Guide to Best Masters in Nursing Degrees

Find Online Masters in Nursing Degrees

As a graduate program, students pursuing a masters in nursing can expect to explore the healthcare system in-depth as well as specialize in the selected field of nursing. MSN programs help prepare students for administrative positions or work towards becoming practitioners. Some of the highest-rated schools with online MSN programs have been provided below.

Subject: Degree Level:
MS in Nursing MSN in Health Administration MSN in Health Education MSN in Health Informatics MSN in Health Management	University of Phoenix–The University of Phoenix offers several different accredidated online Nursing degree programs including: MS in Nursing, MSN: Health Administration, MSN: Health Education, and MSN: Health Management. These programs are taught by nearly 800 faculty members who are licensed nurses and seasoned, working health care professionals. Also, the curriculum is updated regularly to reflect current practices and to meet state requirements.
BSN to MSN RN to MSN MSN in Nursing Education MSN in Nursing Informatics MSN in Nursing Leadership	Walden University–Walden University offers several advanced online degree programs in Nursing including: BSN to MSN, RN to MSN, and MSN: Nursing Education. This program gives students the opportunity to collaborate with nurses from around the country in an interactive online environment, learn from expert faculty, 100% of whom hold doctoral degrees and to apply what they learn immediately.
MSN in Midwifery & Women MSN in Family Nursing	Georgetown University–Georgetown University offers two online advanced nursing degrees: MSN: Midwifery & Women and MSN: Family Nursing. Georgetown University enables licensed RNs to transition into careers as family nurse practitioners. This program provides its students with the technical expertise and clinical skills necessary to prevent disease, promote health, and manage and assess illness within families.
RN to MSN MSN in Nurse Administration MSN in Nurse Education	Kaplan University–Kaplan University offers several advanced online degree programs in Nursing including: RN to MSN, MSN: Nurse Administration and MSN: Nurse Education. These programs are for different levels of experience ranging from already licensed RN's to nurse management positions. The online program offers the flexibility to help students to successfully manage their schedule, education and career.
MSN in Clinical Nurse Leader MSN in Nurse Education MSN in Patient Care Services	Sacred Heart University–Sacred Heart University offers several online Nursing degree programs including: MSN: Clinical Nurse Leader, MSN: Nurse Education and MSN: Patient Care Services. This program emphasizes personal attention and interaction between faculty members and students to help foster a meaningful educational experience. Also, the faculty members have extensive clinical experience and scholarly and teaching credentials.
MSN/MBA Dual Degree MSN in Nurse Education MSN in Nurse Leadership	Grand Canyon University–Grand Canyon University offers several online Nursing degree programs including: MSN/MBA Dual Degree, MSN: Nurse Education and MSN: Nurse Leadership. This program prepares experienced registered nurses to provide competent and advanced practice nursing care. The program combines courses in advanced health assessment, clinical diagnosis, procedural skill acquisition and physiological impact.
RN to MSN MSN in Case Management MSN in Infection Prevention MSN in Informatics MSN in Leadership	American Sentinel University–American Sentinel University offers several online advanced Nursing degree programs including: RN to MSN, MSN: Case Management, Infection Prevention and MSN: Informatics. This program trains nurses to assume a leadership role within multidisciplinary teams, directly provide and manage competent care for individuals, families and groups and to integrate methods of research and scholarship in diagnosing patients.
MSN in Clinical Nursing MSN in Nursing Administration MSN in Nurse Midwifery MSN in Psychiatric Nursing MSN in Women's Health	University of Cincinnati–The University of Cincinnati offers several online Nursing degree programs including: MSN: Clinical Nursing, MSN: Nursing Administration, MSN: Nurse Midwifery, MSN: Psychiatric Nursing and MSN: Women's Health. This program has committed itself to empowering nurse leaders to drastically alter the course of the health care industry with each student's needs identified individually.
MS in Nursing	Benedictine University–Benedictine University offers an online MS in Nursing degree. This program's curriculum is innovative and unique relative to other online nursing programs because it combines an 8-course core with the flexibility of four additional elective courses that can be combined to develop a customized area of focus.
RN to BSN to MSN MSN in Clinical Trials MSN in Nursing Leadership MSN in Women's Health	Drexel University–Drexel University offers several advanced online Nursing degrees including: RN to BSN to MSN, MSN: Clinical Trials, MSN: Nurse Leadership and MSN: Nurse Management. This program is for nurses who hold a BSN and are looking to advance their career. The program ranks in the 10 and has a national reputation as a leader in nursing education.
MSN in Nurse Education	Capella University–Capella University offers an advanced online degree, MSN in Nurse Education. This program allows nurses to expand their knowledge of health care systems and policies, patient education, health promotion, and technology integration, with a focus on the design, delivery, assessment, and evaluation of nurse education programs.
MS in Nursing MSN in Health Leadership MSN in Nurse Education	Gonzaga University–Gonzaga University offers several online Nursing degree programs including: MS in Nursing, MSN: Health Leadership and MSN: Nurse Education. This program teaches students major research methods and the application of theories to nursing practice and advanced clinical skills, methods of improving health care and leadership skills.
MSN in Clinical Leadership MSN in Nursing Leadership	Saint Xavier University–Saint Xavier University offers online advanced Nursing degrees, MSN: Clinical Leadership and MSN: Nursing Leadership. This program has a Clinical Leadership focus and is designed for nurses who want to hone their clinical expertise and take on the challenge of identifying and instituting more effective methods of patient care.
MS in Nursing	Chamberlain College of Nursing–Chamberlain College of Nursing has an MS in Nursing online degree program. This program has three specialty tracks (Executive, Educator and Informatics) with the goal of helping students to become leaders in the nursing community. There is also a Fast-Track option that allows students to complete their MSN in 6 semesters.
MSN in Nurse Administration MSN in Nurse Education	Lewis University–Lewis University offers several advanced online nursing degrees including: MSN: Nurse Administration and MSN: Nurse Education. The 42-hour credit program allows students to study online or to combine online coursework with land based coursework. Course work includes: Strategic Directions in Healthcare, Advanced Nursing Research, Healthcare Fiscal Integrity and Program Planning.
MSN/MPH Dual Degree PhD in Nursing Clinical Nursing Certificate	University of Massachusetts–For students seeking a flexible and convenient way to earn their degree, University of Massachusetts has added several Masters in Nursing online programs to its course catalog. These programs can be completed at a pace that is comfortable to you and in an environment of your choosing. Umass has a MSN/MPH Dual degree, a PhD in Nursing, and a Clinical Nursing Certificate available through online courses.
BSN to MSN Accelerated RN to MSN MSN in Adult Health MSN in Nurse Education	South University–South University offers several online Nursing degree programs including: BSN to MSN, Accelerated RN to MSN, MSN: Adult Health and MSN: Nurse Education. This program is for registered nurses seeking to advance in their careers. This program helps students to develop clinical teaching skills and to utilize research in the nursing practice.
MSN in Acute Care	Liberty University–Liberty University offers an online advanced Nursing degree, MSN: Acute Care. This program prepares nurses for advanced practice as Clinical Nurse Specialists or as Nurse Educators. The MSN clinical and education-focused practicum experiences are tailored to meet the individual interests of each student.
MSN in Nursing Administration MSN in Nursing Education	Norwich University–Norwich University offers several advanced online Nursing degrees including: MSN: Nursing Administration and MSN: Nursing Education. This program allows students to earn their degree in as few as 18 months. Nurses will learn critical analysis of problems, creative problem solving and the application of theories in the decision making process.
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Grants Offered for Master’s in Nursing

