Master of Science in Nursing Education

Format: Online
Application Deadlines
  • Fall 2024 Priority Deadline: April 4, 2024
  • Fall 2024 Regular Deadline: May 16, 2024

HEGIS Code: 1203.10

Nurse educators play a crucial role in helping nurses gain the expertise needed to meet the challenges of the evolving healthcare system.  Their presence also ensures that our nation's nursing schools are always at maximum student capacity. According to AACN’s Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic Year 2013-2014, nearly two-thirds of schools reported a shortage of full-time faculty members. Additionally, hospital and medical centers have identified a need for more nurse educators to enhance the level of instruction to nursing students, new nurses, and ongoing needs for professional staff development.

The MS in Nursing Education online degree helps address these challenges by increasing the number of nurse educators and ultimately paving the way for an adequate supply of nurses to ensure that patients have access to affordable, high quality healthcare.

The program prepares nurses to develop curricula focused on our changing healthcare systems, adapt and teach education strategies for diverse learners, develop clinical and classroom evaluation strategies, and adopt effective evidence-based practices in academic as well as clinical healthcare settings.

Career Scope and Academic Prospects

The health care field presents unprecedented career opportunities for master’s prepared nurses as a direct result of the expansion of integrated healthcare systems, growth of the elderly population, advances in technology, challenges related to health insurance, and a focus on health disparities and underserved populations.

As of 2015, only 13% of RNs in New York State have a master’s degree, yet 40% of New York City hospitals reported a strong demand for MS prepared nurses. Additionally, Nursejournal.org projects a 26% job growth for nurse educators with master’s degrees.

Graduates of the MS in Nursing Education degree are qualified to serve as educators in numerous institutions ranging from community colleges to major universities, as well as in academic health centers, and community-based health facilities. Graduates of the program can also pursue doctoral education in Nursing Education, Nursing Science, and Nursing Research.

Completion Rates

CUNY SPS MS benchmark for program completion rates:

  • 75% of students will complete the MSN program within five years.
  • 75% of accelerated BS-MS students will complete the program within seven years.
  • There are no MS or BS-MS graduates as of the submission of this report.

Job Placement Statistics

Graduate program outcome: 80% or higher of Graduate Program alumni desiring a new position will report attainment within 12 months of graduation.

  • There are no graduates of the Master’s degree programs yet.

Accreditation

CCNE Accreditation SealThe MS in Nursing Education at CUNY School of Professional Studies is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

This program is registered with the New York State Education Department.

Meet our Faculty

Estimated number of adjunct faculty teaching in the program: 50

Margaret Reilly
Professor, DNS, Nursing Science
CUNY Graduate Center
Academic Director – Undergraduate & Graduate

Patricia Bartley-Daniele
Associate Professor, PhD, Nursing Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Coordinator MS in Nursing Education
Undergraduate & Graduate

Kenya Harris
Professor, EdD, Educational Administration, Leadership, and Technology
St. John’s University Nursing

Jan Oosting
Assistant Professor, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Undergraduate

Anne Marie Leveille-Tulce
Assistant Professor, PhD, Nursing
CUNY Graduate Center
Undergraduate & Graduate

Kathleen Marsala-Cervasio
Associate Professor, EdD, Educational Leadership
Northcentral University

Lilly Mathew
Associate Professor, PhD, Nursing
University of Arizona
Coordinator MS in Nursing Informatics
Undergraduate & Graduate

Linda Paradiso
Assistant Professor, DNP, Nurse Executive
Old Dominion University

Admissions Criteria

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation may be submitted before or after submitting an application. Please note that an individual interview may be necessary.

To qualify for admission to the MS in Nursing Education program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited college or university, with an accredited nursing program, with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Hold an unencumbered nursing license and a current registration​
  • Completed undergraduate courses in Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Statistics, with grades of C or better. Applicants without this coursework may be admitted to the program conditionally and required to take the courses and achieve the grade standard, before matriculating.
  • Accepted students may complete these undergraduate requirements within the first year of the program

The online application requires students to:

  • Demonstrate the potential to successfully pursue graduate study through an admission essay highlighting education and career achievement. The essay should include specific examples of problem-solving while working in the practice setting, leadership experience at the bedside or in other settings, and professional and community awards
  • Submit two letters of recommendation from each, a nurse educator/nurse faculty and Supervisor/Manager
  • Submit a scholarly work consisting of a 2-page summary (maximum 1000 words, excluding title and reference page) on one of the following: Evidenced-Based Practice project, Research study, Practice Improvement Project, or Quality Improvement Project
  • Submit a resume
  • Submit a copy of your Registered Nursing License

Residency Requirement*
In order to enroll in the RN to BS in Nursing program, students must provide documentation of one of the following categories:

  • U.S. Citizenship
  • Permanent Residency
  • Granted asylum, refugee status, temporary protected status, withholding of removal, deferred enforced departure, deferred action status by the U.S. Government, deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or permanently residing in the United States under color of law (PRUCOL)

*International students may enroll in fully online degree programs. However, our online programs do not qualify for student visas.

Potential students may view the Graduate Nursing Student Policies Handbook (PDF) here.

Transfer Credits

Consistent with CUNY SPS policy, MS in Nursing programs will accept up to 12 credits of master’s in nursing graduate credits for transfer. Transfer credits will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine applicability to the MS in Nursing programs at CUNY SPS. There is no statute of limitation for transfer credits.

View the full list of the online nursing degrees offered at CUNY SPS.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall 2024 Priority Deadline: April 4, 2024
  • Fall 2024 Regular Deadline: May 16, 2024
Apply Now

Recent News About Master of Science in Nursing Education

A portrait of a smiling CUNY SPS Assistant Nursing Professor, Dr. Olga Kagan

The Impact of Leadership on the Continued Growth of the Nursing Informatics Community in New York State and Beyond

November 02, 2023

CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing

CUNY SPS Nursing Assistant Professor Dr. Olga Kagan co-authored an article on the rising importance of the nursing informatics community in New York State. The article, "The Impact of Leadership on the Continued Growth of the Nursing Informatics Community in New York State and Beyond, " was published in September 2023.
Dr. Jennifer McIntosh, co-author and Nursing program instructor

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American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine

Academic Community Leader and Nursing Assistant Professor Dr. Jennifer McIntosh recently published a collaborative article, "Association of Hospice Agency Location and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage in the U.S.," in the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine.
Portrait of Dr. Bernadette Amicucci, CUNY SPS Nursing program professor

Let’s Hang On! Ramping Up Nurse Resident Retention Strategies After the Pandemic

June 01, 2023

Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing

Dr. Bernadette Amicucci, CUNY SPS nursing associate professor and consortial faculty, published the article "Let’s Hang On! Ramping Up Nurse Resident Retention Strategies After the Pandemic" in the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing. She published the piece with her colleagues from the White Plains Hospital, where she is the Director of Clinical Education.
CUNY SPS Nursing staff handing nursing pin to smiling graduate

CUNY SPS Nursing Graduates Exhorted to Create Culture of Innovation

May 11, 2023

Over 230 nursing students earning their bachelor's and master's degrees were honored during the 2023 Nursing Convocation and Pinning Ceremony.