- Spring 2027 Priority Deadline: November 5, 2026
- Spring 2027 Regular Deadline: December 3, 2026
Please note there is no application fee for graduate applications submitted by the Priority Deadline.
HEGIS Code: 1203.10
Across the nation, nurses have been encouraged to develop the knowledge, leadership abilities, and interpersonal skills beyond what is learned at the bachelor’s degree level to improve the healthcare system. The National Academy of Sciences Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity report recommends that the future nurses gain proficiency in competencies such as team leadership, systems thinking, decision-making, and quality improvement to address equity issues and social determinants of health and improve individual and population health.
The MS in Nursing Organizational Leadership online degree prepares nurses to contribute to the health, education, and social structure of communities by assuming positions of leadership. The program creates a landscape for nurses to promote innovative change and quality outcomes, translate evidence-based research into practice, build collaborative interprofessional healthcare teams to coordinate care, and employ advocacy strategies to influence healthcare policy across the healthcare spectrum.
Career Scope and 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, advancements in technology, challenges related to value-based healthcare delivery, and a focus on health disparities and population care services.
As of 2022, only 17% of the nation’s RNs have a master’s degree1, yet AACN reports the current demand for master's- and doctorally prepared nurses for advanced practice, clinical specialties, teaching, and research roles far outstrips the supply. The average job offer rate at the time of graduation was 82% for entry-level MSN graduates2.
1 AACN Nursing Workforce Fact Sheet
2 AACN 2023 Employment Research Brief
Graduates of the MS in Nursing Organizational Leadership degree are qualified to serve as directors of nursing, chief nursing officers, nurse managers, accountable care coordinators, and wellness program directors. Potential workplaces for these roles include hospitals, outpatient care clinics, medical centers, home healthcare agencies, long-term care facilities, and academic health systems.
Completion Rates
CUNY SPS MS benchmark for program completion rates:
75% of students will complete the MSN program within five years. Using CCNE guidelines for calculating these rates, the five year completion rates are:
- 2019-2024 = 91%
- 2018-2023 = 87%
- 2017-2022 = 82%
Job Placement Statistics
Graduate program outcome: 80% of MS alumni will report employment within twelve months of graduation.
- 2023 = 91%
- 2022 = 100%
- 2021 = 88%
Accreditation
The master's degree in nursing 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.
Interim Academic Director, Nursing
NYSIM Center
Monday – Saturday
7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
(Nursing Students may only attend the site when scheduled by the SPS Nursing Program)
Newman Library
Hours posted here
CUNY SPS Help Desk Spring Hours
Monday
8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
Tuesday - Thursday
8:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.
Friday
8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Phone: (646) 664‑8592
Email: helpdesk@sps.cuny.edu
For general assistance outside of the above hours, please contact the Extended Hours Support line:
(844) 536-0050.
Meet Our Faculty
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 Organizational Leadership 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
- Complete 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, Clinical Practice/Quality Improvement Project, Nursing Research Summary, Practice Improvement Project, PICOT question, Previous Academic Paper (written within the last 5 years for a school assignment; must include citations and a reference list), a Research Poster presentation you presented at a conference, or a Review of a Nursing Research Article. It must include at least three references.
- 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.
If you are a non-New York state resident, please contact our Office of Admissions.
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
- Spring 2027 Priority Deadline: November 5, 2026
- Spring 2027 Regular Deadline: December 3, 2026
