Although the demand is high for nurses, how much would a nurse with an advanced degree make per year? You may want to know this information before you commit to approximately two years’ of study and tuition debt. Many graduate school students, additionally, fit their master’s-level studies around their work schedules, which can extend the time it takes to graduate.

Registered nurses make an average yearly salary of $55,000, with a range from $50,000 to $70,000. Unfortunately, earning a master’s degree in many workplaces does not significantly increase a nurse’s salary. When advanced-degree nurses graduate, they can expect annual salaries ranging from $60,000 to $90,000, depending on geographic location and previous experience. With that said, many rural county clinics start nurse practitioners with salaries as low as $40,000 per year, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

With additional certification in anesthesiology or midwifery, the advanced-degree nurse can draw a larger salary. Nurse midwives, for example, can draw first-year salaries as high as $90,000 per year. Additionally, location can help to draw a larger salary. Areas in the northeast and along the west coast tend to offer higher pay scales for their nurses.

Length of time in the field also affects salaries. For instance, after five years of practice, the salary range for APNs stretches from $60,000 to $100,000 a year. Again, it depends on location. After five years, nurse midwives earn salaries ranging from $65,000 to $120,000 annually.

If you prefer to combine a business degree with your MSN, you may realize a higher salary as well. Many nursing directors can pull an early salary of $90,580 per year, compared to a cardiovascular ARNP (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner) who may make $78,428 per year, according to the PayScale Web site.

According to a 2004 survey by The Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 25 percent of all nurses earned at least $64,000 a year. Of the women in that group, 11 percent reportedly earned at least $75,000 a year. Even the most base average salary for a nurse is higher than the national average salary, so this is clearly a profitable career if you do your research in advance.

Location is everything in this career, even when it comes to overtime. Certain medical facilities reimburse overtime by paying a high hourly rate, while others compensate the time by increasing time off. If the reimbursement comes as an hourly pay, the pay rate will differ from one specialty to another. Nurses may acquire their hourly pay by the number of beds or by the size of the supervised staff.

Whether you want to continue your education to be at the forefront of administration or research depends upon your willingness to pay for that master’s degree and a commitment to a specialty. When you accomplish a master’s degree in nursing, you show a commitment that many nurses may not be willing or able to take on. This desire often is one of the requirements that many health facitilities look to when hiring the best personnel.

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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