Choose the Best Online RN-to-MSN Program for You

Things to Consider When Choosing a School With an RN-to-MSN Program

With the many accredited RN-to-MSN online programs listed above, it becomes apparent that there are a lot of things to consider when choosing a school with an RN-to-MSN program. But the options don’t need to become overwhelming. By focusing on your professional goals, program accreditation and specializations, you can narrow the pool of potential RN-to-MSN programs to a manageable few, then select the one that’s just right for you.

Goals

When choosing a school with an RN-to-MSN program, start by considering your goals. If you’ve yet to become an RN, take a step back and consider how to become a nurse and learn more about the array of online nursing programs and nursing degrees.

If you’ve already begun your nursing career as an RN, where do you want to go from here? Depending on the specialization you choose, RN-to-MSN programs may prepare you for roles as an advanced practice registered nurse, such as nurse midwife or nurse practitioner, or for roles outside direct patient care, such as administration, teaching or informatics, according to AACN. Nurse anesthesia works differently: the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) states that students entering accredited nurse anesthesia programs on or after January 1, 2022 must be enrolled in a doctoral program, so a master’s degree alone is not current entry preparation for new nurse anesthetists.

Is there a particular population you would like to work with, such as women? If so, look for an RN-to-MSN program that offers a women’s health nurse practitioner specialization. If you first consider your goals, then the RN-to-MSN program that is right for you will become more apparent.

Program Accreditation

Program accreditation is one of the foremost things to consider when choosing a school with an RN-to-MSN program. The CCNE and ACEN are two agencies that accredit MSN programs. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) lists ACEN as recognized by both CHEA and the U.S. Department of Education, while its profile for CCNE lists the U.S. Department of Education as CCNE’s recognizing body. CCNE describes its accreditation as a voluntary, self-regulatory process, and ACEN likewise describes its accreditation as voluntary. The RN-to-MSN programs listed above are accredited by CCNE or ACEN.

Specializations

Specializations are an important consideration when choosing a school with an RN-to-MSN program, as they dictate not just the program’s curriculum, but the nursing roles you may be qualified to pursue following graduation. Certifying bodies set their own preparation rules; for example, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) requires a role- and population-specific master’s, post-graduate certificate or DNP for its nurse practitioner certifications. RN-to-MSN programs may prepare you for particular nursing roles by offering different academic tracks that build upon the common core curriculum with electives on specialized knowledge, techniques and skills. Depending on the school, RN-to-MSN programs may offer the following specializations:

• Certified Nurse Midwife
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse Practitioner
• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

Nurse anesthesia is not listed because of the doctoral-entry requirement described above. If you are interested in that career, learn more about the work of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and the doctoral preparation the COA position statement now requires of new entrants.

Education Requirements

AACN describes RN-to-MSN programs as designed for nurses with associate degrees, with the baccalaureate-level content missing from an associate degree curriculum built into the front end of the program. Nurses with an associate degree might therefore complete additional undergraduate-level coursework once admitted.

Admission requirements, including transcripts, letters of recommendation and any minimum grade point average, are set by each program and vary by institution, so confirm them with the schools you are considering.

RN-to-MSN Curriculum

RN-to-MSN curricula vary depending on the program or specialization you choose. Specializations may include family nurse practitioner or adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner concentrations. ANCC accepts a family nurse practitioner master’s, post-graduate certificate or DNP for certification, and requires a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours in the program; it applies the same 500-hour minimum to adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner programs.

Generally, RN-to-MSN online programs combine graduate-level coursework with practice experiences. Program content varies by school and concentration.

Programs accredited by CCNE include planned clinical practice experiences. CCNE’s accreditation standards (2024 edition) call for curricula that include planned clinical practice experiences for students in all programs, including those with distance education offerings. The amount and setting of those experiences depend on the program and its specialty.

Certificate and Licensure

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), advanced practice registered nurses include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives, and they hold at least a master’s degree in addition to their initial nursing education and licensing. National certification and state licensure are separate steps. A certifying body sets its own eligibility rules, while each state decides what it requires for an APRN license, which may include a license issued by the state you wish to practice in and a national certification. Be sure to check with your state’s board of nursing.

Learn more about nursing licensure requirements in your state.

Scholarships for RN-to-MSN Program Students

There are scholarships for RN-to-MSN program students that may help finance your education. Ask your prospective program about the options, but consider the following as well:

• Health Resources & Services Administration School-Based Loans and Scholarships: Various award programs for schools offering loans to students pursuing degrees in health professions.
• National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program: For licensed primary care clinicians in eligible disciplines, in exchange for at least two years of full-time service in Health Professional Shortage Areas.
• National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program: For students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training, in exchange for a minimum two years of full-time service in Health Professional Shortage Areas.
• Nurse Corps Scholarship Program: For eligible nursing students, in exchange for service in a Critical Shortage Facility upon graduation.
• Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program: For registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses and nurse faculty, in exchange for two years of service in a Critical Shortage Facility or eligible school of nursing.

