Earn your nursing degree faster with our affordable online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Southern New Hampshire University. Healthcare is evolving at a rapid pace. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these changes creating even more opportunities for nurses like you to take the next step in your career. You're ready. But with challenges of time, tuition, and a demanding work schedule, it feels impossible to go further. At SNHU, it is possible. We understand the barriers standing between you and your goals. That's why we've updated our online MSN to help you break through to the next phase of your career.

Our online MSN offers A way to fast track your degree. With 5 career-focused program tracks and fewer credits to earn your degree (36 for most MSN tracks; 51 for the family nurse practitioner track), you can earn your MSN in as fast as 1.5 years. At SNHU, you have the flexibility to take one or two courses per term, allowing you to accelerate at times that fit your life and schedule. Plus, at only $627 per credit, you can take advantage of some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation. For the four 36 credit tracks, this means you pay under $23,000 intuition. The FNP track is 51 credits, meaning students would pay approximately $32,000 in tuition plus the cost of the immersion experience. More options.

Our 5 affordable tracks can help prepare you for various career paths. Whether you want to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP), nurse leader, educator, population health professional, or advocate for healthcare quality and safety, you can tailor your MSN degree to your goals. Advanced skills. Each track is aligned to the latest American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) essentials, helping you build the critical thinking, leadership, and evidence-based practice skills you need to provide equitable care in any number of healthcare environments. Plus, 100% of our faculty are doctorally prepared to give you the industry expertise and insider knowledge you need to get ahead.

"The learning experience goes beyond being simply academic to practical in my everyday work," said Les Rothrock '15, a graduate of the MSN program at SNHU. "It has given me the edge to be better prepared and equipped in doing my job. I have learned how to research and problem solve issues in my work as well."

Our online MSN program has been designed with the future of the nursing profession in mind while keeping a finger on the pulse of the current healthcare industry. This is especially important now, as new therapies, technologies, and complex medical treatments to address patient needs are introduced on a daily basis. Not only that healthcare legislation and regulation continue to evolve. To keep the quality of care aligned with the industry's expectations and demands, healthcare organizations need highly educated nurses to fill leadership roles. The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) online program at SNHU prepares you with the key competencies necessary for the continuous improvement of the safety and quality of healthcare systems.

Learn how to:

- Propose initiatives and technologies that facilitate decision-making for patient care

- Motivate change and drive improvement in healthcare

- Create health prevention and promotion initiatives

- Generate solutions for navigating quality and cost in healthcare excellence

- Advocate for policies and effective systems that meet the needs of consumers

- Build effective working relationships across organizations

No BSN yet? No problem! SNHU offers an accelerated online RN to MSN pathway option that allows eligible registered nurses to achieve their MSN faster and for less money. The RN to MSN accelerated pathway can be applied to the nursing education and population healthcare tracks. The master's in nursing online degree is designed to help you build key competencies you need for nursing practice at the master's level. All online MSN tracks begin with the same 5 core courses giving you the opportunity to explore before you choose the direction you want to go.

The 5 core courses are:

- Role Development and the Transformation of the MSN Nurse. In this course, you'll explore the roles of an MSN professional nurse. This includes the differentiation of the APRN role and scope of practice and the development of a plan for career-long learning. You'll evaluate practice experiences and explore the influence of healthcare systems, policy, and trends in shaping MSN professional practice. Finally, you'll continue to form and cultivate your professional nursing identity through critique, engagement, and the development of inter-professional relationships.

- Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare. In this course, you'll develop the skills of an MSN professional working in complex healthcare systems to promote a culture of safety and quality outcomes. You'll learn how to challenge assumptions, be prepared to proactively take action based on timely and reliable information, and create solutions that anticipate needs across the four spheres of care: prevention and promotion of health and well-being, chronic disease care, regenerative care, and hospice/palliative care. You'll cultivate leadership, communication skills, and strategies to promote interprofessional team collaboration and strengthen partnerships thereby improving outcomes across a variety of settings.

- Epidemiological and Biostatistical Applications in Healthcare. This course focuses on the principles and foundations of epidemiology and biostatistics for healthcare application. You'll evaluate basic concepts of disease transmission and study designs as you learn how to quantify disease progression and assess risk factors. You'll gain skills in the application of data collection, data analysis, and hypothesis testing to health data as a way to support health promotion, disease prevention, and clinical decision-making.

