About: 

We are not currently accepting students for this program.

As health care needs have grown exponentially, so have the roles and responsibilities of nurses. There's never been a more pressing demand for rigorously prepared nurses with the capability to lead across the full spectrum of clinical services.  Earning your degree through our all-online program lets you fulfill your work and family obligations without giving up advancement potential or a world-class education.

Our Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program - a concentration of the Master of Science in nursing degree - builds on your nursing education and clinical experience, preparing you for advanced nursing practice and providing you with the skills and knowledge to:

  • Design, provide, manage and coordinate services in health promotion, risk reduction, disease prevention, and illness management

  • Function across clinical settings to meet the demands of a complex care delivery system

  • Lead intra- and interdisciplinary health care teams

  • Supervise the application of research information and the efficient use of resources to improve outcomes and effect organizational change

  • Lay the foundation for future doctoral education

For details on the curriculum, please click here.

Program Highlights:

  • First - Rate Faculty

  • Commitment to the Student Experience

  • Program addresses the competencies and knowledge specified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for Masters Education and for the specific Clinical Nurse Leader focus

Learn more about this program:
To receive more information and connect with the program manager, please click on inquire now .

Sample a Course

Click here for more information on the UMass Amherst Master of Science Clinical Nurse Leader Program.

The Master of Science Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program is an online program offered through a mixed delivery method (coursework predominantly online with some campus visits required). Other arrangements can be made if you are unable to travel to campus for the campus visits.

Tuition/Fees: 

Registration is administered through UMass Amherst University Without Walls.  Please see Fee Schedule below.

Type of Fee Amount
Fee per credit $750
Registration Fee per semester $60
Returned Check Fee per semester** $30

Click here to browse our course listings.

*applicable when you register after deadline; non-refundable unless course has been cancelled

** applicable when checks returned unpaid

*** Courses can vary from one to six credits; this total represents a standard 3 credit course

There is also a one-time $507 Graduate Registrar's Service Fee, which is a one-time fee paid by all entering matriculated graduate students.

Accreditation: 

The University of Massachusetts is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

Admissions: 

1. The application deadline is February 1. To apply, first complete the UMass Amherst Graduate School Application. The graduate school will forward your application to the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing along with your transcripts, letters of reference, and GRE scores (you do not have to send double).

2. Then complete the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing application, above, and send that to Cynthia Mendoza.

Financial Aid: 

Availability of financial aid varies depending on matriculation and course status. Please check with your program manager or advisor to determine your eligibility. Generally, if you are matriculated in a degree program and are enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits each semester, you may qualify for financial aid. Please review our Financial Aid Checklist below.

  1. Fill out the FAFSA form at studentaid.gov.
  2. It is important to list the University of Massachusetts Amherst school code number 002221.

Contact:

For more information please click here.