Entry Level Master's in Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader
We Believe Service is the Heartbeat of Nursing Excellence
The Entry Level Master's in Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader (ELM-CNL) program develops highly skilled, compassionate, and caring nurse leaders who will positively influence the nursing profession, transform healthcare systems, and impact communities locally and worldwide. The curriculum prerequisites provide a strong foundation for nursing courses while cultivating the development of critical thinking, communication, and other core skills. Nursing-specific courses will reflect a unifying theme, which includes the nursing process and is designed to provide students with knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to function in accordance with the registered nurse scope of practice and to meet competency standards of a registered nurse. Grounded in the University's Christian mission, the curriculum cultivates the development of compassionate nurses who are prepared to provide evidence-based care across the care continuum and lifespan in a variety of settings with diverse individuals and communities.
Entry Level Master's, CNL Program Details
Quick Facts
- Start: Fall 2025
- Location: Calabasas Campus
- Clinicals: 850+ hours of clinical training
- Classes: In person
- Length: 7 semesters, 29 months
The ELM-CNL program is designed for individuals who hold a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field and will allow the graduate to enter the nursing profession with a master of science in nursing degree. The first two years of the ELM-CNL program will focus on prelicensure preparation. After the prelicensure coursework is completed, students will be prepared to sit for NCLEX-RN exam. The third year of the program focuses on graduate level coursework in nursing leadership. By the conclusion of the program, students will be eligible to sit for the Clinical Nurse Leader certification examination and will meet all program requirements for a public health nurse certification. Program graduates will be qualified for consideration in nurse leadership positions, such as manager, director, and chief nursing officer, across healthcare settings. Additionally, they will be well-positioned to continue their education in an advanced practice nursing speciality or a doctoral in nursing program.
The ELM-CNL program is a residential program housed at the Pepperdine Calabasas campus, the location of the University's newly-constructed and state-of-the-art nursing simulation and laboratory facilities. It has a strong clinical emphasis requiring students to complete 850+ hours of clinical training and providing direct patient care in five specialty areas: medical/surgical, psychiatric/mental health, obstetrics, pediatrics, and gerontology. Through clinical affiliation agreements with leading healthcare systems and community-based organizations across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, students develop clinical skills with diverse patient populations and in a wide-range of clinical environments.
This demanding program equips students with both clinical expertise and leadership skills to improve patient outcomes in diverse healthcare settings. Our graduates of the rigorous Entry Level Master's in Nursing with a focus on Clinical Nurse Leadership are well-positioned to provide direct patient care while leading interdisciplinary teams to coordinate and improve care. They oversee patient care, implement evidence-based practices, promote patient advocacy, and manage safety risks. CNLs assess and enhance care quality, mentor nursing staff, lead quality improvement initiatives, and are prepared for leadership roles such as nurse manager or director.
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