This is the 2026-2027 catalog. If you began in another year, you may need a different catalog.

2026-2027 Graduate Catalog

Department website: https://www.uwgb.edu/msn/

The MSN Leadership and Management is intended for RNs holding a bachelor’s degree in nursing. This master’s degree provides advanced coursework in leadership and management to improve care at multiple levels across the continuum of health care settings. The curriculum will provide students with knowledge and skills to improve outcomes in areas of quality processes, cost savings, and patient satisfaction. Core content within the curriculum includes leadership, fiscal management, evaluative methods, information systems, health care policy, communication, and organizational behavior. Didactic and practicum courses will comprise the curriculum. Practicum experiences will be arranged with health care facilities in students’ geographic areas. More information, admission requirements, required application materials and applications can be can be found on the UW-Green Bay Graduate Studies website.

The curriculum consists of 13 graduate-level courses delivered via a part-time model. Students can complete the program in 6 terms over two years taking two courses each term. Alternatively, they can progress taking one or two classes per term and complete the program over three or four years. (Consult with a Nursing Adviser.) Degree completion requirements include 34 credits of coursework including 9 credits of practicum/project (378 hours). Practicum experiences will be arranged with health care facilities close to students’ homes or work sites. The final practicum includes a master’s leadership project identified in collaboration with a health care setting. Master’s projects will be presented to peers, local stakeholders, and the student's project committee and summarized in a professional poster. 

The MSN Leadership and Management program prepares the graduates to:

1) Knowledge for Nursing Practice: Synthesize knowledge from nursing, sciences, and humanities to inform leadership and nursing practice.
2) Person-Centered Care: Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of person-centered care that prioritizes the unique needs and preferences of patients, promoting holistic and patient-focused care.
3) Population Health: Evaluate and enhance the role of nurse leaders in reducing health disparities and promoting population health through targeted interventions.
4) Scholarship for Nursing Discipline: Integrate and apply research evidence to drive improvements in nursing leadership, practice, and patient outcomes.
5) Quality and Safety: Lead initiatives to enhance safety and quality in healthcare settings, utilizing evidence-based practices and interprofessional collaboration.
6) Interprofessional Partnerships: Foster effective communication and collaboration within interprofessional teams to enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
7) Systems-based Practice: Employ organizational and systems leadership principles to make informed decisions in the implementation of policy changes, fiscal strategies, and system-level interventions to improve healthcare environments and outcomes.
8) Informatics and Healthcare Technologies: Leverage informatics and healthcare technologies to optimize patient care, enhance communication, and improve health outcomes.
9) Professionalism:  Impact healthcare outcomes through master’s level nursing practice, to include a focus on healthcare sustainability and environmental conservation.
10) Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development: Continuously assess and develop personal and professional growth as a nurse leader, reflecting on leadership practices and outcomes.

The MSN Leadership and Management Program Outcomes and curriculum are aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Masters Education (2021); American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) Nurse Leader Core Competencies (2024); and the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Institutional Learning Outcomes. 

Admission Requirements

The Office of Graduate Studies sets minimum standards for admission requirements to all graduate programs. Please consult this section of the catalog to review requirements for admission, including the official transcripts you must submit.

In addition to the minimum requirements, this program also requires the following:

  • A 3.0 grade point average (measured on a 4.0 scale) or higher on a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree transcript from a program accredited by a professional nursing organization (e.g., National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission [NLNAC] or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education [CCNE]). Evidence of receiving a grade of “C” or better in a college-level inferential statistics course within the past 10 years. An inferential statistics course is available online from UW-Green Bay for potential applicants.
  • A 300-500 word written statement describing the following: academic interest in leadership & management; nursing strengths and capabilities; knowledge of online technology (computer use, online course work, etc.); reasons for pursuing a MSN degree to include a description of where you see yourself in five years; and a brief description of a leadership quality improvement/evidence-based practice topic you are interested in exploring
  • Two (2) letters of recommendation from persons who can assess your academic and/or leadership potential (i.e. supervisor and/or previous instructors).
  • Copy of current, unencumbered U.S. RN license
  • International students should consult the Office of Graduate Studies requirements for all international applicants in the front of the catalog.

If above requirements are not met at the time of application, a provisional admission may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Upon admission to the program, you will need to provide the following to the coordinator of the MSN Leadership and Management:

  • Professional photo of yourself or one of you at your job (headshot) will be required upon admission to the MSN program. UWGB will use the photo for education and marketing purposes.

Special Students

Persons holding a bachelor’s or higher-level degree who wish to enroll in courses but do not want to pursue a MSN in Leadership and Management degree may enroll as graduate special students. Graduate credit will be awarded provided that the student registers in graduate-level courses as a graduate special student and pays appropriate fees.

Degree Requirements

The 34-credit curriculum consists of 13 graduate courses. Students in the program are required to earn a grade of “B” or better in all required courses. The program is delivered via a part-time model. Students can complete the program in 6 semesters (fall I, spring I, summer I, fall II, spring II, summer II) with two courses offered each semester. A master’s professional project is the capstone of the program’s academic experience. The master’s leadership project is in lieu of a thesis.

Three practicum/project courses (9 credits) are required and in total amount to 378 practicum hours.

NURSING 734Evaluation and Evidence-Based Practice3
NURSING 737Leadership in Complex Systems3
NURSING 741Theories of Organizational Behavior and Nursing Leadership3
NURSING 745Health Economics and Policy3
NURSING 750Human Resource Management3
NURSING 755Program Planning for Population Health2
NURSING 760Informatics for Nursing Leaders3
NURSING 770Practicum I: Leadership and Management Practices - Quality and Safety2
NURSING 772Practicum II: Leadership and Management Practices - Change, Culture and Communication2
NURSING 774Practicum III: Transition to Leadership and Management Roles2
NURSING 780Financial Management for Nurses3
NURSING 785Environmental Sustainability for Nurse Leaders2
Complete 3 credits of NURSING 7903
NURSING 790
MSN Leadership Project
Total Credits34
 
 

Progress to Degree

Steps Toward the Degree

  1. Applicant is admitted to the MSN graduate program.
  2. Students successfully complete all MSN courses, according to policies of the Graduate Studies Office.
  3. The MSN student successfully completes required practicum hours with an approved practicum mentor who possesses a master's degree (or higher) during the last year of the program in conjunction with the MSN leadership project.
  4. The MSN student develops a leadership project proposal with his or her MSN Project Chair (UW Green Bay MSN faculty member and N790 Leadership Project instructor). After approval of the MSN student's project proposal by his or her Project Committee (comprised of the Project Chair, the practicum site mentor and a project content expert), the MSN student designs and implements the project. Project data and outcomes are also analyzed by the MSN student. The Project Committee guides the student through these processes.
  5. The MSN student prepares and presents a professional project summary to his or her Project Committee, interested practicum or project site individuals, and MSN student peers.
  6.  After the Project Committee approves successful completion and presentation of the professional project, the MSN student applies for conferral of the MSN degree to the Registrar’s Office through the Student Information System (SIS).
  7. The MSN degree is awarded and the MSN graduate receives his or her diploma. Graduating MSN students (in a cohort model) are encouraged to participate in the May graduation ceremonies, usually completing the final practicum and courses in the following summer semester, with actual diplomas received upon completion of these courses in August.