MSc in Advanced Leadership (Nursing)
€13,870
Enhance your capacity for leadership within the healthcare setting by developing your knowledge in key areas such as research, leadership, management, strategy and change management.
Masters
2 years
Online - Part-time
90 ECTS
September 2025
About
Advance your nursing career with an MSc in Advanced Leadership Nursing from the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery to enable you to play an important role in ensuring that nursing/midwifery practice continues to be based on the best evidence. Enhance your theoretical knowledge and develop a critical and questioning approach as you explore professional, clinical and managerial issues relevant to leadership roles. You will develop key research skills, enhance your capacity for leadership by developing your knowledge in key areas of leadership, management, strategy and change management and explore concepts of quality improvement and risk management.
Work on a cutting-edge research knowledge base, built on exposure to best practice in research and evidence-based practice. You will be supported to develop a systematic review based on a topic of your choosing.
This programme is delivered part-time via an active blended learning approach including self-directed learning and live online classes approximately once every week. Further support is provided through the module lead, programme director and regular online drop-in sessions.
The award title for this course is MSc Nursing (Advanced Leadership).
This course is a Level 9 award on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications.
Enhance your capacity for leadership within the healthcare setting
Develop leadership skills to plan, audit and improve services
Explore clinical governance and decision-making processes
Develop key research skills and apply evidence-based practices in healthcare
Evaluate strategic leadership and management techniques to lead effectively
Explore and analyse clinical governance, patient safety and risk management and integrate your enhanced knowledge to improve overall patient care and outcomes
Suitable for
This programme is aimed at nurses who wish to advance their academic and professional knowledge in the area of leadership. This programme welcomes nurses at all levels of their career – from those who aspire to enter management to nurses in managerial positions who want to develop key leadership competencies.
What you will learn
Faculty highlight
Biography
Dr Vishnu Renjith, Programme Director
Dr Renjith has been an investigator for six funded projects, published over 50 scholarly manuscripts, and delivered over 70 talks. His research interests include nursing, stroke, and evidence-based practice.
Find out more
Course information
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of a comprehensive range of knowledge in the specialist area.
- Articulate a critical awareness of the latest evidence-based knowledge in the specialist area.
- Demonstrate a range of research and specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist area of clinical practice.
- Select from a broad range of specialist skills and knowledge in the specialist area.
- Act in a comprehensive and often unpredictable variety of professional and ill-defined contexts in the specialist area.
- Take significant responsibility for the work of individuals and groups and lead and initiate activity in the specialist area.
- Critically self-evaluate professional and personal learning needs and those of others within their specialist area of practice and link to related continuing professional development requirements.
- Present a reflective and questioning approach to specialist practice delivery and exhibit professional application of her/his knowledge in an accountable, responsible and evidence-based manner.
On the successful completion of your Masters programme, you may be interested in pursuing a professional doctorate. For more information, please contact us at nursing@rcsi.ie.
Continuous assessment formed of assignments and presentation. Capstone learning project is composed of oral assessment, ethics assignment, methodology assignment and systematic review.
All programmes offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery are accredited by RCSI, the National University of Ireland and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Recognition by ministries and bodies in all jurisdictions must be determined by the individual applicants.
We are pleased to confirm that a number of our recent graduates who are domiciled in the United Arab Emirates and in the Kingdom of Bahrain have successfully had their certificates recognised by the Ministry of Education in their respective countries.
Admissions
To be eligible for this programme you must:
- Hold an NFQ Level 8 qualification. However, applicants who do not hold a Level 8 qualification may still be eligible to join the programme through our supported-entry pathway programme. This is subject to an assessment of prior learning and experience.
- Have an active registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. International applicants must be registered with their national nursing board.
Learning occurs in many contexts, including work, involvement in social and community activities, and learning through life experience generally. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) does not give credit for experience as such – rather, it considers learning that was acquired as a result of the experience.
RPL may be used to gain admission to programmes where an applicant may not have obtained the standard entry requirements. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Exemptions from programme modules that duplicate learning already demonstrably acquired through prior learning may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, please contact the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
- Tel: +353 1 402 2445
- Email: nursing@rcsi.ie
English language requirements are published here. If you have completed undergraduate/postgraduate full-time studies in the medium of the English language (three or more years cumulatively), or if you are registered with the NMBI, you are exempt from these requirements.
Fee (Year 1 and 2): €13,870
The fees for the two-year MSc programme are €13,870. However, if you have completed a Postgraduate Diploma, the fees for Year 2 of the MSc programme are €6,970.
| Payment due | Amount | |
| Year 1 | When confirming acceptance | €2,760 |
| 30 November 2026 | €2,070 | |
| 28 February 2026 | €2,070 | |
| Year 2 | 30 August 2026 | €2,788 |
| 30 November 2026 | €2,091 | |
| 28 February 2027 | €2,091 | |
| Total | €13,870 |
Please note:
- Fee includes all resources, access to our award-winning online learning portal and access to extensive RCSI-only databases.
- Fee includes an NUI fee.
- Fee is payable via the above schedule, where relevant.
- If you have outstanding fees you will not be entitled to receive your grades or be eligible to progress and or graduate (VLE and Library privileges will be withdrawn in these cases).
- RCSI accepts no obligation to refund any fee, or part thereof, in respect of a student who chooses to withdraw from a programme.
- If you choose to withdraw from a programme you are liable for full fees owed for the seat on that programme.
- All NUI parchments are issued in Latin; you will be required to pay an additional fee of €50 to NUI if you wish to have a parchment published in English.
- Fees are subject to review annually.
- If you are being sponsored or funded by your employer you should upload a funding confirmation letter in the document upload section on the application portal.)
Please view our Postgraduate fees policy for more information.
Sponsored students
If your study is sponsored by your employer, you will be required to upload written confirmation of your sponsorship when accepting your programme offer. You will be unable to accept your offer until confirmation of sponsorship is received or a payment is made.
How to apply
Applications for September 2025 are now open, please apply at the link below or email nursing@rcsi.ie for further information.
Apply now