Background: There were more and more master of nursing specialists in China. The core competence level of master of nursing specialists affects the overall level of nursing education directly.

Purpose: To develop a scientific core competence index system for master of nursing specialists.

Methods: A two-round Delphi survey was conducted on 30 experts to identify the items and weight in each level indicators.

Results: The core competence index system consisted of 7 first-level indicators and 26 second-level indicators. The positive coefficient of the experts was 93.3% and 92.9% in the first round and second round, respectively; the authority coefficient of the experts was 0.912; the Kendallʼ W coefficient of the first-level indicators and second-level indicators was 0.54 and 0.78, respectively.

Conclusions: The expertsʼ positivity, authority and coordination coefficients are high. The core competence index system can be used as a valid tool for the training and assessment of master of nursing specialists.

Keywords: Master of nursing specialist;Core competence;Delphi method