RN to MSN Programs

Position: Best 13 RN to MSN Programs in 2025
Location: Indianapolis

Overview

Registered nurses who want to further their nursing careers typically choose to enroll in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program (BSN) if they have previously earned their Registered Nursing (RN) license by completing an appropriately-approved diploma program.

But what if an RN has an educational objective of earning their Master of Science in Nursing degree (MSN)? Are there RN to MSN programs available in the education marketplace that bridges both a BSN and MSN degree for those who hold valid, unencumbered registered nursing licenses?

Earned nursing credits – from a program that has been accredited ACEN or CCNE, are generally applied towards the admission requirements of available RN to MSN. Programs are recognized as ‘completion’ programs, as they are designed to offer working nurse professionals the chance to further their education while maintaining a full-time job.

Programs offer nursing professionals a viable pathway to complete the educational requirements of both a BSN and MSN degree – often in as few as two to three years, with the exact time required to complete the degree based on the student’s time commitment, previous work and education experiences, and the school’s program choices.

The University of Central Florida

The Nursing College at the University of Central Florida offers one of Florida’s best programs, according to US News & World Report. UCF’s RN to MSN degree offers three academic specialties – Leadership and Management, Nurse Educator, or Health Care Simulation. These three RN to MSN degree options are all available entirely online, with tuition fees equal for in-state and out-of-state resident students.

School

Overview

Total Program Tuition Fees: $288.16 per credit unit for all students

Program Length: 36 credit units (Leadership), 31 credit units (Healthcare Simulation), 35 credit units (Educator)

The University of St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas offers one of the Lone Star State’s best hybrid RN to MSN with its RN to MSN degree that offers coursework online, with labs and clinical rotations offered at the University of Saint Thomas’s state-of-the-art center on its Houston campus. Students enrolled in the University of Saint Thomas’s RN to Master of Science in Nursing degree program can opt for an academic emphasis in nursing leadership, nursing education, or healthcare simulation.

School

Overview

Tuition Fees: $300.00 per credit hour

Program Length: 46 credit units (Nursing Leadership), 52 credit units (Nursing Education or Healthcare Simulation)

American College of Education

American College of Education offers one of Indiana’s programs that can be completed in only 2.5 years, exclusively online. Classes for the American College of Education’s RN to Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program include health assessment, community health & vulnerable populations, informatics, health promotion, and nursing leadership, to name a few.

Clarkson College

Clarkson College offers several academic tracks for its RN to MSN available in Nebraska. Clarkson College’s RN to MSN available academic specialties include health care administration, family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology, mental health, or nurse educator. The student’s chosen Master of Science in Nursing specialty determines exact education pathways. Full-time students enrolled in Clarkson University’s MSN degree in about 2.5 years.

George Mason University

George Mason University offers one of Virginia’s best with its RN to Master of Science in Nursing Degree program that requires students to complete a bridge course – Community Health and Epidemiology prior to deciding which of the MSN specialties in which to enroll. The available chosen Master of Science in Nursing academic tracks include advanced clinical nursing, primary care FNP, nursing administration, nursing education, or adult gerontology in primary care.

School

Overview

Tuition Fees: $599.75 per credit unit for Virginia residents. Or $850.00 per credit unit for Online FNP

The University of Mississippi Medical Center

• Jackson, Mississippi
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Winchester, Virginia
• Spokane, Washington

Seton Hall University

• South Orange, New…