MS Nursing, Leadership Domains of Study

Areas of Study Within the
Master of Science in Nursing—Leadership and Management Program

The WGU Master of Science in Nursing—Leadership and Management program content is based on research on effective instruction as well as national standards. It provides the knowledge and skills that enable graduates to design, implement, and manage nursing programs as well as effectively teach nursing courses.

The following section includes the larger domains of knowledge, which are then followed by the subject-specific subdomains of knowledge.

Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice

Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical foundations of nursing and the application of theories from nursing and other disciplines to practice. Students will learn how to find appropriate websites and how to use search engines and professional databases. Students will be able to recognize evidence based resources, examine how research findings apply to nursing practice and identify barriers to evidence-based practice.

Policy, Organization, and Financing

Students will gain an understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes and other factors that influence healthcare delivery in the United States. Students will determine how local, state, national, and international health policies are formed and how health policy impacts clinical practice and healthcare delivery. Students will examine the impact fiscal constraints and allocation of funds has on nursing practice and patient care delivery. Students will explore the changing role of the nurse in an evolving healthcare delivery system.

Role Development for Advanced Nursing Practice

Students will learn how to function effectively within an organization including the use of ethical principles, professional values and beliefs as a framework for nursing practice. Students will apply ethical principles to healthcare delivery and use a decision-making process to resolve ethical dilemmas as well as contribute to the visibility, growth, and quality of the nursing profession. Students will design and implement culturally competent healthcare services using social and epidemiological principles to perform community assessment as well as environmental data to draw inferences. Students will develop and monitor comprehensive, holistic plans for health promotion and disease prevention.

Nursing Leadership and Management

Students will relate organizational, management, and leadership theories to the development of strategies for nursing business and administrative functions including risk management, legal issues, information management, and human resource management.

Research Fundamentals Domain

The research fundamentals domain prepares students to conduct research and also to become informed consumers of research. Your studies in this domain will include the following:

Literature Reviews for Educational Research
Focuses on selecting an appropriate research topic, evaluating the reliability of primary and secondary source information, and conducting a literature review.

Research Proposal
Focuses on developing a research proposal that includes the literature review, research questions, methodology, and data analysis.