Learn more about nursing scholarships and financial aid.

Should I Pursue an RN-to-MSN?

An RN-to-MSN program is one pathway for nurses who want to move into advanced or specialized roles. Whether it is the right fit depends on the role you want, because each role has its own education, certification and licensure requirements. If you want to gain expertise or work with specific populations, an RN-to-MSN program may be a pathway to consider.

Wages vary by role. According to May 2025 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, the median annual wage was $236,590 for nurse anesthetists (with the lowest-paid 10% earning less than $155,250 and the highest-paid 10% earning more than $339,500), $134,040 for nurse midwives (10th percentile $93,620; 90th percentile $188,320) and $132,300 for nurse practitioners (10th percentile $101,340; 90th percentile $174,420). These figures describe all workers in each occupation nationwide, and nurse anesthesia now requires doctoral preparation for new entrants, as described above.

When considering this, note that entry-level educational expectations for nurse practitioners (NP) have been shifting toward the doctoral level. In 2018, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) called for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to become the entry-level preparation for new nurse practitioners by 2025, a position the AACN DNP Fact Sheet reports NONPF has reaffirmed. NONPF’s position is not a binding requirement: ANCC states that the DNP is not a requirement for ANCC certification or entry into NP/CNS practice and accepts role- and population-specific master’s, post-graduate certificate or DNP preparation for its certifications. Certification eligibility does not itself grant a license, so check your state board of nursing for its requirements. AACN describes the DNP as a terminal degree in nursing practice that prepares nurse leaders at the highest level of nursing practice.

Additional Programs

There are additional programs that may be of interest to students researching RN-to-MSN programs. These include:

• Accelerated Nursing Programs: According to AACN, accelerated options are designed for adults who already hold a bachelor’s or graduate degree in a non-nursing discipline. Registered nurses should ask each school what schedule options its RN-to-MSN program offers. Learn more about accelerated nursing programs.
• Direct-Entry Master’s in Nursing Program: For people with a bachelor’s or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing who want to enter nursing at the graduate level; AACN notes that initial RN licensure is completed during the first year. Learn more about direct-entry master’s in nursing programs.
• Dual Nursing Degree Program: For those looking to earn both an MSN and a degree in a complementary field, AACN lists pairings such as MSN/MBA, MSN/MPH, MSN/MHA and MSN/MPA. Learn more about dual nursing degree programs.
• RN-BSN-to-MSN Program: For registered nurses with an associate degree who need baccalaureate-level content as part of master’s study, a BSN-to-MSN bridge program may be their preferred pathway. Programs differ in which degree or degrees they award, so confirm this with each school.
• RN-to-Nurse Practitioner Program: RNs looking to become nurse practitioners may consider an online nurse practitioner (NP) program. ANCC accepts role- and population-specific master’s, post-graduate certificate or DNP preparation for NP certification, so the right program depends on the NP role you choose.
• RN-to-Family Nurse Practitioner Program: RNs seeking to become family nurse practitioners may pursue an online Family Nurse Practitioner program. ANCC’s family nurse practitioner certification requires FNP-specific preparation with at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours.

Learn more about other online nursing programs and nursing degrees, including other online MSN programs.

What Is a Post-Graduate Certificate in Nursing?

Post-graduate certificates in nursing are programs designed for nurses to further their education after they’ve already earned a graduate degree. AACN notes that certificate programs are available to master’s program graduates in focus areas such as nursing education, leadership, informatics and specialty practice. This may help equip nurses to specialize in an area that might not have been covered in depth during their graduate studies. This specialization may be clinical or in more of a leadership or management capacity. A post-graduate certificate is awarded by a school, which makes it different from a national certification granted by a certifying body such as ANCC. Some examples of specialties with a corresponding postgraduate certificate include:

• Adult-gerontology nurse practitioner.
• Emergency nurse practitioner.
• Family nurse practitioner.
• Women’s health nurse practitioner.
• Nursing education.
• Health care policy.
• Nursing leadership.
• Health systems and administration.

The number of credit hours and corresponding time it takes to complete a post-graduate certificate in nursing is likely to vary depending on the institution offering it as well as the subject matter. CCNE’s accreditation standards (2024 edition) define a post-graduate APRN certificate as a post-master’s or post-doctoral certificate that prepares APRNs, and call for planned clinical practice experiences in the programs CCNE reviews. The same standards state that other types of nursing certificates, such as those in education or leadership, fall outside CCNE’s scope of review, so ask the offering school about the practice requirements for those certificates. The time it may take to complete any clinical experience may impact completion time for the post-graduate certificate.

Requirements for admission to a post-graduate certificate program in nursing may also vary by institution and subject matter. Some common requirements may include:

• A master’s or doctoral degree in nursing. CCNE defines post-graduate APRN certificates as post-master’s or post-doctoral.
• A current, active RN license. ANCC, for example, requires one for certification.
• Other materials set by the program, such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, clinical hours or a minimum grade point average, which vary by school.

Be sure to check with your desired institution and program when weighing your options to make sure you will meet application requirements.