Earning your master of science in nursing (MSN) degree is the first step to becoming an advance practice nurse and becoming a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, or nurse midwife. However, this type of education doesn’t just require work — it requires money. Many nurses never go back to school because they are unable to make the financial commitment needed for an MSN program, but with a little research, you can actually find grants available to cover your educational costs. Let’s take a look at some that are readily available for nursing students at the masters degree level and more information about financial aid for nurses.

Specific Grants for Nurses

Grants available for nurses in masters degree programs vary from year to year, depending on funding. The following organizations, however, have offered financial aid (grants and scholarships) for nurses in the past, so these are great places to start your search:

March of Dimes
Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC)
American Assembly for Men in Nursing
Johnson & Johnson’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
ExceptionalNurse.com
Tylenol
National Health Service Corps
National Black Nurses Association
Nurse Practitioner Health Association
Oncology Nursing Society
Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association

As you can see, there are tons of nursing organizations offering grants and other forms of financial aid to students — and this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Master’s in Nursing Career Paths

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are nurses who want advanced education so they are better prepared to work with patients. You’ll be prepared to work more independently in this career, diagnosing and treating patients or recommending them to the right specialist so they can be effectively treated. Nurse practitioners in most states can make advanced judgement calls on patient care, such as prescribing medications, and in some states, you can even have your own practice independent of a physicians. In the coming years, almost all states will require you to go on to get your doctorate in this field to work as nurse practitioner, but an MSN is the first step.

Clinical Nurse Specialist

As a clinical nurse specialist, you’ll still do some of the same tasks as a traditional RN or nurse practitioner, but you’ll also focus on other tasks such as teaching, consulting, research, and management. Clinical nurse specialists may or may not specialize in one area of medicine and are more likely to work in administrative roles than nurse practitioners. Some states are also making the switch soon to require you to go on to get a doctorate degree to earn a license in this field.

Nurse Midwife and Nurse Anesthetist

Nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists are as their name implies. In both of these fields, you’ll focus on a very specific type of nursing — either labor and deliver or anesthesia during medical procedures. Again, while many states currently only require a masters degree to earn certification in these fields, that is changing, and in the future, doctorate degrees may be required where you live.