All Online Masters in Nursing Programs
(found programs from 156 schools)

Below you’ll find a list containing every nationally accredited distance learning / online Masters in Nursing and online RN to MSN program. These programs can be an excellent option for working adults with families. We also have the largest directory on the web of online RN to BSN programs.

According to a recent study done for the US Department of Education, students who do part or all of their coursework online perform slightly better than students who do all their work in a face to face classroom setting.

As a rule of thumb, you should contact multiple schools during the course of your research. There are significant differences between the programs in terms of cost, admissions requirements, and other characteristics. As with many things in life, the way to find the best Masters in Nursing program for your needs is to spend some time shopping around.

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What Kinds of Masters in Nursing Specialties Can I Pursue Online?

Most schools that offer online Master of Science in Nursing programs will offer only some of their available degree tracks in an online format. This can be due to availability of the instructors, or to other issues. The only consistent pattern in terms of the specialties offered in online/distance learning formats is that the CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist) specialty is almost never available online. In fact, we would go so far as to say, not almost never, but actually never. We haven’t found a single online CRNA program, across 2,000+ schools and 7,000+ programs.

In our database, when you see a specific track listed as an online program, it means that that exact track is available online, not just that the school offers online MSN programs.

School Profile: UVA

Below, we interview Dr. Pamela Kulbok, Coordinator of the Public Health Nursing Leadership program at the University of Virginia, about the school's online MSN.

What Does "Online Masters in Nursing" Really Mean?

This is a critical question and one you should address very early on in any conversations you have with schools. There really is no single answer. Many schools (maybe even the majority of them) will offer some of the required classes in an online format. This is not enough to get listed in this section of the directory. We tried to restrict these listings to programs that are marketed on the school websites as online, or that state explicitly that students can complete all or the vast majority of the coursework over the Internet. Still, you should bear in mind that it is not black and white, and that the only way to confirm that all of the coursework can be completed online is to speak directly to the schools.

Some programs are completely online, requiring no campus visits at all. These are rare. What is more common is for the program to accept students from anywhere in the country, but require a certain number of campus visits (one or two per semester, etc.). This is certainly more convenient than a fully campus based program, but if you live in New Jersey and sign up for an "online" program in California, you may or may not want to fly out there a few times a year.

For this and other reasons, it is also common for programs that are mostly (versus completely) online to only accept students from their own states, or from surrounding states. The bottom line is that you should investigate a range of programs, not just one or two, and make sure to get a complete and detailed answer on how often you will have to visit the campus, and for how long.

How Do Clinicals Work In An Online Masters in Nursing Program?

As long as the educational track you choose is one that requires clinicals in an on-campus delivery model (*not all of them do - check with the individual schools), you should expect clinicals to be a part of the online / distance learning version of it as well. And there is no getting around the fact that many kinds of Masters in Nursing programs require a relatively large chunk of clinical hours. Five to seven hundred hours over the course of the program is fairly typical, even for an online program. The Nurse Anesthetist track, which is not offered online, but is a full time, campus based program, may require double or triple that amount.

For many of the online MSN programs, the clinical time can be completed in any state you’re licensed in, and you will be able to select your own clinical preceptors to supervise your work. This often means you’ll be able to complete them right at your workplace, but it’s important to keep in mind that the allowed clinical settings may vary. For example, if the course that requires the clinicals is a public health nursing course, then you may be required to complete those clinicals at a school clinic,or a similar setting, but you may not be allowed to do them in a hospital.

It’s just another question to put on your list for when you talk to the schools. As a rule, you should contact multiple schools during the course of your research. There are important differences between the programs in terms of cost, admissions requirements, and other characteristics, and, as with many things in life, the way to find the best Masters program for your needs is to spend some time shopping around.