Five Best Master of Science in Nursing Schools

Advanced practice nursing has become a lucrative and interesting career option for working RNs who are seeking a more challenging professional opportunity, a position in an administrative or management role, or the chance to work as a nurse teacher in a clinical or classroom setting.  The schools listed here all have campus based nursing programs that make the completion of a practicum much easier than with an online MSN program.  Generally the clinical areas of specialization for MSN students are confined to campus programs.  Some of these schools offer blended programs with a percentage of courses offered online, combined with occasional campus visits for upper level courses. Find Masters in Nursing Online today.

1. Gonzaga University is one of the better Western university campuses; a Jesuit school based in Spokane that opened its doors in 1881.  Gonzaga has an undergraduate and a graduate program in nursing, both fully accredited by the CCNE.  The Master of Arts in Nursing degree is offered on-campus and online with a number of areas of specialization for each format.  There is a RN to MSN option for working nurses who obtained their training through an associate’s degree or diploma program.  There are four areas of specialization offered for the MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, Nurse Educator, and Health Systems Leadership.
2. Grand Canyon University has a campus located in Phoenix, Arizona and an extensive online education infrastructure.  The nursing program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).  The MSN options available on campus include Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist with Education Focus.  The MSN degrees that are available both on campus and online are the MSN in Nursing Education and the MSN in Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems.  The Nurse Practitioner programs require 500 hours of supervised clinical work prior to graduation.
3. University of Phoenix has a mix of MSN programs, some of which are available on selected campuses, some of which are available online and some of which are available in both formats.  The MSN in Family Nurse Practitioner is available at a campus in Phoenix, two campuses in Tucson, and a campus in Sacramento, CA.  There is also a MSN degree in Nursing and Healthcare Education that is available as an online option and on many of the campuses.  In addition UOP offers two dual degree programs, the MSN/MBA and the MSN/Master of Health Administration combination.  All nursing programs at the University of Phoenix are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
4. Regis University is host to the Loretto Heights School of Nursing, an institution in continuous operation in Denver since 1948 and accredited since 1952. The Master of Science in Nursing program is offered as a MSN for nurses who hold a BSN and as a RN to MSN accelerated program that will lead to completion of both the BSN and the MSN for a nurse who holds an active license and has completed an associate’s degree in nursing or a diploma.  Clinical specializations for the MSN include Family Nurse Practitioner and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.  The non-clinical option is in Leadership in Healthcare Systems.
5. Chamberlain College of Nursing has been in existence for 120 years and today operates five campuses as well as an online degree program.  The five campuses are located in Phoenix, St. Louis, Chicago, Columbus, OH and Arlington, VA.  The MSN specialization options are for Nurse Educator and Nurse Executive.  There is also a RN to BSN to MSN Bridge program for nurses who hold an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Diploma from a nurse training program.  The two degrees are compressed so that completion takes less time than going through each program separately would require.  Chamberlain has also teamed up with the DeVry University Keller School of Management to offer a dual MSN/MBA program online.