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Academics

At Penn Nursing, students at every level are afforded an exceptional Ivy League education, and are taught by the top nurse researchers in the country.

Undergraduate 

Our undergraduate BSN program is focused on hands-on clinical practice and nursing research, and offers students the chance to study abroad, to practice in high-fidelity simulations, and to pursue dual-degrees and graduate-level coursework while still an undergraduate. We also offer a Nutrition major in partnership with Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences. The minors we offer reflect the changing face of healthcare today and speak to the areas most in need of skilled nurse clinicians and researchers.

Undergraduate Programs


Master of Professional Nursing

This accelerated entry-level nursing program, offered at the graduate level, prepares students to deliver a full array of health care services to meet the demands of patients and families with increasingly complex health needs. Learn more about this new program and the MPN/MSN option.

Master of Professional Nursing


Master’s

Our highly-ranked MSN programs focus on the science and practice of nursing in a wide range of specialty areas. Interested students also have the opportunity to supplement their MSN program with one of our graduate certificate programs. Additionally, we also offer Post-Graduate APRN Certificate programs for nurse practitioners who have previously earned their MSN or DNP, as well as Certificate Programs for Master’s-prepared nurses. 

Our online Master of Science in Nutrition Science program, built upon years of research and a stellar reputation for high-quality education in Nutrition Science, is designed to meet the educational needs of multiple licensed health care professionals, trainees, and students seeking a rigorous graduate education in advanced nutrition science.

Master of Science in Nursing Programs

Master of Science in Nutrition Science


Doctoral

Our doctoral programs are committed to producing leaders in the field of nursing science, both in scholarship and research (PhD) and clinical scholarship and practice (DNP).

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)


Departments

All of our academic programs fall under two departments: Family and Community Health and Biobehavioral Health Sciences.


Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is fundamental to every course and all programs of study. The International Center for Academic Integrity states that ‘Academic integrity is a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals into action.’ Adherence to the University of Pennsylvania Code of Academic Integrity is required of every student in all coursework and all course interactions. Please refer to Penn Nursing guidance on University of Pennsylvania Student Policies.

