As approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission on Sept. 11, 2023, UMSON will begin offering a revised Master of Science in Nursing Nursing Informatics (MSN-NI) specialty as of fall 2024.
We will no longer admit to the current plan of study after spring 2024.
The reconceptualized curriculum will align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) recently revised and published document The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. The Essentials calls for a transition to competency-based education focusing on two levels of professional nursing education: entry-level and advanced-nursing-level practice.
The new competency-based MSN-NI curriculum, which will apply to students entering fall 2024 or later, will place greater emphasis on the NI role, artificial intelligence, and big data. Other content will provide a nursing leadership and management core specific to evidence-based practice, biostatistics, and professional writing. By increasing the overall practice hours from 135 to 500, the revised curriculum will provide greater clarity for expectations of applicants, graduates, stakeholders, and a more disciplined approach to nursing education.
More about the restructured curriculum and program outcomes for students entering in fall 2024 and beyond will be available on UMSON’s website in the near future.