As approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission on Nov. 1, 2023, UMSON will begin offering the Master of Science in Nursing's Nursing Leadership and Management (NLM) specialty as of spring 2025.
The MSN NLM will replace the current Master of Science in Nursing Health Services Leadership and Management (HSLM) specialty. We will no longer admit to the HSLM specialty after fall 2024.
The reconceptualized NLM curriculum will align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s 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 title change from HSLM to NLM meets Level Two objectives with continued educational focus on the relationship between management competencies and improving patient care.
The new competency-based NLM curriculum, which will apply to students entering in spring 2025 or later, meets the increasing demand for nurse managers and educators with managerial competencies in health care facilities, community colleges, and clinical rotations. The revised curriculum will provide greater clarity for expectations of applicants, graduates, stakeholders, and a more disciplined approach to nursing education.
More about the NLM curriculum and program outcomes for students entering in spring 2025 and beyond will be available on UMSON’s website in spring 2024.