Are you a nurse looking to take on greater responsibilities, offer greater care to patients and more leadership to other nurses? A masters degree in nursing online offers advanced training as a nurse practitioner (NP), certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and certified nurse midwife (CNM).

Masters Degree Requirements

Almost all masters degree programs in nursing require an RN. In order to be eligible for an RN, you must have a minimum of an associates degree in nursing You may also be interested in reading our guide on how to become a nurse.

Types of Masters Degrees in Nursing

There are four main areas to attain you masters in nursing. These are:

• nurse practitioner (NP)
• certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
• clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
• certified nurse midwife (CNM)

Areas of Specialty

Areas of specialty include:

• acute care
• adult care
• family care
• geriatrics
• neonatal care
• palliative care
• pediatric care
• psychiatric care
• obstetrics
• OB/GYN nursing
• women's health

RN to MSN Fasttrack

In addition to a tradition masters degree program, some schools offer an RN to MSN fast track program. This is an accelerated program that may take 2-3 years to complete, but allows anyone with an RN to proceed directly to a masters degree in nursing. Many accelerated programs offer the BSN as a part of this program as well.

Coursework

With a degree in Masters Degree in Nursing, you can expect to take a wide variety of business coursework in the area of specialty. Classes may include:

• Clinical Pharmacology
• Physiology
• Pathophysiology
• Health Assessment and Measurement
• Diagnosis
• Health Promotion
• Disease Prevention
• Advanced Practice in Primary Care
• Nursing Research
• Human Development
• Research Applications
• Advanced Practice Nursing
• Biostatistics
• Women's Health
• Primary Care
• Ethics in Nursing
• Nursing Law

Types of Nursing Careers

Many nurses who attain a masters degree in nursing seek jobs as nurse administrators, health policy experts, nurse educators or clinical nurse leaders. Other jobs include:

• nurse anesthetist
• nurse midwife
• psychiatric nurse
• neonatal nurse
• pediatric nurse
• general nurse practitioner

Salary Information

As with all careers, your salary will vary based on the company you work for, the field your in, your level of education and your number of years experience. In general, you can expect to make less money coming straight out of school, and for your salary to increase as you gain relevant work experience in a area of specialization within a particular type of nursing.

To give you an idea of what kind of salary you can make with an Masters Degree in Nursing, we can look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2010 median salary for registered nurses was $64,690 per year, and the top 10 percent of nurses earned more than $95,130 per year.

Masters Degree in Nursing Degrees Online

In addition to Masters Degree in Nursing, there are a variety of online business degrees to choose from. Each prepares you to work in a different specialty within the business field. Based on the information you provide, DegreeTree matches you with the right school that offers the program that meets your needs to advance your career. Take a look at some of the online Masters Degree in Nursing degrees our accredited schools offer.