Pennsylvania RN to MSN / Masters in Nursing Programs
(found programs from 36 schools)

Pennsylvania, like the rest of the country, is experiencing a nursing shortage in all specialties. Among the state's initiatives to address this need is expanding the role of advanced practice nurses and increasing the number of these professionals practicing in rural areas. In Pennsylvania, NPs make up the majority of those with advanced practice degrees, followed by CNSs, CRNAs, and CNMs.

The Pennsylvania Rural Health Association reported that the state has one of the lowest ratios of nurse practitioners per capita in the nation. They earn a mean salary of about $77,000, according to a survey published in Advance for Nurse Practitioners. A 2009 study published in Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice discussed the fight for legislation reforms which would ensure that advanced practice nurses, along with other licensed professionals in Pennsylvania, would be able to practice within the full scope of their training. For more information, check out the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, and the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners.

Programs to consider:

Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA). Drexel offers a number of advanced practice specialties, as well as online/hybrid MSNs for nurses in advanced roles such as clinical research, education, and health systems management.

Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA). PSU offers MSNs in tracks such as administration, clinical trials research, and education. They also have advanced practice tracks, some of which have a focus on gerontology.

Below is a list of all the accredited schools with campus locations in Pennsylvania that offer MSN programs.