Penn Nursing News

  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2322-advocating-for-implementing-a-nurse-practitioner"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1800,810/ignore_cropper/1/14348_DAVID_YU_STORY_BANNER_copy.rev.1688412168.png" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1800,810/ignore_cropper/1/14348_DAVID_YU_STORY_BANNER_copy.rev.1688412168.png 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1800,810/ignore_cropper/1/14348_DAVID_YU_STORY_BANNER_copy.rev.1688412168.png 3x" data-max-w="1800" data-max-h="810"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2322-advocating-for-implementing-a-nurse-practitioner">Advocating for Implementing a Nurse Practitioner System in Korea</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p><span style="color: #473d3a; background-color: #faf9f3;">In April 2023, David (Hyunmin) Yu, MSN, RN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, TCRN, Nurse Practitioner in the PPMC Medical Intensive Care Unit, was invited to Seoul, South Korea, to speak at the largest national critical care medicine conference in South Korea, organized by the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine.<br/><br/><strong><i>By Sara Rubins and Bridget McQuate, </i></strong><strong><i>Penn Presbyterian Medical Center 5 Things to Know Newsletter</i></strong></span></p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2022-bellagio-center-residency-for-penn-nursing"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/89,0,469,380/ignore_cropper/1/11804_Fairman_560x380.rev.1623074481.png" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" data-max-w="380" data-max-h="380"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2022-bellagio-center-residency-for-penn-nursing">Bellagio Center Residency for Penn Nursing Professor</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p><a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/details/profiles.php?id=35">Penn Nursing</a>’s <a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/details/profiles.php?id=35">Julie Fairman, PhD, RN, FAAN</a>, Nightingale Professor in Honor of Nursing Veterans, Professor of Nursing, and Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Future of Nursing Scholars Program, has been selected for <a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/bellagio-center/residency-program/">The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency Program</a>, a month-long residency in Bellagio, Italy. Her residency will take place in 2022.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2167-american-academy-of-nursing-announces-new-fellows"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,716,537/ignore_cropper/1/11974_aan-hi-logo-716x537.rev.1631204412.jpg" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,716,537/ignore_cropper/1/11974_aan-hi-logo-716x537.rev.1631204412.jpg 2x" data-max-w="716" data-max-h="537"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2167-american-academy-of-nursing-announces-new-fellows">American Academy of Nursing Announces New Fellows</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> Eleven nursing professionals with ties to <a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/">Penn Nursing</a> will be inducted as 2022 Fellows of the <a href="https://www.aannet.org/home">American Academy of Nursing</a> (AAN). Three are current Penn Nursing faculty, with two of them being alums; the additional eight are all <a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/alumni/">Penn Nursing alumni</a>.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2066-exploring-the-effectiveness-of-telehealth-in"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,900,671/ignore_cropper/1/12127_SHOSHANA_2.rev.1638817408.jpg" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,900,671/ignore_cropper/1/12127_SHOSHANA_2.rev.1638817408.jpg 2x" data-max-w="900" data-max-h="671"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2066-exploring-the-effectiveness-of-telehealth-in">Exploring the Effectiveness of Telehealth in Opioid Use Disorder</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> The majority of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) face access barriers to evidence-based treatment. While the COVID-19 pandemic offered an opportunity to address OUD treatment access barriers by allowing for expanded use of telehealth, is it not yet clear if this technology will help eliminate those barriers or exacerbate pre-existing treatment inequities.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2091-combating-health-misinformation"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/137,0,517,380/ignore_cropper/1/11963_Humans_of_Penn_Nursing_560x380_4.rev.1631019788.png" alt="Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" data-max-w="380" data-max-h="380"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2091-combating-health-misinformation">Combating Health Misinformation</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary">On July 15, 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an urgent plea for all Americans to take part in slowing a serious threat to public health. He wasn’t talking about the COVID-19 pandemic but rather the harmful effects on personal and public health caused by the infodemic – the creation and spread of an excessive amount of unreliable and false health information.</div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2162-new-tool-measures-moral-distress-in-pandemic"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/460,0,1792,1333/ignore_cropper/1/11650_lake-eileen-teaser.rev.1616681139.jpg" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/460,0,1792,1333/ignore_cropper/1/11650_lake-eileen-teaser.rev.1616681139.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/460,0,1792,1333/ignore_cropper/1/11650_lake-eileen-teaser.rev.1616681139.