UCLA School of Nursing

What UCLA School of Nursing does

UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing is a public academic nursing school within the University of California system, founded in 1949 and located in Los Angeles. It serves nursing students, clinicians, and the broader healthcare research community through degree and certificate programs spanning the BS, MECN, DNP, PhD, and Post-Master's Certificate tracks. The school is supported by approximately 142 employees and anchors its academic-practice model on a partnership with UCLA Health, which functions as the primary clinical training and research site.

The school's core products are accredited nursing education and applied clinical research. Instructional delivery combines lecture-based coursework, simulation-based learning, and clinical placements across UCLA Health and partner sites. The research engine is faculty-led: faculty have produced over 100 empirical papers, individual PIs hold large federal grants (Dr. Song's $5.5M grant is a representative example), and applied programs such as Care2Sleep extend research into VA clinics and adult day healthcare settings. Faculty include FAAN fellows, supporting the school's reputation as a research-active institution.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: tuition from a large student body, externally funded research grants (federal and foundation), and philanthropic gifts. A $30 million naming gift from Joe C. Wen in October 2025 materially expanded the endowment and rebranded the school. The portfolio is being actively expanded with a new Post BSN-DNP program and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program that addresses the statewide psychiatrist shortage, while the 2026 cohort is scaling to 200+ students, up from 150 in Fall 2025. Distribution is tightly coupled to UCLA Health, which provides clinical placement, research, and care-delivery infrastructure that competing or independent schools cannot easily replicate.

Name

UCLA School of Nursing

Legal name

UCLA School of Nursing (Joe C. Wen School of Nursing)

Website

https://nursing.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing is a public academic nursing school in Los Angeles offering BS, MECN, DNP, PhD, and certificate programs to roughly 200+ students per cohort, funded by tuition, federal research grants, and philanthropy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Schools of Nursing (EDAHAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Healthcare & Nursing Universities (Allied Health, RN-to-BSN, etc.) (EDAHALAF)

Keywords

• Nursing education programs
• Undergraduate nursing degree
• Graduate nursing programs
• Nursing research initiatives
• Clinical nursing training

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: As a public university school within the UC system, the school generates revenue through tuition and fees from undergraduate and graduate nursing programs including BS, MECN, DNP, PhD, and Post-Master's Certificate programs.
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: Faculty-driven research funded by external agencies including NIH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, American Heart Association, UCLA Initiative to Study Hate, and foundation grants. Dr. Song's work supported by over $5.5 million in external funding.
3. Philanthropic Donations: The school received a historic $30 million commitment from UCLA alumni and businessman Joe C. Wen. Ongoing fundraising through the UCLA Giving platform supporting scholarships, research, and program development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing is a public academic institution offering five distinct nursing education programs (BS, MECN, PMHNP, PhD, Post BSN-DNP) and faculty-led research initiatives. Its core deliverables are undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees, clinical training, and scientific research in areas such as HIV stigma reduction, sleep interventions for dementia caregivers, and cardiometabolic health.

