Master of science in nursing (MSN)
Introduction to the master of science in nursing (MSN) degree
If you are currently a nursing student, a registered nurse, or a nursing professional, a master’s of science in nursing (MSN) is the next step for the career-orientated nurse. Typically, this is a 2-year full-time course, although it can be studied part-time in units over 3 to 5 years. You can study for an MSN online or on campus, depending on the college or university you choose and the course units you select. Some specialist programs may have compulsory fieldwork practice.
You can expand your field of employment beyond hospitals and healthcare clinics and into home health agencies, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, nursing schools, and consulting.
An MSN opens doors to a wide variety of fields such as administration, leadership, informatics, nurse educators, health policy, and management. An MSN will guide you to the next level of advanced nursing theory and practice and keep you up to date on the latest research, ethical guidelines, and newly emerging fields of expertise.
You can also specialize in your chosen field, particularly in emerging disciplines, notably, mental health, anesthesia, end-of-life care, and the more traditional roles of midwifery, endocrinology, cardiology, gerontology, and care for the chronically ill.
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Georgetown University
Georgetown University – Online Master’s in NursingMaster’s
Online
District Of Columbia
Designed for RNs with a BSN, [email protected] enables students to earn a CCNE-accredited Master’s in Nursing online from Georgetown University in as few as 19 months. With a 100% AANP and ANCC School Pass Rate Average, students may choose from four APRN specialty areas: AG-ACNP, FNP, NM/WHNP, or WHNP.
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University of Southern California
University of Southern California – MSN – Nurse PractitionerMaster’s
Online
California
Are you an RN with a BSN? Become a family nurse practitioner online in as few as 21 months with top-ranked USC’s CCNE and BRN-Accredited online Master of Science in Nursing program. With a 100% average ANCC board pass rate and a 94% average AANP board pass rate in 2019, students are prepared to make a lasting impact on patients. Part-time and full-time tracks offered.
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Why should I be interested?
Nurses are needed and wanted. Healthcare in the United States is understaffed and is urgently recruiting nursing professionals in all disciplines. The MSN provides you with the necessary skills for getting a specialist position, career advancement, and many international as well as national opportunities. The following positions are considered some of the more lucrative opportunities open to nursing professionals.
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Nurse executive
In this role you are the leading figure of the department, and, depending on the size of the establishment you work for, will be responsible for directing, recruiting, training and coordinating staff teams. You will have direct involvement in policymaking and be responsible for financial and budgetary decisions across the board from staff salaries to equipment budgets.
Nurse educator
As a nurse educator, you bring your love and experience for the job to train and inspire the next generation of nursing professionals. A host of vacancies – from smaller nursing educational facilities to major hospitals – require you to teach in either academic or actual clinical situations for a range of duties.
You may be involved in devising and implementing training programs, leading research projects, and providing student academic guidance. Nurse educators also contribute to the field of nursing through conference presentations, writing textbooks and coursework units, and representing their institution to professional agencies.
Nursing informatics
Data is the lifeblood of health institutions. Nurse informatics professionals implement the entry, storage, retrieval, and updating of patient care information. As part of an emerging discipline, you can shape the development of integrating IT skills with medical knowledge. Salaries range from $64,000 to $115,000 a year.
Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
The field of mental health is undergoing a revolution and funding for research and professional services is increasing every year, especially in educational institutions at all levels, and in industry.
In collaboration with staff psychiatrists, you would provide vital healthcare, assessment, education, emotional support to patients, and counseling. You would also refer patients and prescribe medication, as well as instigating tests and evaluating and providing information to patients.
Adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner
This community-based role is generally found in educational institutions, local clinics, and care centers. These nurses focus on educating patients within the 16-50 age range on healthy lifestyle choices, disease prevention, and managing chronic mental and physical illnesses.
