Master or Science in Nursing
The Master of Science in Nursing is a postgraduate programme that prepares nursing professionals for advanced practice, leadership, and research in healthcare. The programme provides specialised training in advanced nursing practice, nursing education, nursing management, and specialised clinical areas.
Core areas include advanced nursing practice, nursing research, healthcare management, nursing education, specialised clinical nursing, health informatics, palliative care, trauma and emergency nursing, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, clinical placements, and research.
The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi as a public institution through the Department of Nursing Sciences. Kenyatta University and Moi University also offer MSc in Nursing. The programme is available over two years.
Students develop competencies in advanced nursing practice, research, education, management, and specialised clinical care. The programme includes coursework, examinations, clinical placements, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for advanced nursing and leadership roles.
UoN charges approximately KES 433,500 per year while KU charges approximately KES 326,400 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Nursing or a related health field from a recognised institution.
Graduates pursue careers as advanced practice nurses, nurse educators, nursing managers, clinical nurse specialists, nurse researchers, and lecturers across hospitals, nursing schools, research institutions, and universities.
Skills Required
- Advanced Nursing Practice and Clinical Decision-Making
- Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice
- Nursing Education and Curriculum Development
- Healthcare Management and Leadership
- Palliative Care Nursing
- Trauma and Emergency Nursing
- Health Informatics and Communication Sciences
- Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Research Methods in Nursing
- Academic Writing and Thesis Research
Key Subjects
- Advanced Nursing Practice and Clinical Decision-Making
- Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice
- Nursing Education and Curriculum Development
- Healthcare Management and Leadership
- Palliative Care Nursing
- Trauma and Emergency Nursing
- Health Informatics and Communication Sciences
- Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Research Methods in Nursing
- Thesis Research
Certifications
- NCK Advanced Practice Registration
- ICN Professional Membership
Specializations
Advanced Clinical Nursing
Focuses on advanced clinical nursing, covering advanced, clinical, nursing, practice, and managing advanced clinical nursing practice.
Nursing Education
Examines nursing education, covering nursing, education, curriculum, teaching, and managing nursing education and curriculum development.
Nursing Management and Leadership
Covers nursing management, covering nursing, management, leadership, healthcare, and managing nursing management and leadership.
Palliative Care Nursing
Focuses on palliative care, covering palliative, care, nursing, terminal, and managing palliative care nursing.
Trauma and Emergency Nursing
Examines trauma nursing, covering trauma, emergency, nursing, critical, and managing trauma and emergency nursing.
Community Health Nursing
Covers community health, covering community, health, nursing, public, and managing community health nursing.
- Duration
- 2 years
- Public, up to
- Ksh 433,500
- Private, up to
- Ksh 463,200
- Job market
- High
The programme
What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.
What you study
10 subjects- Advanced Nursing Practice and Clinical Decision-Making
- Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice
- Nursing Education and Curriculum Development
- Healthcare Management and Leadership
- Palliative Care Nursing
- Trauma and Emergency Nursing
- Health Informatics and Communication Sciences
- Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Research Methods in Nursing
- Thesis Research
Modules
12 in the programmeAdvanced Nursing Practice and Clinical Decision-Making
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines advanced nursing practice, covering advanced, nursing, practice, clinical, and managing advanced nursing practice and clinical decision-making.
Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers nursing research, covering nursing, research, evidence, practice, and managing nursing research and evidence-based practice.
Health Informatics and Communication Sciences
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines health informatics, covering health, informatics, communication, sciences, and managing health informatics and communication sciences.
Healthcare Management and Leadership
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers healthcare management, covering healthcare, management, leadership, nursing, and managing healthcare management and leadership.
Nursing Education and Curriculum Development
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines nursing education, covering nursing, education, curriculum, teaching, and managing nursing education and curriculum development.
Palliative Care Nursing
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers palliative care, covering palliative, care, nursing, terminal, and managing palliative care nursing.
Trauma and Emergency Nursing
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines trauma nursing, covering trauma, emergency, nursing, critical, and managing trauma and emergency nursing.
Research Methods in Nursing
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, nursing, statistics, and conducting research in nursing, preparing students for their thesis.
Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines quality improvement, covering quality, improvement, healthcare, nursing, and managing quality improvement in healthcare.
Specialised Clinical Nursing Practice
Year 2Semester 14 creditsCore
Covers specialised clinical practice, covering specialised, clinical, nursing, practice, and managing specialised clinical nursing practice.
Oral Health and Dental Nursing
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines oral health nursing, covering oral, health, dental, nursing, and managing oral health and dental nursing.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a nursing topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and nursing knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.
Specialisations
Advanced Clinical Nursing
Focuses on advanced clinical nursing, covering advanced, clinical, nursing, practice, and managing advanced clinical nursing practice.
Nursing Education
Examines nursing education, covering nursing, education, curriculum, teaching, and managing nursing education and curriculum development.
Nursing Management and Leadership
Covers nursing management, covering nursing, management, leadership, healthcare, and managing nursing management and leadership.
Palliative Care Nursing
Focuses on palliative care, covering palliative, care, nursing, terminal, and managing palliative care nursing.
Trauma and Emergency Nursing
Examines trauma nursing, covering trauma, emergency, nursing, critical, and managing trauma and emergency nursing.
Community Health Nursing
Covers community health, covering community, health, nursing, public, and managing community health nursing.