- Global Health & Diversity. In this course, you'll explore major global health challenges and their impact on healthcare delivery systems. Topics explored include determinants of health, multiple approaches to advance health, social justice principles, and strategies to advocate for social justice. You'll gain critical knowledge to apply social justice and human rights principles to address global health and wellness in the face of a more diverse patient population.

- Evidence-Based Practice & Scholarly Inquiry. This course can help you translate evidence-based practice that is essential for continuous improvement in a variety of healthcare settings. Course topics include the use of scholarly inquiry, evaluation of existing clinical practice guidelines, critical analysis, and synthesis of the best evidence to inform practice. You'll gain skills in using various databases for retrieving scholarly evidence and best practices to improve healthcare outcomes, and then apply evidence-based practices to the role of an MSN professional.

"Each online MSN program track integrates hands-on learning to help you succeed in the role of your choice. Plus, you'll get the expert instruction of our full-time faculty 100% of whom are doctorally prepared to give you the insider knowledge you need to get ahead. The instructors at Southern New Hampshire University are professionals, they're friendly and they connect to you as a person," said Bonnie Fecowicz '16. "They share their personal lives with you and want you to share yours."

Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 5 graduate terms. You can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials. MSN admission requirements for nursing executive leadership, population healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, and nursing education tracks:

- Must maintain an active unencumbered registered nurse license. The licensure exam must be equivalent to NCLEX-RN examination. (If a student holds active licenses in more than one state/jurisdiction, all licenses must be unencumbered.)

- Must have an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited nursing program (ACEN, CCNE, and CNEA) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

- Must complete the MSN Program Acknowledgement Form.

- Provisional acceptance may be extended to applicants with an undergraduate GPA between 2.67 and 2.99.

For family nurse practitioner track:

- Must maintain an active unencumbered registered nurse license. The licensure exam must be equivalent to NCLEX-RN examination. (If a student holds active licenses in more than one state/jurisdiction, all licenses must be unencumbered.)

- Must have an earned bachelor's degree from an accredited nursing program (ACEN, CCNE and CNEA) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

- Must complete the MSN Program Acknowledgement Form.

- Must have two years of full-time work experience as a licensed registered nurse.

- Must identify one potential preceptor for a clinical practicum.

- Must be available for one week-long in-person immersion experience.

- No provisional acceptance policy for this track.

Immersion experience: As part of the FNP track, you'll also take Advanced Pharmacology for the Prescriber, Immersion. This course requires you to travel to New Hampshire for one immersion experience, where you'll participate in simulation activities and perform assessments with standardized patients. This multi-day experience should help prepare you for your clinical practicums and provide pivotal hands-on learning to supplement your educational journey. The cost of the Immersion Experience is $2,000 and is separate from course tuition. The fee covers items associated with the immersion, such as facility rentals, on-site faculty, training materials, and standardized patients. Travel including transportation costs, flights, lodging, and meal costs are not included in this fee and are the responsibility of the student to pay for and secure. The Immersion Experience is scheduled in NUR-600 and will be held in New Hampshire. After the Immersion Experience, you'll embark on your practicum experiences, which include 650 clinical hours across five courses.

FNP Students will need to complete their program within five (5) years after completing the NUR 600, Advanced Pharmacology for the Prescriber, Immersion course. SNHU nursing programs are not authorized in the state of Washington or US territories and we are not accepting students residing in Washington state or US territories into nursing programs at this time. Currently, enrolled students who move into the state of Washington or a US territory will not be able to continue in nursing courses until they move out of the state of Washington or the US territory. Prospective students are encouraged to contact admission, and current students should contact their advisor, for more information.

Please note that we are currently only accepting students in the family nurse practitioner track in the following states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and New Jersey. Students must reside in one of these states while taking FNP courses at SNHU, and all practicum experiences must be completed in one of these states. Please note that the family nurse practitioner track is accepting applications from a limited number of students per term. Applicants and students are advised that their success in their chosen program may be dependent on an ability to meet the Nursing Program Health and Technical Requirements (PDF).

$150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)