Health Systems Executive Leadership MSN to DNP Major

The DNP Health Systems Executive Leadership (HSEL) curriculum is designed to accommodate students who have completed their MSN or their BSN with a master’s degree in a related field.

This post-MSN program is designed for students with at least two years of management experience preferred. Coursework can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. This program is fully online and does not require onsite participation. The DNP HSEL curriculum focuses on the knowledge and skills needed to lead complex clinical environments including:

• Understanding organizational behavior
• Implementing evidence-based management, practice, and quality improvement
• Integrating leadership in complex systems
• Utilizing principles of finance and healthcare economics
• Facilitating health policy
• Incorporating data analytics and population health into clinical systems design

Students complete a leadership practicum or residency with a senior-level mentor. The DNP HSEL student completes a DNP project focused on a system-level practice change. The DNP project is a rigorous investigation of a clinical concern or issue that results in the translation of evidence into practice. The DNP project should result in a new or expanded area of expertise for the student and serve as a foundation for future scholarship and practice.

A sample program plan for full-time study is provided below. Credits may be divided across additional semesters if more appropriate for the student. Depending on courses completed during the previous MSN program, additional coursework may be required.