Master of Science program

Ideal students for the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Master of Science program are those with experience or interest in transforming health care through nursing education and research. They want to focus on important societal health issues through the work of advancing health and improving the systems that provide health services.

Graduates of the master's-degree program are prepared for academic and leadership positions. Graduates exercise leadership through scientific thinking, responsibility, initiative, cultural inclusiveness, knowledge of organizations and system change, teamwork and a commitment to healthy communities.

The master's-degree program is a full-time, professional degree program that prepares graduates for health-care leadership roles in a variety of organizations and as nurse faculty at the community-college level. Some examples include:

• Leaders of health organizations and agencies—such as community clinics, trade associations, advocacy groups—improving quality of care and work environments, and advancing health outcomes and health-care effectiveness and efficiency
• Community college and other prelicensure nursing faculty—teaching the next generation of nurses 
• Legislative and governmental agency staff and leadership developing, influencing and implementing policy to improve access and outcomes (not limited to health agencies but other organizations that provide public infrastructure such as transportation, planning or parks and recreation)
• Careers across the health-care sector, such as insurance, pharmaceutical, hospital, home health, aging support services, adoption services, chronic illness support services and medical equipment industries fostering the integration of excellence in clinical care, management, policy, education and research

Master of Science students take core courses (NRS 201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 290 and an Informatics course) plus electives and must complete a thesis.

• Current registered nurse (R.N.) licensure
• A bachelor’s degree in nursing or a related field
• A minimum undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0
• Three letters of recommendation
• A statement of purpose and personal-history statement, research interests and future goals
• The application process may require an interview
• The G.R.E. is not required

Admission is competitive. Online applications are processed through UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies, which coordinates UC Davis graduate degree programs. All applicants must submit a completed Office of Graduate Studies application and meet UC Davis requirements for graduate admissions. Click here for more on the application process.

• Full-time enrollment (12 units per quarter) is required
• Required courses for the master’s-degree program include a combination of core courses and electives. Six graduate-level core courses—Health Status and Care Systems, Implementation Science, Leadership in Health Care, Research Skills for Nursing Science and Health Care Leadership, Community Connections and an Informatics course— and the Master’s-Degree Seminar are required courses for the master's-degree program. Click here for M.S. course listing 
• Students work with their advisers to select electives appropriate to their areas of interest
• A master’s thesis is required
• Master’s degree students are expected to complete the program in five quarters. A sixth quarter option is available if needed

Program goals for the Master of Science in Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership are:

1. Apply leadership skills to transform health care.
2. Utilize multiple interprofessional/interdisciplinary perspectives to work and communicate as teams.
3. Apply nursing science to improve health and reshape health systems through transformative research with an emphasis on aging, rural health and diverse communities.
4. Practice cultural inclusiveness in research, practice, leadership and community engagement.
5. Create engaged and interactive approaches to nursing education, research and practice using innovative technology.

Click here for detailed M.S. curriculum information.

Click here for pdf M.S. course listing.

Bold = required courses | (#) = course units