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1332" data-max-h="1333"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2162-new-tool-measures-moral-distress-in-pandemic">New Tool Measures Moral Distress in Pandemic Nursing Care</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary">The COVID‐19 pandemic created novel patient care circumstances that may have increased nurses’ moral distress, including COVID‐19 transmission risk and end‐of‐life care without family present. Moral distress is a growing concern in healthcare with implications for both provider and patient outcomes. However, until now, established moral distress instruments do not capture these novel aspects of pandemic nursing care.</div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2328-dr-john-barrett-dnp-faculty-first-nurse"><img src="/live/image/gid/111/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,211,2134,2342/ignore_cropper/1/14369_Barrett.rev.1689711015.JPG" alt="Barrett, Johbn" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/111/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,211,2134,2342/ignore_cropper/1/14369_Barrett.rev.1689711015.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/111/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,211,2134,2342/ignore_cropper/1/14369_Barrett.rev.1689711015.JPG 3x" data-max-w="2134" data-max-h="2131"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2328-dr-john-barrett-dnp-faculty-first-nurse">Dr. John Barrett, DNP Faculty, First Nurse Practitioner to Join One-year Certificate Training Program in Advanced Emergency Ultrasonography</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> Penn Medicine’s Division of Emergency Ultrasound is at the forefront of promoting the use of bedside ultrasound. On July 1st, Dr. John Barrett, senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and faculty for the Penn DNP program, made history by becoming the first nurse practitioner to join a one-year certificate training program in advanced emergency ultrasonography. This significant milestone marks the beginning of a new era in ultrasound training.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2259-eidos-lgbtq-health-initiative-at-the-university-of"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/1440,0,5091,3654/ignore_cropper/1/13954_MicrosoftTeams-image_37.rev.1676302774.png" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/1440,0,5091,3654/ignore_cropper/1/13954_MicrosoftTeams-image_37.rev.1676302774.png 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/1440,0,5091,3654/ignore_cropper/1/13954_MicrosoftTeams-image_37.rev.1676302774.png 3x" data-max-w="3651" data-max-h="3654"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2259-eidos-lgbtq-health-initiative-at-the-university-of">Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania Partners with Gaingels to Devote Five Million Dollars in Research that Supports Advances in LGBTQ+ Health Start-ups</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p><a href="https://penneidos.org/">The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative</a> at the <a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing</a> (Penn Nursing) is partnering with <a href="https://gaingels.com/">Gaingels</a>, an LGBTQIA+/Allies private investment syndicate, to provide their portfolio of companies access to Penn’s academic research to make an impact into the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ communities.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2226-transforming-lgbtq-health"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,560,380/ignore_cropper/1/13759_Eidos_launch_event_swag.rev.1668790498.png" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" data-max-w="560" data-max-h="380"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2226-transforming-lgbtq-health">Transforming LGBTQ+ Health</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> Members from across the University and representatives from Philadelphia’s business, government, and community sectors recently gathered together at the Inn at Penn to celebrate the <a href="https://penneidos.org/#scroll">Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania</a> with a launch party.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2088-cunningham-to-receive-2022-norma-m-lang-award-for"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/787,0,2918,2134/ignore_cropper/1/8914_ReginaCunningham.rev.1556133552.jpg" alt="Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital of the Universi..." class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/787,0,2918,2134/ignore_cropper/1/8914_ReginaCunningham.rev.1556133552.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/787,0,2918,2134/ignore_cropper/1/8914_ReginaCunningham.rev.1556133552.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2131" data-max-h="2134"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2088-cunningham-to-receive-2022-norma-m-lang-award-for">Cunningham to Receive 2022 Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> The award is given biennially to a Penn Nursing faculty member or a graduate from the School’s doctoral program who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing through scholarly practice. It honors Norma M. Lang, PhD, the Professor and Dean Emerita of Penn Nursing for her world-renowned contributions to health policy and practice. The 7th Norma L. Lang Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 3:00 – 5:00 pm in the Ann L. Roy Auditorium.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2109-penn-nursing-researchers-co-edit-special-journal"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/598,0,1957,1360/ignore_cropper/1/468_429_085.rev.1466174729.jpg" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/598,0,1957,1360/ignore_cropper/1/468_429_085.rev.1466174729.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/598,0,1957,1360/ignore_cropper/1/468_429_085.rev.1466174729.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1359" data-max-h="1360"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2109-penn-nursing-researchers-co-edit-special-journal">Penn Nursing Researchers Co-Edit Special Journal Issue About Social Determinants of Health</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p><a href="about:blank">University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing</a> (Penn Nursing) faculty J. Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, are guest editors of the April 2022 special edition of the journal <em>Research in Nursing & Health.