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The Central State Office for Distance Learning (ZFU) has approved the course Care management under the number 149212c. Is the Bachelor's Distance Learning Programme in Nursing Management Suitable for You?
The distance learning programme in Nursing Management is aimed at anyone who aspires to a leadership or coordinating position in the nursing and healthcare sector. It is especially intended for nursing staff and employees with vocational training in health professions, but career changers without prior nursing experience are also welcome. The course is suitable if you want to qualify for management tasks in a nursing facility, in quality management, in nursing consultancy, or for activities at executive level. Flexible study organisation makes the course attractive for working professionals and people with family commitments.
How Do You Qualify for the Course? – Admission Requirements in Detail
There are two routes of admission to the Bachelor's programme in Nursing Management at APOLLON University:
- Direct University Entrance Qualification: You hold one of the following qualifications:
- General university entrance qualification (Abitur)
- Advanced technical college entrance qualification (Fachhochschulreife)
- Subject-specific university entrance qualification with a course-relevant subject focus
- Master craftsman’s examination, business administrator, advanced training or equivalent degree
- Completion of a 3-year, subject-relevant vocational training
- University degree (e.g. Bachelor’s or Diploma)
- Recognised foreign university entrance qualification
- Admission without Abitur: If you have completed at least a 2-year vocational training (even outside nursing) and can provide relevant professional experience, admission via an assessment test is possible. After passing the assessment test, you receive the subject-specific university entrance qualification and are fully admitted.
Enrollment is possible at any time. There is no numerus clausus (NC). Prior achievements from nursing training or APOLLON certificates may be recognised and credited towards the degree.
For the additional qualification as a certified nursing consultant according to § 7a SGB XI, you need:
- Completed vocational training in nursing or as a social insurance clerk
- 1-week internship in outpatient nursing care
- 2-day internship in a day-care facility
Personal Requirements
For a successful Nursing Management degree, you should possess the following skills and qualities:
- Self-organisation and self-motivation – particularly important for self-study in distance learning
- Communication skills – necessary for management tasks, team leadership and consultancy
- Interest in nursing science, legal and business management issues
- Empathy and social skills – especially in dealing with staff and clients
- Analytical and problem-solving thinking
- Openness to digital methods and independent work with digital learning media
- The willingness to allocate around 30 hours per week for study content, seminars and exams
Nursing experience, completed healthcare training or initial management experience are an advantage but not mandatory for admission. What is important is a fundamental interest in personnel management, organisation and development of nursing processes.
What skills does the Bachelor's degree in Nursing Management provide you with?
The Bachelor's degree in Nursing Management at APOLLON University imparts in-depth nursing science, economic and legal knowledge that prepare you for leadership roles in the nursing sector. The focus is on both management and communication skills as well as the development of a scientifically based problem-solving approach for complex situations in everyday nursing. You will be empowered to make economic decisions, develop nursing concepts, and manage personnel- and quality-relevant processes. The key areas of study include:
- Nursing science and nursing practice: Updating and deepening specialist knowledge, including nursing research and evidence-based practice.
- Business management: Basics of business administration, accounting, controlling, investment and financing specifically for healthcare facilities.
- Legal foundations: Social law, legal frameworks for nursing facilities and current legal issues in nursing.
- Communication & leadership: Team development, conflict management and intercultural competencies are integral parts of the curriculum.
- Quality and hygiene management: Concepts for ensuring and developing nursing quality as well as specialist knowledge for infection prevention.
- Project management & case management: Theory and application of strategic control instruments in the nursing sector.
- Ethics & palliative care: Reflection on ethical fundamental questions as well as specific concepts for the care of seriously ill people.
- Nursing pedagogy: Basics and methods of knowledge transfer for work in educational institutions of the healthcare sector.
Two elective modules allow you to focus further, e.g. on inpatient nursing management, outpatient services, elderly care facilities, nursing pedagogy or gerontology. Upon completion of selected modules, you will automatically receive the additional qualifications as a certified nursing counsellor (§ 7a SGB XI), hygiene advisor and quality management representative. This optimally prepares you for diverse tasks in modern nursing facilities.
How is the procedure and structure of this distance learning course organised?
The distance learning course is flexibly tailored to your reality as a working professional. The standard period of study is 36 or 48 months, with a total of 180 ECTS points earned. You can start your studies at any time and complete them at your own pace. All study materials are provided digitally or, upon request, as printed versions. The main procedural details are:
- Study materials: Every three to four months you will receive new learning units, supplemented by web-based trainings, videos, audio formats and digital learning aids.
- On-site phases or online seminars: Four compulsory seminars (total of 64 hours) are an integral part and can optionally be attended in person or digitally, including an introductory seminar at the start of the studies.
- Examination achievements: The range of assessments includes case tasks and written exams, term papers and group projects up to the final Bachelor’s thesis.
- Internship: A practical phase worth 20 ECTS is planned; relevant professional experience can be credited provided it meets the study requirements.
- Elective courses: In the third year of study you will choose two specialisations from six options.
- Flexible examinations: You take exams at your chosen dates – online or at an examination centre in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
- Free extension of study period: An extension of your study period by up to 50 percent is possible without additional fees if you need more time.
The course is accredited by AZAV and FIBAA and offers extensive recognition opportunities for already completed initial and advanced training in nursing or the healthcare sector. A free trial study over four weeks ensures a risk-free start.
Which professional fields can the Nursing Management degree lead you to?
With the Bachelor's degree in Nursing Management, you open yourself up to diverse career paths at the intersection of nursing, management and consultancy. Nursing managers who can ensure nursing quality, lead personnel and manage workflows are particularly in demand. You qualify, among others, for the following professional fields:
- Leadership positions: Facility management, executive management or nursing service management in clinics, elderly care homes or outpatient services (depending on prior qualifications and professional experience).
- Project management and consultancy: Planning, controlling and evaluation of nursing and care processes, e.g. as project manager or nursing consultant for social insurance carriers and payers.
- Quality and hygiene management: Responsible for internal audits or as QM representative, especially through the acquired additional qualifications.
- Personnel development: Tasks in the field of human resources and staff training in healthcare institutions.
- Marketing and public relations: Conception and implementation of measures to position nursing offers and facilities.
- Self-employment: Founding and management of outpatient services or consulting companies in healthcare.
- Pedagogy and education: Teaching and training in healthcare schools, especially with a focus on nursing pedagogy.
Thanks to the additional qualifications as a certified nursing counsellor, hygiene advisor and quality management representative, you are excellently equipped for special functional positions in modern nursing facilities. Your skills are in high demand on the labour market, particularly against the backdrop of digitalisation, skilled worker shortages and increasing need for consultancy.
What costs should you expect for the distance learning Nursing Management course and how can you finance them?
The monthly tuition fees amount to 288 euros, which means a total of 12,780 euros for a study duration of 36 months. All teaching materials, online courses as well as support from experienced lecturers are included in the price. The main financing options include:
- Instalment payment: Tuition fees are payable monthly and can be adjusted to the individual time model.
- BAföG: The Bachelor’s degree is eligible for support under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), provided personal requirements are met.
- Funding: Employer contributions, education vouchers, scholarship programmes and tax benefits are possible – study costs are deductible as business expenses or special expenses.
- Recognition of previous achievements: When relevant vocational training or certificate courses are credited, individual modules are waived, saving you time and tuition fees.
- Free extension: If you need more time, you can flexibly extend your study period by up to 50 percent without incurring further fees.
A four-week trial study at the start of the course enables you to test the offer without obligation and free of charge. This allows you to align your personal and financial planning precisely to your needs.
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