Family nurse practitioner (FNP)
Based in a broad range of locations, from private home visits, office locations, schools, clinics, and hospitals, an FNP will deal with the whole gamut of illnesses, both mild and severe, physical and mental. FNPs provide care for patients throughout their life, focusing on illness prevention and coping with chronic illnesses. They evaluate, diagnose, and educate patients as they age about lifestyle choices related to health and wellbeing.
Adult/gerontology acute care nurse practitioner
Based in tertiary care locations such as accident and emergency departments, intensive care units, trauma centers, and critical care facilities, these professionals are on the front line of nursing. They develop highly complex care plans for acutely ill patients across all age ranges, and monitor, adapt and implement treatment procedures. This demanding post requires close analysis of data and intensive knowledge of patient medical histories.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners in any of these roles can expect to begin earning around $115,000 a year. The RAND corporation expects 89,000 nurse practitioner jobs to be available over the next 5 years. The recent pandemic has led to an increased urgency in filling these positions.
Who would enjoy studying this?
This program is specifically designed to help registered nurses advance to the next specialist level of their careers. For example, family nurse practitioners who wish to be involved in the day-to-day education and treatment of patients in a specific community. Similarly, healthcare workers keen to become educators, managers, and experts in their chosen field can study for specialist fields and develop collaborative, critical research, and management skills. The flexible study programs can suit those nurses with a busy work schedule and family life.
Academic requirements
As with almost all master’s programs, you will be required to have a minimal set of qualifications when you apply. If you do not meet all these requirements, do not give up – work and voluntary experiences and involvement in other aspects of healthcare or related caring positions can be taken into account.
Generally, compulsory requirements for all master’s programs are the following:
Where can I apply?
As of November 2020, 83 universities are accepting applications for their master of science in nursing programs. With the ongoing COVID19 situation, many courses that were hybrid or on campus are now only available as online courses. It is worth contacting the places you are interested in to find out the current situation and how it may change in future to avoid disappointment and unnecessary expense. Some MSN programs can also be combined into joint degrees like business administration MSN/MBA, or health administration MSN/MHA.
Are there opportunities to earn this degree online?
The opportunity to study online is booming as a result of the pandemic but also as people have easier and faster internet access. Online degrees are cheaper as you do not need to relocate. They also offer more flexibility as you complete the units in your own time rather than attending fixed classes.
As of November 2020, there were 173 accredited universities offering online MSN courses across the U.S.
What about hybrid programs?
Hybrid programs involve a mix of online and on-campus study. For some universities, this means only 3 or fewer short visits a year, while for others it may mean 2 days a week on campus.
Also be aware of the practicum requirements of a program. In most cases, you will be required to complete the same amount of practical work hours, typically 8 hours a week with an assigned mentor, as part of your online program as you would if you were physically attending the university.
Why should I be interested in these options?
Your selection of on-campus, hybrid, or online program options will depend on your lifestyle, commitments, and geographical location. Is it easy to travel to the university? Do you have a good internet connection and access to a reliable computer? Do job and family mean you cannot stay away from home regularly? How important is it to you to meet and work collaboratively in person or remotely with fellow students and new colleagues? Consider how you learn best, remotely, or in a group. And finally, online courses are sometimes slightly cheaper.
Accreditation
Why is it important?
Always check the university you are considering is accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education.
Should I take this program at an accredited university?
Very few professional hospitals and healthcare institutions will accept qualifications from an unaccredited university. If your university is not accredited, you may not be able to get federal or state grants, loans, scholarships or any kind of funding. And, if you go on to further study, your next educational institution may not recognize the qualification you gained as valid.
How do I know if my university is accredited?
Check the website for an accreditation on the bottom left or right side of the homepage. It should state the body that has accredited it. Also check that this body is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education.
Length of program
If you are able to study full time, an MSN typically takes 2 years. Part-time study is broken up into units and with the inclusion of job experience, usually takes between 2-5 years.
What will I learn in these classes?
These classes develop your skills through advanced practice for specialist roles. You will get the chance to expand into administrative, management, and leadership positions and gain an understanding of the responsibilities and demands of those roles. You may choose to become a nurse practitioner or a certified nurse in a specialist field like midwifery.
