Program Overview

Advanced Certificate in Nursing Organizational Leadership

The online Advanced Certificate in Nursing Organizational Leadership is an 18-credit program designed to provide nurses with the additional knowledge and practice needed to expand their expertise and assume positions of leadership.

Program Overview

Across the nation, nurses have been encouraged to develop the knowledge, leadership abilities, and interpersonal skills beyond what is learned at the bachelor's degree level to improve the healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report recommends that future nurses gain proficiency in competencies such as team leadership, systems thinking, decision-making, and quality improvement.

Program Details

• Format: Online
• HEGIS Code: 1203.12
• The program explores content in:
  • Leading and managing healthcare disparities and underserved populations
  • Nursing quality and safety strategic planning
  • Transformational nursing leadership in community, regulation, and healthcare organizations
• The program includes a practicum component.

Career Scope and Prospects

The healthcare field presents unprecedented career opportunities for master's prepared nurses as a direct result of the expansion of integrated healthcare systems, growth of the elderly population, advancements in technology, challenges related to value-based healthcare delivery, and a focus on health disparities and population care services. Graduates of the Advanced Certificate in Nursing Organizational Leadership are qualified to serve as directors of nursing, chief nursing officers, nurse managers, accountable care coordinators, and wellness program directors. Potential workplaces for these roles include hospitals, outpatient care clinics, medical centers, home healthcare agencies, long-term care facilities, and academic health systems.

Accreditation

This program is registered with the NYS Education Department. The Advanced Certificate in Nursing Organizational Leadership is comprised of the four specialty courses and one graduate elective in the CCNE accredited Master of Science in Nursing Organizational Leadership program. The specialty courses include a Practicum experience in Nursing Organizational Leadership.

Admissions Criteria

To qualify for admission to the Advanced Certificate in Nursing Organizational Leadership, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Master's degree in Nursing (could include Nurse Practitioner)
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a 4.0 from a nationally accredited bachelor's and master's programs, all transcripts must be provided
• An unencumbered nursing license and a current registration
• Admission essay highlighting education and career achievement, including specific examples of problem-solving while working in the practice setting, leadership experience at the bedside or in other settings, and professional and community awards
• Two letters of recommendation, one from a Master's or Doctoral prepared nurse educator or faculty and one from a nurse leader who served as an immediate supervisor
• Submit a scholarly work consisting of a 2-page summary (maximum 1000 words, excluding title and reference page) on ONE of the following: Evidenced-Based Practice project, Clinical Practice/Quality Improvement Project, Nursing Research Summary, Practice Improvement Project, PICOT question, Previous Academic Paper (written within the last 5 years for a school assignment; must include citations and a reference list), a Research Post presentation you presented at a conference, or a Review of a Nursing Research Article. It must include at least three references.
• Resume

Application Deadlines

• Fall 2026 Priority Deadline: April 9, 2026
• Fall 2026 Regular Deadline: May 21, 2026

Residency Requirement

In order to enroll in the program, students must provide documentation of one of the following categories:

• U.S. Citizenship
• Permanent Residency
• Granted asylum, refugee status, temporary protected status, withholding of removal, deferred enforced departure, deferred action status by the U.S. Government, deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or permanently residing in the United States under color of law (PRUCOL)

Faculty

The program is led by experienced faculty, including:

• Alexandra Plavskin, Clinical Professor and Interim Academic Director of Nursing
• Anne Marie Leveille-Tulce, Assistant Professor, Nursing
• Jan Oosting, Associate Professor, Nursing
• Kathleen Marsala-Cervasio, Associate Professor
• Kenya Harris
• Lilly Mathew, Associate Professor, Nursing Informatics
• Linda Paradiso, Associate Professor