MSc in Advanced Practice Nursing
€11,815
On the successful completion of the MSc in Advanced Practice Nursing Programme, nurses are eligible to proceed to registration as registered advanced nurse practitioners with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
Masters
2 years
Hybrid - Part-time
100 ECTS
September 2025
About
Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioners (RANPs) are highly skilled clinicians and clinical leaders that deliver high quality, safe and effective person-centric care to a defined caseload of patients and their families. Enhance your nursing career with this qualification from the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery and prepare to practise professionally at a higher level of capability, autonomy and responsibility.
RANPs are increasingly driving change and innovation within Irish healthcare settings through the promotion of evidence-based practice, research dissemination, expert clinical practice and the alignment of RANP roles and services with wider health strategy and health policy.
In this MSc programme, you will develop the knowledge and clinical skills required for advanced practice nursing through critical reflection, practice experience and clinical competency development within your clinical practice. This programme is delivered part-time via an active blended learning approach including self-directed learning and live online classes approximately once every week.
Further support is provided through the module lead, programme director and regular online drop-in sessions.
Enable registered nurses to develop the knowledge and skills required for registration as an advanced nurse practitioner
Develop capability and competency, both professionally and clinically, to understand and lead change and innovation within the Irish healthcare services
Develop competencies to support interprofessional working and learning particularly around clinical governance and decision-making processes
Mastery of advanced nursing assessment and diagnostic skills, including the development of analytical and critical thinking skills
Integrate your enhanced knowledge to improve overall patient care and outcomes
Integrate reflection, reflective practice, and self-evaluation to support advanced professional growth and mastery of practice
Suitable for
The MSc Advanced Practice Nursing Programme is suitable for nurses who are interested in developing advanced practice nursing roles and services in collaboration with identified key stakeholders. This programme is suitable for nurses who meet the entry requirements and have already successfully completed Nursing/Midwifery (Medicinal Product Prescribing).
What you will learn
Faculty highlight
Biography
Dr Jarlath Varley, Programme Director
Dr Varley has contributed to many aspects of ANP nursing in Ireland including policy development, role evaluation, evaluation of impact on health services and curriculum alignment with recent health policy strategies.
Find out more
Course information
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of a comprehensive range of knowledge in the specialist area.
- Articulate a critical awareness of the latest evidence-based knowledge in the specialist area.
- Demonstrate a range of research and specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist area of clinical practice.
- Select from a broad range of specialist skills and knowledge in the specialist area.
- Act in a comprehensive and often unpredictable variety of professional and ill-defined contexts in the specialist area.
- Take significant responsibility for the work of individuals and groups and lead and initiate activity in the specialist area.
- Critically self-evaluate professional and personal learning needs and those of others within your specialist area of practice and link to related continuing professional development requirements.
- Present a reflective and questioning approach to specialist practice delivery and exhibit professional application of your knowledge in an accountable, responsible and evidence-based manner.
On the successful completion of this programme, nurses are eligible to proceed to registration as registered advanced nurse practitioners with the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland. You may also be interested in pursuing a professional doctorate. For more information, please contact us at:
- Tel: +353 1 402 2445
- Email: nursing@rcsi.ie
Year 1
- Advanced Research Methods.
- Advanced Leadership (Professional and Clinical).
- Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum I.
- Advanced Professional Accountability, Clinical Governance and Decision Making.
- Advanced Systematic Assessment and Case Management.
- Optional Specialist Module (x 1).
Year 2
- Generating Evidence for Practice.
- Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum II.
This programme will begin in September each year.
This programme is assessed through a range of assessment modalities.
All programmes offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery are accredited by RCSI, the National University of Ireland and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Recognition by bodies in other jurisdictions must be determined by individual applicants.
Admissions
Applicants must:
- Have a minimum of an honours primary degree in nursing or equivalent.
- Hold an active registration on a division of the professional register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
- Have three years’ recent post-registration clinical experience in nursing/midwifery (within the past five years), with the equivalent of one-year, full-time experience in the specific area of practice.
- Provide evidence of support from an employer and a completed Site Declaration Form (Advanced Practice Nursing Site Declaration Form All Applicants), signed by the director of nursing/public health/authorised nurse manager. The Site Declaration Form must contain confirmation of a designated medical practitioner mentor and/or ANP mentor.
- Demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development.
- Possess a competent level of information technology literacy.
- Be currently employed as a nurse or midwife in the voluntary and statutory services of the Health Service Executive or a private health service organisation in Ireland.
Learning occurs in many contexts, including work, involvement in social and community activities, and learning through life experience generally. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) does not give credit for experience as such – rather, it considers learning that was acquired as a result of the experience.
RPL may be used to gain admission to programmes where an applicant may not have obtained the standard entry requirements. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Exemptions from programme modules that duplicate learning already demonstrably acquired through prior learning may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, please contact the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
- Tel: +353 1 402 2445
- Email: nursing@rcsi.ie
English language requirements for RCSI Postgraduate programmes are published on the RCSI website here.
If you have completed undergraduate/postgraduate full-time studies in the medium of the English language (three or more years cumulatively) or are registered with the NMBI, you are exempt from these requirements.
Total fees for this two-year MSc programme are: €11,815
Year 1: €7,005
Year 2: €4,810
Please note
- Fees include the €45 NUI fee.
- There is an additional application fee of €50 which is non-refundable.
- Fees are subject to review annually.
- Fees can be paid by bank transfer. Full details on fee payment will be emailed to you before the commencement of your programe.
- You can pay your fees in three instalments – one payment of 40% is due before you commence the programme, while the remaining payments can be paid in two 30% instalments in November and February of your year of study.
- If you meet the criteria for a non-EU student, please contact us for more information on fee payments at Tel: +353 1 402 2445 or Email: nursing@rcsi.ie.
Sponsored students
If your study is sponsored by your employer, you will be required to upload written confirmation of your sponsorship when accepting your programme offer. You will be unable to accept your offer until confirmation of sponsorship is received or a payment is made. Please view our Postgraduate fees policy for more information.
How to apply
Applications for this programme are currently closed. For guidance or further information, please contact nursing@rcsi.com.