Practical experience through coursework will be integral to your learning. The amount of coursework varies depending on which coursework track you choose. This can include:
- teacher learning nurse practitioner
- leadership
- family nurse practitioner
Other routes include educational positions or taking on the capacity of a research nurse for online programs and database management. Your capabilities and job opportunities can increase substantially.
Program concentrations
Nurse practitioner
In general, nurse practitioners specialize in 1 of the following 5 fields: family, pediatrics, psychiatric and mental health, adult-gerontology primary care, or acute care. These positions are often suited to family-focused healthcare professionals who prefer to work in communities. They provide preventive and long-term care with a focus on both physical and mental wellbeing. These are positions where people skills are vital and developing long-term trust and respect between nurse and patient is paramount.
Administrative and leadership roles
Administrative and leadership nursing roles involve learning the ideas behind managing a hospital or other healthcare department. Generally, you will learn about leadership theory, organization theory and nurse management techniques to make you an effective coordinator. This is the best route to future roles demanding high levels of responsibility and strong decision-making skills needed in high pressure situations.
You will have a clear vision of the developments you wish to see in the fields of policy writing, budgetary forecasting and staff issues. This concentration can help you become firmly established as a potential manager.
Hybrid nursing
These concentrations are increasingly popular. Combining 2 disciplines, for example, computer studies with a MSN or an MBA/MSN results in a very attractive skill set for potential employers. You will demonstrate a high level of flexibility and adaptability through cross-disciplinary skills needed in informatic and educational nursing positions. You can see how medical practice impacts the bigger picture through data, recruitment and training, and advance your involvement at a higher level of management.
Degree cost
The cost for this program are calculated on a credit-by-hour basis. Prices for both on-campus and online programs vary, starting as low as $230 per credit and reaching $1,900 per credit. The overall cost can be between $30,000 and $60,000. Public universities and online courses are often more affordable. Scholarships, subsidies, and support from employers can also sometimes be an option to help cover MSN fees.
Financial aid
There is a huge amount of aid available to help you cover the fees for an MSN. You can apply to federal or private financial aid options. There are nursing grants and fellowships on a state and national level, ranging from $2500 to $15,000 a year.
The Federal Student Aid website is the place to look for information on all types of financial support available to students. On this website, you can complete the free application for federal aid (FASFA) – which determines eligibility based on your financial situation.
Additionally, there are funds available to support students from minority backgrounds, ranging from around $1000 to $18,000. For example, the National Black Nurses Association has various MSN-related scholarship programs, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses has focused funding programs and the American Indians into Nursing Program offers federal aid for Native Americans and Alaskan Indians across 35 states.
Career options
After completing your MSN, a broad range of well-paying and exciting new roles can be open to you. These include, but are not limited to:
What can I study next?
Once you have successfully completed your MSN, there are a variety of next steps. You may choose to continue your academic studies or enter the specialist field you have wanted to pursue.
Academically, there are 2 further routes, both taking between 4 – 6 years of study.
Traditionally, you would enroll in a doctorate program to become a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Nursing. This is a research-based degree with less hands-on work. You will investigate, critically evaluate and initiate scientific discoveries in nursing, liaising and working closely with the leading medical universities and facilities both across the U.S. and globally. These programs cost anywhere between $12,000 and $60,000 depending on the location and type of study.
Alternatively, there is a DNP, a Doctor of Nursing Practice, a clinical practice degree. This is favored by those wishing to be nurse practitioners as it expands the role and demands into the fields of advocacy and problem solving within the healthcare industry. Specializing in emerging disciplines, notably, mental health, anesthesia, end-of-life care, and the more traditional roles of midwifery, endocrinology, cardiology, gerontology and care for the chronically ill, you can enter at a leadership position and have a major role in policy determination, working practice evaluation and staffing concerns. DNP programs cost anywhere between $12,000 and $60,000 depending on the location and type of study.
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