A day as a student
A typical day combines lectures, clinical placements, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover advanced nursing practice, research, education, management, and specialised clinical areas. Advanced nursing sessions examine advanced, nursing, practice, clinical, and managing advanced nursing practice. Research sessions cover nursing, research, evidence, practice, and managing nursing research and evidence-based practice. Education sessions cover nursing, education, curriculum, teaching, and managing nursing education. Management sessions cover healthcare, management, leadership, nursing, and managing healthcare management and leadership. Clinical placements provide practical experience in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Seminars provide opportunities for case presentations and discussing research findings. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a nursing topic.
The trade offs
In its favour
- Programme addresses critical healthcare needs with high demand for advanced practice nurses in Kenya.
- Two public universities confirmed offering the programme, providing options for students.
- Programme covers diverse specialisations including palliative care, trauma, and health informatics.
- Graduates are eligible for NCK advanced practice registration and ICN international membership.
Against it
- Significant fee difference between KU (KES 326,400/year) and UoN (KES 433,500/year).
- No private university confirmed offering this programme.
- Clinical placements require access to healthcare facilities which may be limited.
- Nursing practice in Kenya requires NCK registration and licensing.
What it costs
Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.
What it costs, and where
Against 349 health sciences coursesAnnual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.
The fine print
UoN 433,500/yr (uonbi.ac.ke). KU 326,400 (mawese.com). AKU 463,200 (aku.edu). Kabarak 267,300 (kabarak.ac.ke).
HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. ICN and WHO may offer fellowships for nursing research and education.
Funding options
HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
ICN Fellowship
Scholarships
3 recordedHELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 433,500Kenyan
UoN and KU may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate nursing students.
ICN Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
ICN and WHO may offer fellowships for nursing research and education.
Getting in
The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.
What you need
- KCSE mean grade
- N/A (Postgraduate)
- Alternative entry
- UoN and KU require at least Upper Second Class Honours in BSc Nursing or a related health field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant postgraduate qualifications or experience. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.
How you are assessed
4 componentsCoursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, clinical reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering advanced nursing practice, research, education, and management.
Clinical Placement Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through clinical placements, demonstrating advanced nursing practice and clinical decision-making skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a nursing topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and nursing knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.
Accreditation
The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). UoN (public) offers MSc in Nursing through the Department of Nursing Sciences. KU (public) offers MSc in Nursing. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in nursing. Graduates may interact with NCK for professional registration and ICN for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, NCK, and ICN global nursing frameworks.
Accredited by
Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. UoN (public) offers MSc in Nursing through the Department of Nursing Sciences. KU (public) offers MSc in Nursing. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in nursing. Graduates may interact with NCK for professional registration and ICN for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, NCK, and ICN global nursing frameworks.
Where it leads
The roles it opens, and what you leave with.
Where graduates go
6 rolesAdvanced Practice Nurse
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides advanced nursing care, covering advanced, practice, nurse, clinical, and managing advanced nursing practice and care.
Nurse Educator
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Teaches nursing at university or college level, covering nurse, educator, teaching, curriculum, and managing nursing education.
Nursing Manager
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages nursing operations, covering nursing, manager, operations, healthcare, and managing nursing management and operations.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Provides specialised clinical care, covering clinical, nurse, specialist, care, and managing specialised clinical nursing practice.
Nurse Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Conducts nursing research, covering nurse, researcher, research, evidence, and managing nursing research and evidence-based practice.
Nursing Lecturer
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches nursing at university level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.
Graduate outcomes
Graduates pursue careers as advanced practice nurses, nurse educators, nursing managers, clinical nurse specialists, nurse researchers, and lecturers across hospitals, nursing schools, research institutions, and universities.
Where these fields lead
8 careers- Career Guidance & Labour Market Information CounselorEducation11Low exposure
- School Guidance CounselorEducation17Low exposure
- CrystallographerScience19Low exposure
- StatisticsScience20Low exposure
- Motor Vehicle MechanicEducation21Low exposure
- MycologistScience21Low exposure
- OceanographerScience21Low exposure
- Computational BiologistScience22Low exposure
Tools you will learn
SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
SPSS for nursing research data analysis, covering statistics, data, analysis, nursing, and managing nursing research data analysis.
Excel
Software
Excel for healthcare data management and reporting, covering Excel, data, healthcare, management, and managing healthcare data management.
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Software
EHR systems for patient data management, covering EHR, patient, data, health, and managing electronic health records.
Reference Management Software
Software
Reference management for nursing research and thesis writing, covering references, research, thesis, nursing, and managing research references.
Industry links
Common misconceptions
A master's in nursing is just about becoming a better bedside nurse.
The programme covers advanced practice, education, management, research, and specialised clinical areas beyond bedside nursing.
This programme is only for nurses who want to teach.
The programme prepares nurses for advanced practice, management, research, and education roles, not just teaching.
Nursing has limited career advancement in Kenya.
Nursing offers diverse career paths in advanced practice, management, education, research, and specialised clinical areas.
This programme is the same as a master's in public health.
MSc in Nursing focuses on nursing practice and care, while MPH covers broader public health policy and epidemiology.
Advanced nursing is only about clinical skills.
The programme includes research, education, management, health informatics, and policy alongside clinical skills.
You need years of nursing experience to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to BSc Nursing graduates with Upper Second Class Honours, not just experienced nurses.
Related courses
Further reading
Fees and entry marks for Master or Science in Nursing are restated every intake. Save it and the app keeps this version, so you can see what changed when it does.