U-M Nursing takes new Master’s course online with Noodle Partners

The University of Michigan School of Nursing is working with Noodle Partners to develop a new, fully online Master’s programme, through which it hopes to increase interest in nursing in the state and beyond.

The Master’s of Science in Nursing programme will focus specifically on leadership, analytics and innovation, a growing area of interest within the nursing discipline. As a fully online course, it promises to offer learners a University of Michigan Nursing educational experience, delivered in a flexible format.

“The Michigan difference will continue in our digital education just as it does in our residence education,” School of Nursing Dean Patricia Hurn said in a media release.

In keeping with its reputation as a world-class institution, learners in the programme will continue to receive access to school faculty, and the same wide array of resources a student in-campus would come to expect.

“We are excited to develop this programme with Noodle Partners and ensure students who earn their degree digitally have the same quality experience.” 

The Leadership, Analytics and Innovation specialty programme is designed to prepare students to transition from clinically-focused careers into executive leadership roles using data-driven, evidence-based approaches.

Graduates will gain critical knowledge and skills to help develop their confidence in the use, analysis and interpretation of data to build clinical and financial cases for change, patient care delivery and health programmes throughout the healthcare spectrum.

According to a descriptor on the university site, the programme was designed by faculty along with student input, as well as in consultation with the online learning experts over at Noodle Partners. 

Noodle Partners is one of several major players in the online programme management (OPM) space, a market that, despite facing numerous challenges in recent years, continues to grow as online learning continues to muscle its way into the mainstream of education.

“Developing this programme will allow us to engage many more people to become Michigan nurses, and that is our ultimate goal,” Hurn said. “We think Michigan nurses are the best, and we want them everywhere.”

According to a recent report by global education market intelligence platform HolonIQ, the OPM market is expected to grow from US$3.5 billion today at a 15 percent CAGR to reach a sizeable US$7.8 billion by 2025.

The report also says that one in three OPM programmes is a business credential, while almost one in five is in healthcare and less than one in 10 is in STEM.

“We could not be more enthusiastic about delivering the University of Michigan School of Nursing educational experience to a wider audience of students,” Noodle Partners Founder and CEO John Katzman said. 

“U-M Nursing chose Noodle Partners based on its network of sophisticated technology and services providers. This is an important milestone for our team as we continue to grow our presence at one of the country’s best public universities.”

Courses officially begin in fall 2020.