INTEGRATIVE NURSING LEADERSHIP (ONLINE)
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

Designed for BSN-educated nurses looking to enhance their leadership skills, Mercyhurst University’s new Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN program is a uniquely focused, convenient online program that can help you advance in your professional development.

Nurses face considerable stress in the workplace, and rates of nurse burnout are at near-record highs. Our MSN program’s Integrative Nursing Leadership (inLEAD) focus addresses these concerns directly, preparing future nursing supervisors and administrators to foster healing and well-being of patients, families and communities, as well as caregivers. Integrative health includes the engagement of patients as informed and empowered partners in health, leading to better health outcomes. With an emphasis on resiliency, patient safety and integrative health, this MSN program prepares nurse leaders to apply health and well-being strategies with patient populations as well as the health care team members that they lead. 

Available 100 percent online, this innovative MSN program connects you with Mercyhurst’s dedicated, skilled faculty and wealth of educational resources. Demand for master’s-level nurses is growing, and this program prepares you to advance in a nursing leadership role. In addition, graduates of the program will be well prepared to sit for and earn the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) credential.

Course Requirements

The MSN program requires completion of 32 credits. All courses can be completed online.

  • NURS 500 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Care (3 credits)
  • NURS 508 Fostering Resilience (3 credits)
  • OL 502 Leadership & Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
  • NURS 504 Integrative Research Methods (3 credits)
  • NURS 573 Quality, Safety & Value in Health Care (4 credits)
  • NURS 600 Transforming Health Care: Information Systems and Technology (3 credits)
  • NURS 611 Health Care Finance & Economics (3 credits)
  • NURS 506 Nurse as Scholar: Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
  • NURS 604 Health Care Policy Analysis & Advocacy (3 credits)
  • NURS 677 Integrative Nursing Capstone (4 credits)

Admissions Requirements

Applicants for the Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN must have:

  • A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree (must be conferred)
  • An unencumbered RN license (any state)
  • A completed Mercyhurst application, available for free at apply.mercyhurst.edu 
  • All official transcripts from accredited higher education institutions
  • One recommendation from a supervisor or faculty member

Cost and Financial Aid

Tuition for the Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN is set at $650 per credit, for a total of $20,800 for the 32-credit program, plus low distance learning and registration fees. When you consider employer benefits and reimbursements, scholarships, grants and other sources of financial aid, many students can complete this program with little to no out-of-pocket cost.

Many employers, including hospitals and health care providers, offer tuition reimbursement for nurses seeking to advance their education. Mercyhurst offers tuition deferment for those receiving tuition reimbursement. 

Financial aid is available for those who qualify. Our admissions and financial aid counselors will work with you to file your FAFSA and help you access all of the federal, state and institutional aid available to you. 

Supportive Online Learning

Nurses have a lot of demands on their time, and when you consider family and other personal responsibilities, it might seem like there’s not much time for grad school. That’s why our Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN is offered fully online, with the support of dedicated full-time faculty and our experienced Office of Distance Learning to keep you on track with a schedule that works for you. 

You’ll benefit from:

  • Guided learning. Courses are carefully planned to build sequentially on previous concepts, ensuring you make progress and stay on track to master the program material. 
  • Classroom engagement. Your online experience includes opportunities to interact with classmates and professors in real time through applied projects, review sessions and presentations. 
  • Student resources. You’ll be a full Mercyhurst student, with the same access to the university’s amenities, library system, writing center, career services, health center, etc., as an on-campus student.

Most importantly, students and professors in the program benefit from the close-knit community and sense of camaraderie in our department. As a student in the program, you will have the support of an experienced full-time Mercyhurst professor to advise and mentor you throughout your time in the program. We’ll get to know you as an individual—your strengths and challenges, and personal and professional goals—as we work together to make the most of your time at Mercyhurst.

Nursing in the Mercy Tradition

Mercyhurst University owes its existence to a remarkable group of determined, forward-thinking women: the Sisters of Mercy. Sensing the need for quality higher education for women in the early 20th century, the Sisters led the way in establishing Mercyhurst more than 90 years ago. Even before that, however, their selfless dedication to others manifested through their work in ministry to the poor, education, and nursing—even serving as nurses in Civil War.

More than 90 years later, the pioneering ideals of these remarkable women live on in the groundbreaking ideas and good works on our campuses. Through our nursing programs, we strive to live out the Mercy core values of compassion, service, respect and integrity—so wonderfully embodied by the Sisters and essential for those in the nursing fields.

Our MSN program embraces these Mercy ideals, with a unique focus on integrative nursing. We strive to educate intellectually creative, merciful, compassionate, mindful and resilient nurse leaders whose relationship-based practice is grounded in evidence with a focus on the health and well-being of caregivers as well as those they serve.