Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE) and Northern Arizona University are launching a graduate nursing portfolio that includes two master’s degrees and four graduate certificates to help nurse leaders drive positive change and excel in their careers. The suite of online programs was created with hospital-based nurses and health care leaders to meet current and future challenges of the health care workforce. It is backed by CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest not-for-profit health care systems in the U.S. The master’s degrees are priced at an estimated $16,655, which is indicative of NAU’s commitment to accessible education considering that a master’s degree in science averaged $62,340 in 2021, according to the Education Data Initiative.
“DHGE and NAU’s MBA in Healthcare, which launched last fall, has been hugely successful due to its innovative and student-focused approach,” said Andrew Malley, CEO of DHGE. “The market has cried out for accessibly priced education that doesn’t leave learners in-debt or demands large out-of-pocket payments. A tuition price of $19,794 achieved that, and we have taken the same approach with our nursing degrees.”
Because executives in health care are focused on workforce development, DHGE and NAU focused on what can and should be done to support health care workers in creating this curriculum. As a nationally ranked public school that champions non-traditional students, NAU is a logical partner for DHGE.
“With a modern learning infrastructure and stackable graduate certificates that specialize on topics such as strategic systems leadership, we have developed a portfolio of nursing programs for the post-COVID world,” Julie DeLoia, chief academic officer of DHGE, said. “The online format allows working professionals to gain qualifications on their own schedule and at an affordable price point, with options to upgrade and gain more qualifications as and when they need them. The quality and flexibility these programs offer are unparalleled.”
The flagship program of the suite will be a Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in Strategic Systems Leadership. Students can enroll in the program as early as January. Learners also will be able to enroll in a Graduate Certificate in Nursing (Strategic Systems Leadership) worth 12 credits as part of the program, or independently. The standalone graduate certificate will cost $6,653.
“The selection of topics has been deliberate,” said Ann Leslie Claesson-Vert, an associate clinical professor at NAU’s School of Nursing. “It’s an analysis of needs that went unmet in the past, as well as a forward-looking curriculum—health care is ever-changing and growing more and more complex, and we are proud to be part of the future by launching this suite of programs.”