Product overview

UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing is an academic nursing institution offering a portfolio of five distinct educational programs: the Bachelor of Science (BS) four-year undergraduate program for pre-licensure students; the Master of Science - Entry (MECN) two-year accelerated program for career changers; the Post-Master's Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health (PMHNP) for specialized mental health training; the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research-focused doctoral program; and the Post BSN-DNP program for advanced practice doctoral preparation. These programs form a comprehensive educational pathway from undergraduate entry through doctoral research and advanced practice leadership, designed to address workforce needs in nursing education, research, and clinical practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science (BS) A four-year undergraduate program that prepares students to enter the nursing field after passing the Registered Nurse licensing exam, or pursue graduate studies. Intended for prospective undergraduate nursing students.
• Master of Science - Entry (MECN) A two-year Master of Science in Nursing program designed for those with undergraduate degrees in other subjects, preparing them for careers as Registered Nurses, Clinical Nurse Leaders, or Public Health Nurses. Intended for career changers with non-nursing bachelor's degrees.
• Post-Master's Certificate - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) A predominantly remote, one-year certification program that trains nurses to provide mental health care as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, addressing a statewide shortage of psychiatrists. Intended for master's-prepared nurses seeking PMHNP specialization.
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) A four-year, research-focused doctoral program that prepares graduate-level nurses to develop new knowledge through scientific research, educate future nurses, and improve healthcare delivery and policy. Intended for graduate nurses pursuing nurse scientist careers.
• Post BSN-DNP Program A three-year Post Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice program designed to prepare registered nurses to become experts and leaders in advanced practice while completing a doctoral degree in nursing. Intended for BSN-prepared registered nurses seeking advanced practice doctoral preparation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 caregivers trained in Southern California through the Care2Sleep program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCLA HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025The UCLA School of Nursing and UCLA Health Nursing have forged an academic/practice bond that uses integration, collaboration, and synergies to benefit patients. This partnership integrates clinical practice with academic education, providing clinical training sites for students and collaborative research opportunities between faculty and UCLA Health nursing staff.
• Veterans Affairs (VA) Insomnia ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Yeonsu Song's Care2Sleep dyadic behavioral sleep intervention program has been adopted in VA insomnia clinics across Southern California, serving veterans and their family caregivers with evidence-based behavioral sleep care.
• Adult Day Healthcare ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Care2Sleep program has been adopted in adult day healthcare programs serving persons living with dementia and their family caregivers, with over 150 caregivers trained across Southern California.
• Western Institute of Nursing (WIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA Nursing faculty and students actively participate in WIN's annual conferences and leadership structures. Professor Lauren Clark completed two years as WIN President, and the school hosts poster and podium presentations at WIN conferences.
• Vanderbilt University School of NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVanderbilt University School of Nursing honored Dr. Nalo Hamilton with the 2025 Thomas L. Christenbery Award for Connectedness, recognizing her work in health disparities. Dr. Hamilton earned her MSN from Vanderbilt in 2005.
• International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIASLC awarded Dr. Joosun Shin the Early Career Education Award for Nurses and hosts the World Conference on Lung Cancer where UCLA faculty present research findings and network with international colleagues.
• UCLA Initiative to Study HateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn interdisciplinary research hub at UCLA providing funding for Dr. Wei-Ti Chen's project examining HIV stigma in Indonesia, exploring how Islamic beliefs and cultural factors affect stigma, care-seeking behaviors, and treatment continuity.
• UCLA Fielding School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research collaboration on shift work and cardiometabolic health outcomes. Dr. Jian Li holds joint appointments in the Fielding School's Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology departments and the School of Nursing.
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) / Southern California Education and Research Center (SCERC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch supported by NIOSH through SCERC, focused on occupational health nursing and shift work's impact on cardiometabolic disease mortality among U.S. workers.
• International Council for Nurses (ICN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Hamida Khanmohammed, UCLA DNP alumna, presented at the 2025 ICN Congress 'Nursing Power to Change the World' in Helsinki, which brought together over 7,000 delegates from more than 140 countries.
• Society of Pediatric Nurses (LA Chapter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA SPN awarded competitive scholarships to UCLA Nursing students Megan Nim and Riley Rehfeld for their commitment to advancing pediatric nursing through scholarship and innovation.
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-author Dr. Tong Xia is affiliated with Harvard in the research collaboration on shift work and cardiometabolic disease mortality.
• The Painted TurtleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA nursing student volunteer site where Riley Rehfeld supports children with serious medical conditions as part of her pediatric nursing commitment.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Washington School of Nursing: Top-ranked public university School of Nursing in the Pacific Northwest offering BSN, DNP, and PhD programs with major federally funded research — a peer in mission, scale, and population-health focused research portfolio.
• Columbia University School of Nursing: Ivy League School of Nursing offering direct-entry MS, DNP, and PhD programs with integration into NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital — comparable research-intensive mission and competitive applicant pool; Dr. Wei-Ti Chen is also a Columbia Nursing Distinguished Alumna.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing: Ivy League-affiliated School of Nursing with a comprehensive BS/MSN/PhD/DNP portfolio, major NIH research portfolio, and integration with Penn Medicine — a direct competitor for research prestige, faculty hiring, and graduate applicants.
• Johns Hopkins School of Nursing: Top-ranked research-intensive School of Nursing offering BS, MSN, DNP, and PhD programs with deep NIH-funded research and clinical integration with Johns Hopkins Hospital — competes directly with UCLA for faculty, research funding, and the most selective applicants.
• Vanderbilt University School of Nursing: Private research-intensive School of Nursing offering MSN, DNP, and PhD programs with strong clinical research and Nashville-based clinical partnerships — a peer in advanced practice and doctoral nursing research; mentioned in UCLA's own partnership/award data.
• University of Michigan School of Nursing: Large public university School of Nursing with BS, MSN, DNP, and PhD programs and a major NIH-funded research portfolio — a structural peer as another top-tier public university nursing school competing for research talent and graduate applicants.
• NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing: Large private university College of Nursing offering BS, MS, DNP, and PhD programs with significant research output and integration with NYU Langone Health — a peer in scale, research breadth, and graduate program competitiveness.
• Duke University School of Nursing: Top-ranked School of Nursing with ABSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD programs and a strong clinical integration with Duke University Health System — comparable scope, research intensity, and target applicant pool to UCLA.
• UCSF School of Nursing: Another UC-system School of Nursing with a top-tier research portfolio, doctoral and advanced practice programs, and integration with a major academic health system — the closest peer by mission, governance structure, and competitive positioning for California-bound nursing students.
• Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing: Private research-intensive School of Nursing with BSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD programs integrated with Emory Healthcare — comparable advanced practice and doctoral research intensity, particularly in health equity and population health.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uclanursing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOluuu246ZV0uO2tTDlYDBA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uclanursing
• Instagraminstagram.com/uclanursing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCLA School of Nursing