Dartmouth University

What you'll study

The programme combines advanced clinical practice, healthcare leadership and research methods. Core subjects typically include advanced pathophysiology and pharmacology, comprehensive health assessment, evidence-based practice, health systems and policy, leadership and organisational management in healthcare, and study design and biostatistics.

Students choose a focused pathway—Nursing Administration, Nursing Research or Clinical Nursing—with pathway-specific modules and supervised clinical hours or a research dissertation/capstone project. Typical pathway content includes:

• Nursing Administration: strategic management, quality improvement, finance and resource management in healthcare, workforce development, governance and regulatory issues.
• Nursing Research: research design and methods, advanced statistics, qualitative methods, grant writing and implementation science, leading and translating research into practice.
• Clinical Nursing: advanced clinical assessment, specialty practicum placements (for example acute care, chronic disease management, critical care or community nursing), clinical decision-making and advanced interventions appropriate to the chosen specialty.

All students complete supervised clinical practice or a practicum tailored to their pathway, and an independent scholarly project (dissertation or capstone) that applies theory to practice or investigation.

Entry requirements

Applicants are normally required to hold current registration as a nurse with the relevant national or regional regulatory body and to have post-registration clinical experience. Typical academic requirements are a good undergraduate degree in nursing or a related health discipline (or equivalent professional experience recognised by the admissions committee).

Other common admissions requirements include a professional CV, two professional references (one usually from a clinical manager), a personal statement outlining your reasons for study and career goals, and evidence of recent clinical practice. Some applicants may be asked to attend an interview. Where English is not the applicant's first language, an approved test of English proficiency is usually required.

Career prospects

Graduates move into a range of senior clinical and managerial roles across acute, community and primary care, mental health and public health organisations. Typical roles include:

• Senior or nurse manager and director-level posts in hospitals and health systems
• Clinical nurse specialist or advanced practice nurse roles in specialist areas (critical care, oncology, geriatrics, etc.)
• Nurse researcher, research coordinator or clinical trials manager in academic or healthcare research settings
• Clinical educator, training manager or practice development lead
• Policy advisor, quality and safety lead, or roles in commissioning and service redesign

The programme’s combination of leadership, research and clinical training supports progression to doctoral study or roles that influence clinical practice, service delivery and health policy.

Why study at Dartmouth University

Students benefit from close links with a major integrated healthcare system, which supports diverse supervised clinical placements across tertiary, community and rural settings. The teaching team typically includes experienced clinician-educators and researchers with active programmes in health services research, implementation science and interprofessional care.

Facilities supporting the programme commonly include clinical simulation suites, dedicated skills laboratories and access to multidisciplinary research centres and seminars. The institution’s emphasis on translational research and partnership working helps students apply research findings to frontline practice and develop networks with clinicians, managers and academic researchers.

Overall, the programme is designed to prepare registered nurses to lead service improvement, undertake rigorous research and deliver high-quality specialist clinical care across a range of healthcare contexts.