</em> The Issue <em>“</em><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/1098240x/2022/45/2">Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health</a>” is the first of its kind published by a nursing research journal.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2140-prominent-appointments-for-penn-nursing-professor"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/532,0,1864,1333/ignore_cropper/1/9219_Spatz_3_credit_UniversityCommunications_Eric_Sucar_5.rev.1560260810.jpg" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/532,0,1864,1333/ignore_cropper/1/9219_Spatz_3_credit_UniversityCommunications_Eric_Sucar_5.rev.1560260810.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/532,0,1864,1333/ignore_cropper/1/9219_Spatz_3_credit_UniversityCommunications_Eric_Sucar_5.rev.1560260810.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1332" data-max-h="1333"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2140-prominent-appointments-for-penn-nursing-professor">Prominent Appointments for Penn Nursing Professor</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><a href="/details/profiles.php?id=40">Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000;">, Professor of Perinatal Nursing and the Helen M. Shearer Term Professor of Nutrition, in</span> <a href="/">Penn Nursing</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000;">’s</span> <a href="/academics/fch/">Department of Family and Community Health</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000;">, has two new appointments: one national and the other international.</span><strong><br/></strong></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/live/files/1853-leading-to-a-healthier-more-equitable-future"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/4,0,346,341/ignore_cropper/1/12071_Strategic_Plan_Cover_560x380.rev.1634839705.png" alt="Penn Nursing’s strategic plan, Leading to a Healthier, More Equitable Future." class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" data-max-w="342" data-max-h="341"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/live/files/1853-leading-to-a-healthier-more-equitable-future">Forging a New Path Forward</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary">Penn Nursing’s strategic plan, <i>Leading to a Healthier, More Equitable Future, </i>is about unstoppable drive, doing more, and forging a new path forward.</div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2045-moving-past-conflation-of-race-and-genetics"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/79,0,459,380/ignore_cropper/1/12077_MicrosoftTeams-image_15.rev.1635260586.png" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" data-max-w="380" data-max-h="380"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2045-moving-past-conflation-of-race-and-genetics">Moving Past Conflation of Race and Genetics</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> Race is not genetic. Race is a social and political construct. However, the conflation of race and genetics is one way that racism persists in medicine and research.</p></div></article>
  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2159-penn-nursing-re-designated-a-who-collaborating"><img src="/live/image/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/837,0,2995,2160/ignore_cropper/1/13266_World-Health-Organization-WHO-Symbol.rev.1659018397.png" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/837,0,2995,2160/ignore_cropper/1/13266_World-Health-Organization-WHO-Symbol.rev.1659018397.png 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/21/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/837,0,2995,2160/ignore_cropper/1/13266_World-Health-Organization-WHO-Symbol.rev.1659018397.png 3x" data-max-w="2158" data-max-h="2160"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2159-penn-nursing-re-designated-a-who-collaborating">Penn Nursing Re-designated a WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> The <a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing</a> (Penn Nursing) has been re-designated as a <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) <a href="https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/global-health/global-partnerships/world-health-organization/#:~:text=In%201988%2C%20Penn%20Nursing%20earned,supporting%20WHO%20global%20health%20priorities.">Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership</a> for an additional four-year term. As a Collaborating Center, Penn Nursing commits to advancing the workplan of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) related to human resource development and the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) during each four-year cycle of work.</p></div></article>

IN RESEARCH

  • <article class="news-article"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/2170-investing-in-patient-care-and-savings"><img src="/live/image/gid/26/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2134/ignore_cropper/1/13336_Male_patient_home_visit_iStock-1218253146.rev.1662042968.jpg" alt="" class="lw_image" width="350" height="250" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/26/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2134/ignore_cropper/1/13336_Male_patient_home_visit_iStock-1218253146.rev.1662042968.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/26/width/350/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2134/ignore_cropper/1/13336_Male_patient_home_visit_iStock-1218253146.rev.1662042968.jpg 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2134"/></a></span><h4 class="news-article-headline"><a href="/live/news/2170-investing-in-patient-care-and-savings">Investing In Patient Care and Savings</a></h4><div class="news-article-summary"><p> Successful investment bankers have a nose for profitable innovation. In the case of Penn Nursing Board of Advisors member and Wharton alum John J. Rydzewski, he knew as soon as he heard Mary D. Naylor, PhD RN FAAN present early research findings for the Transitional Care Model (TCM) that it was potentially transformational. That led him to recently make a generous gift to Dr. Naylor’s work at Penn Nursing’s NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health.</p></div></article>