Masters of Nursing - MSN

Open new possibilities in your nursing career. Earn your MSN in a way that works for you.

Life is full of responsibilities and demands. Earn your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from a program that is designed with the working nurse in mind. At Spalding, we are invested in your success. Our MSN program is rich in history and convenient and flexible enough to meet your needs. So, you can be confident in the quality of training you’ ll receive and continue to work while you learn.

About Our School of Nursing

Our School of Nursing has promoted human dignity, freedom, and human flourishing in healthcare through nursing education since 1933, when we started our baccalaureate nursing program.

Our BSN program is the oldest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and our MSN program is the oldest in Louisville and second oldest in the state.

Our bachelor's and master’s level programs are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Program Details

• 4 Semesters (Two academic years. Optional Summer Semester Internship)
• 59 credit hours + 772.5 clinical hours, including a 120-hour clinical practicum
• 40 students per cohort (cohorts start every August and January)

Features

• Enjoy student-centered attention in classes and clinical placements
• Focus on 1 or 2 classes at a time
• Benefit from a program with a graduation rate that exceeds the national average
• Gain skills to lead in health care or excel in graduate study
• Work with a dedicated nursing success coach through graduation
• Prepare to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) exam

Flexible

Our MSN program prepares nurses for advanced practice in a variety of roles and settings, with options for full- or part-time study.

Follow your passion; choose from one of four specialty tracks:

• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
• Nurse Educator
• Nursing & Healthcare Leadership

Apply by February each year to join our hybrid (face-to-face and online) MSN-FNP summer cohort.

Apply anytime to our online educator or leadership tracks with classes starting every 6-8 weeks.

Supportive

Join a community that’s ready to help you achieve your goals and improve the health of patients and populations across diverse settings.

You’ll gain a robust understanding as our curriculum employs strategies based on knowledge from both the sciences and humanities, ethical decision making, interprofessional collaboration and critical analysis of nursing practice.

Your learning is enhanced by:

• small class sizes
• personalize academic and career counseling
• a diverse faculty of working clinicians, scholars and healthcare advocates

Our School of Nursing programs are academically strong and rich in history. As a MSN graduate, you’ll be prepared to seamlessly transition into our online DNP program.

Call Spalding Home

Spalding University is the home for students who want to earn a degree while engaging and serving the community. We put compassion into action every day with our mission-driven focus. We volunteer, teach, advocate, organize and give. Our students are active in the community, using their Spalding education to make the world better. We are a diverse community with a core commitment to inclusion, and we value our students, faculty, and staff from all walks of life. Begin your college journey with us and follow your passions.

An Inclusive Community

At Spalding, we are an inclusive community of people who are fundamentally different from one another. We humbly accept each other for who we are. We represent a cross-section of society. We have the most racially diverse student body of Kentucky’s private colleges. Thirty-one percent of students self-identify as people of color.

We are a community of learners made up of artists, veterans, activists, parents, religious leaders, LGBTQIA community members, and athletes. We are all of these people and more. We have different abilities, ideals, cultures, backgrounds, goals, and passions. We cultivate a supportive space for all of our students to learn and grow.

Since 1814, we have been serving our communities in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth with a spirit of inclusiveness and compassion.

Join our tradition. Let us welcome you home.

Small Campus, Big City

Spalding University is a small campus located in the heart of the energetic city of Louisville, Kentucky. One of many institutions and organizations that make giving back a way of life, Spalding University is an active leader in the SoBro neighborhood. Spalding’s campus is surrounded by beautiful historic mansions and tree-lined streets to the south and the banks of the Ohio River to the north. Our city is recognized as one of America’s most livable cities. In fact, it’s been named a top city for new college grads by SmartAsset, which may explain why over 70 percent of our alums choose to live in Louisville.

Spalding & Louisville

Spalding University is a microcosm of the city in which we live. With a diverse community and a focus on compassion, Spalding reflects the racial, economic, cultural, and LGTBQIA diversity of the city that surrounds us. Students engage the Louisville community through internships and fieldwork, local outreach and volunteer service work, as well as countless partnerships with community businesses and organizations.

Live in the Center of It All

Boasting a thriving arts scene amidst renowned parks and natural surroundings, Louisville is also one of the best dining and cultural destinations in the Midwest. Our city offers more than 1,000 local restaurants and was named a Top 10 Food City by National Geographic. If it’s entertainment, arts, or shopping that you’re looking for, we have The Kentucky Derby Festival, Forecastle Music Festival, Gonzofest, World Fest, Nulu district, the historic Highlands, and more. Louisville is home to more than 120 park systems, including Waterfront Park. All this and so much more make Louisville a popular cultural destination. Travelers come to Louisville to experience art, outdoor adventure, the trendy food scene, and entertainment of all kinds. Hop in the car or bus, and you are within a half-day’s drive to Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Asheville, and other exciting destinations.

Our Mission is Serving Others

Our mission is our driving force. It’s more than something you will find in our history or charter. We live it. We share it. We take pride in it. You’ll learn it from your first day on campus and engage with it every day in and out of the classroom. And when you graduate, you will take it with you into the world.