In the field of nursing, salaries range from fairly low for nurses with just an associate’s degree and very little experience to relatively high for nurses with a doctorate in nursing and years of hands-on experience in the workforce. If you have a masters in nursing (MSN) degree, chances are that your salary expectations can fall closer to the high end of the spectrum. The time it takes to complete your master’s degree once you have a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) is 18 to 24 months, but that is time and money well invested when you realize your earning potential as an advanced nurse practitioner.

In order to qualify for a master’s degree in the nursing world, you have to first complete you BSN and be registered as a nurse. Afterward, you can register as an advanced registered nurse practitioner, or ARNP. Registration is important if you want to truly advance in your field, as hospitals, private practices, and other healthcare organizations will want to ensure that you’re licensed to work in your state. For those with MSN degrees, salaries range, on average, from $57,000 to $88,000, but the exact average salary for any scale depends on the career path you take. Some of the most common choices, along with average annual salaries, are as follows:

• Cardiovascular ARNP: $87,985
• Director of Nursing: $87,429
• General Nurse Practitioner: $77,752
• Family Nurse Practitioner: $73,684
• Pediatrics Nurse Practitioner: $66,444
• Nurse Case Manager: $57,824

This data is all according to Payscale.com, which also reports that nurses with an MSN can expect to receive $850 to $4,000 per year in bonuses, two to four weeks of paid vacation time, and other perks. As you can imagine, the more time you spend working in your field, the higher your salary and the better your benefits will be. Over time, especially if you stay at one hospital, you’ll only see your paycheck go up every year.

Your salary also depends on where you work. For example, for those with an MSN who work in a school setting, average salary is expected to be around $92,000. On the other hand, nurses with an MSN who work in hospitals make an average of $78,391 and nurses with an MSN who work in the non-profit sector make an average of $79,480. Location matters too. In general, you’ll make more money if you’re willing to live and work in a larger city. The states with the highest average salaries for nurses are California ($90,000), Texas ($80,202), and Pennsylvania ($79,262).

Lastly, your specialty and exact training as a nursing major play rolls in the salary you can expect once you graduate with an MSN degree. The highest salaries are found with nurses who work in cardiovascular disease, acute care, emergency room care, and care in the intensive care units of hospitals. Typically, areas of hospitals that are more fast-paced and stressful have jobs demanding higher salaries, though it depends on the need in your area. Remember, once you have your MSN, you can go on to get a doctorate in nursing, which means you’ll be qualified for even higher-paying jobs.

MSN - Adult Nursing MSN - Clinical Nursing MSN - Nurse Midwifery MSN - Women's Health More...	University of Cincinnati — The University of Cincinnati's online nursing programs knows no geographic bounds. Cinci offers several online master's degree programs in nursing, including MSN in clinical nursing, MSN in adult nursing, MSN in nurse midwifery, MSN in nursing administration, MSN in psychiatric health nursing, and MSN in women's health. Students of these programs are required to be BSN holders with some nursing experience.
RN to MS in Nursing MSN - Informatics MSN - Education MSN - Leadership BSN to MS in Nursing	Walden University — Walden University provides nurses with the unique opportunity to advance their careers through master's programs for registered nurses. Specialties include informatics, education, leadership and a general course to help you acquire the knowledge to educate nursing students, staff and patients-and prepare for current and future career opportunities. Walden also offers several BSN to MSN programs.
MS in Nursing MSN - Health Education MSN - Informatics MSN - Health Administration MSN - Healthcare Mgmt	University of Phoenix — The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of registered nurses with baccalaureate-degree preparation. Coursework covers advanced nursing content and process, as well as leadership skills, teaching experience and the ability to manage health care systems. Areas of specialty within their MSN program include health education, informatics, health administration, and healthcare management.
Dual Degree: MSN/MBA MSN - Nurse Education MSN - Nurse Leadership	Grand Canyon University — Earn your dual master's degree in business and nursing, along with specialties in clinical care, education, family nurse practitioner, or nursing leadership at Grand Canyon University's college of nursing and health sciences. Each course can provide you with the skills and techniques you need to become the best in your field.
RN to BSN to MSN MSN - Psychiatric Nurse MSN - Clinical Trials MSN - Adult Acute Care More...	Drexel University — The RN to BSN to MSN track offered by Drexel University is a cutting-edge program that allows students to work on their bachelor's degree while simultaneously pursuing their master's. Students enrolling in this program must be a licensed registered nurse with some prior college experience, perhaps an associate's degree. MSN programs offered: adult acute care, adult psychiatric and mental health, clinical trials research, contemporary nursing faculty, innovation and intra/entrepreneurship in advanced nursing practice, and nursing leadership in health systems management.
MSN - Nurse Education	Graceland University — The 40-credit MSN nurse educator program from Graceland University is CCNE accredited, with online courses lasting eight weeks per session. The curriculum, which includes courses in advanced health assessment, education technology, and issues in nursing education, is designed with the working RN in mind, as students are able to complete the degree from home after hours.
MS in Nursing	Liberty University — Learn how to provide expert clinical care and related health care services to individuals, families and groups of people across the lifespan in a variety of acute care and community settings through Liberty University's Master of Science in Nursing program. Liberty University incorporates core Christian values into all of their degree offerings in order to provide all students a thorough academic and spiritually enriching program of study.
MS in Nursing	Saint Xavier University — For nurses looking for a more advanced role in the workplace, consider the online MSN degree program from Saint Xavier University, which offers a Clinical Nurse Leader focus. Graduates of this program will be prepared to critically assess patient data and treatment options as well as coordinate with doctors and other nurses.
RN to MSN MSN - Informatics MSN - Case Management MSN - Leadership MSN - Infection Prevention	American Sentinel University — For registered nurses looking for further advancement in their careers, the RN to MSN degree programs offered by American Sentinel University offer the learning experience required to advance in nursing informatics, case management, organizational leadership, infection prevention, and more. Students of this program complete 21 undergraduate credits plus 36 graduate-level credits to obtain their degrees.
MS in Nursing MSN - Nurse Administration MSN - Nurse Education	Kaplan University — Earn your M.S. in Nursing with a specialty in nurse administration or nurse education with an online degree from Kaplan University. The Master of Science in Nursing is also a foundation for future doctoral studies, and these online programs makes it easy for you to keep working while you study.
MSN - Nurse Educator MSN - Nurse Educator Bridge	Capella University — The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs from Capella University Online are geared toward BSN graduates currently working as registered nurses (RNs). They offer MSN - Nurse Educator and MSN - Nurse Educator Bridge programs. For those wishing for a flexible and affordable plan to take their nursing careers to the next level, Capella is a very sound choice.
MSN - Nurse Administration MSN - Nurse Education	Norwich University — Norwich University offers master's in nursing degree programs in nurse administration and nursing education. Graduates of each of these programs will be well skilled in healthcare communication, critical thinking, and nursing leadership. Both programs consist of 36 credit hours of online coursework divided into six online seminars.
MS in Nursing	Benedictine University — Benedictine offers an MS in Nursing program that prepares students with the expert nursing knowledge and skill they will need to become specialized nurse practitioners in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinical care units, and doctors' offices.
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