional growth that reflects master’s nursing practice. The project validates students' ability to synthesize and apply new knowledge and skills to real-world clinical issues and problems. The course requires 70 practicum clock hours of clinical learning experiences in the practice setting.

Prerequisite: NRHL 6653


MBA Foundation Courses (may be waived)

ACCT 5501 Introduction to Financial Accounting (3 Credits)

Concentrates on the preparation, interpretation, and analysis of the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Emphasizes the rationale for and implications of important accounting concepts, the selection of alternatively acceptable accounting methods and their varying effects of valuation and net income determination and reporting. Provides student with an opportunity to understand the complex accounting data they will receive as operational managers.


ECON 5101 Economics (3 Credits)

Fundamental concepts of macroeconomics, including supply and demand, measurements of and determination of economic performance, such as GDP, inflation, and unemployment are studied. Other topics include the causes of instability in the economy and corrective measures such as fiscal and monetary policy, money and banking, and the Federal Reserve System.


MNGT 5101 Organizational Behavior (3 Credits)

Covers the basic theory and application of administration and management. Emphasizes organizational behavior, including problems of motivation, leadership, organizational design and organization culture.


MBA Core Courses (30 credits)

ACCT 6201 Managerial Accounting for Decision Makers (3 Credits)

This course introduces the measurement, communication, and interpretation of cost data for management decision-making, planning, control, and evaluation of results. Students are shown how to use accounting information as an effective management tool for coordinating managerial activities. Course material is explored in the context of the extensive changes being implemented in the area of manufacturing, service delivery technologies, and control systems. This course uses case studies to emphasize the application of concepts.

Prerequisite: ACCT 5501


ECON 6101 Managerial Economics (3 Credits)

Students will learn to apply microeconomic tools to business decision-making. Topics include optimization, consumer behavior, elasticity of demand, the use of regression analysis to estimate demand (revenues) and costs, marginal analysis and market structure.

Prerequisite: BALT 5101 or waived and ECON 5101


MNGT 6501 Operations Management (3 Credits)

This course focuses on the strategic role of operations and how to improve operations processes. Issues to be discussed include continuous quality improvement, the critical importance of the customer and consideration of selected quantitative techniques.

Prerequisite: BALT 5101 or waived


FINA 6101 Techniques in Financial Decision Making (3 Credits)

Students will develop an understanding of financial theory and its application through case analysis.

Prerequisite: ACCT 5501, BALT 5101 or waived, and ECON 5101


MKTG 6101 Brand and Marketing Management (3 Credits)

Introduces students to the theory, practice, and current trend of brand and marketing management. Students explore consumer behavior, market research, new product development, pricing, distribution, and promotional considerations. Learn current marketing principles and practices applied in various industries. Includes discussion of the emerging role and impact of big data, data mining, text mining, and artificial intelligence on marketing automation and brand management. Analyze business cases to appreciate the successes and failures of major brands.

Prerequisite: BALT 5101 or waived


MNGT 6801 Global Strategic Management (3 Credits)

This course requires students to use and integrate the disciplines and techniques learned in previous required courses. Strategy formulation and implementation concepts are discussed using theory and cases.

Prerequisite: ACCT 6101, ECON 6101, FINA 6101, MKTG 6101, MNGT 6301, and MNGT 6501


MNGT 6601 Project Management (3 Credits)

The art and science of project management as applied to a variety of business and technology settings. Discusses how to initiate, plan, execute and control, and close projects within budget and on schedule. This course emphasizes planning, while introducing project management fundamentals and principles from the standpoint of the project manager who must plan, organize, execute, and monitor and control non-operational activities to deliver projects on-time, under-budget and within performance objectives. Topics include organization and charters; scope and work breakdown structures; project life cycles, responsibility matrixes; as well as. planning and control methods such as PERT/CPM, Gantt charts, and earned value.


MNGT 6301 Human Resources and Talent Management (3 Credits)

Introduction to strategic human resource management. Covers the relationship of business and HR planning and the changing character of the workforce. Provides systemic overview of recruiting, training, compensation, and diversity, inclusion, legal issues, and employee relations.

Prerequisite: MNGT 5101 or waived, or MNGT 6101


Get more details on the dual MSN/MBA degree curriculum: Request more information or call us today at 1-866-295-3104 to speak to an Admissions Advisor.