How long does it take to go from BSN to MSN?

It depends on the type of program you choose for your MSN. Traditional programs typically take 2 years, but you may be able to find a competency-based program like WGU that allows you to finish faster.

How much does a BSN to MSN cost?

Typical BSN to MSN programs can cost upwards of $25,000. It's important to do your research when looking for an BSN to MSN program to find one that is accredited but also affordable. For example, WGU's BSN to MSN program costs less than $4,000 per six-month term, making the total cost of your degree less than $16,000. And if you finish faster at WGU, you pay less.

Is it better to get a BSN or MSN?

Depending on what you want to do with your career, an MSN can be extremely helpful. While nurses don't technically need a BSN or MSN, many hospitals are wanting BSN trained nurses to help their hospital reach magnet status. And if you are wanting to pursue other career options, such as nurse education, nurse management, becoming a nurse practitioner, etc. you will absolutely need an MSN.

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Health & Nursing Degrees
Nursing – Education (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.

Master of Science Nursing Education (BSN to MSN Program)

This BSN to MSN nursing education program helps you teach the art of caregiving. Pass on your passion and help nurses, patients, and entire communities. Teach the art of caregiving.

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The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree programs in nursing at WGU are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

A BSN to MSN that prepares you to train nurses and make a great impact on the future of healthcare.

Experience is valuable. And your experience as a nurse is what will make you a great nurse educator. A BSN to MSN nursing education program is designed to help you thrive as a nurse educator—giving you crucial skills that will prepare you to train the next generation of nurses, impact patient care, and improve health systems in your community.

This BSN to MSN program lets you utilize your knowledge and experience and gives you specific skills you need to take your passion and teach it to others. As a leader you will develop and implement live-saving techniques that will set important standards for the nurses you train. This online nursing education degree program also includes clinical practice experiences such as real-time simulation using immersive virtual reality training. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to earn the NAHQ (National Association for Healthcare Quality) HQ Principles certificate along with your degree, helping you to boost your résumé before you even graduate.

WGU’s online, CCNE-accredited BSN to MSN program will prepare you to teach a new generation of nurses, influence patient outcomes, and change the future of healthcare.

Need to earn your BSN first? No problem! Check out the RN-to-MSN version of this program.

80% of graduates finish in

2 years

WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance when you're ready. The result: You may finish faster.
See how it works

Tuition per 6-month term is

$4,240

Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps you reduce the ultimate cost of your degree. Finish faster, pay less!
See how time is money

Transfer credit is accepted*

47%

of your coursework (up to 17 competency units) taken at the graduate (master's) level at a nationally or regionally accredited institution can be transferred to this WGU program.
Get started

Tuition as of August 1, 2021. *Effective for students starting Feb. 1, 2021. Courses must have been completed within the past five years with an earned grade of "B" or higher.
Impart excellence: Train caregivers in diverse settings.

BSN to MSN prepared nurse educators teach and train nurses, nursing students, school children, community groups, workers, patients, and consumers. A BSN to MSN can prepare you to make a difference in a wide variety of settings, including:
Hospitals.

Community agencies.

Schools.

Industry and businesses.

Nursing programs.
Learn more
What you’ll learn: a highly relevant BSN to MSN curriculum developed by healthcare industry experts.

The WGU MSN – Education curriculum is evidence-based. Competencies for this specialty were derived from the National League for Nursing Nurse Educator standards and the Master’s Essentials for Professional Nursing practice.

Download Program Guide

In the MSN core of this online nursing program, you will develop knowledge related to complexities of healthcare, access, quality, and costs for diverse populations. The nurse educator specialization will cover topics like curriculum development, learning styles, assessment, and more.
MSN Core

Nursing courses that are core to your MSN degree work include:

Professional Presence and Influence

Translational Research for Practice and Populations

Organizational Leadership and Interprofessional Team Development

Pathopharmacological Foundations for Advanced Nursing Practice

Comprehensive Health Assessment for Patients and Populations

Essentials of Advanced Nursing Practice Field Experience

Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends

See all courses
Nursing Science and Education

Courses specific to nursing science and your nurse education specialty include:

Advanced Information Management and the Application of Technology

Evolving Roles of Nurse Educators in Diverse Learning Environments

Facilitation of Context-Based Student-Centered Learning

Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Measuring Student Learning

Emerging Trends and Challenges in 21st Century Nursing Education

Nursing Education Field Experience

Nurse Educator Capstone

See all courses
Why WGU?

Learn why healthcare professionals choose WGU:

Flexible. You can continue working at your full-time job or maintaining your responsibilities while pursing your BSN to MSN degree. You don't have to log-in to classes and there aren't due dates. You are in charge of your degree.

Valued by employers. Top accreditations mean that your BSN to MSN degree is respected by employers and peers. You will get a quality education that is valuable in the industry.

Strong alumni network. When you enroll in the nursing education program at WGU, you join an impressive network of healthcare professionals. Over 18,000 students earned healthcare degrees from WGU in 2020 alone, and are hard at work, changing the lives of patients and impacting communities.

See how we do it
A supported, personalized experience.

WGU is different from other online universities—in the best possible ways! Take a look at what we mean:

Faculty Learning Assessment Field Experience Alumni Support

Faculty

SUPPORTING YOU: Faculty focused on students.

An entire team of faculty members has one goal in mind: your success. Your Program Mentor is your individually assigned faculty member, providing regular program guidance and instruction from the day you start, to the day you graduate. In addition, Course Instructors provide regular, subject-matter instruction and support, typically one-on-one, throughout each course you take.

Learning

YOUR ROADMAP: A personalized learning plan.

Your program is made up of a series of courses, each a personalized journey toward subject mastery. A preassessment provides insight into what you already know. You’ll then learn what you still need to learn, using online learning resources—available 24/7—along with one-on-one or cohort-based faculty instruction.

Assessment

PROVE IT: Show you know your stuff.

WGU measures learning, not time, so each course in your program culminates in an assessment—a test, paper, project, or presentation that allows you to prove what you know. As soon as you’re ready, you take the assessment. Take proctored exams from the comfort of your own home—via webcam, any time of day!

Field Experience

REAL-WORLD: Time in the field.

Most of your program will be completed online but all nursing programs include some learning that occurs in a healthcare facility. Sometimes that will be where you work; other times, it will require placement in a facility near you.

Alumni Support

ALWAYS a Night Owl: WGU for life.

Continued support after you graduate includes many opportunities for professional development and enrichment, career support, and networking. WGU Night Owls may be independent learners, but they also become highly engaged in our active alumni community through apps, groups, and events.

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The accreditation you need, plus respect and recognition.

Healthcare and nursing employers want employees with the credentials that prove they can help improve patient care while streamlining facilities and strengthening their reputations. An important measure of a health degree’s value is whether it comes from an accredited university with programs that have been recognized for excellence by leading healthcare organizations.

Accredited

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing / master's degree program in nursing at WGU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Respected

“What we need are people who are truly versatile, able to learn efficiently and effectively. ... Those are the kind of people [who] represent graduates of Western Governors University.”
John Steele
Senior Vice President of Human Relations
HCA Healthcare

Recognized

WGU has been named a 2021 Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing.

Value is a combination of low cost and high quality. University Research & Review has named WGU a Best Value School several years running—a strong measure of return on investment!

Accredited

Respected

Recognized

Our programs check all the boxes. If this degree is your goal, get started toward becoming a student today—programs start the first of each month.

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When we say affordable, we mean it.

$4,240

Tuition per 6-month term

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+$145

Flat fee for e-books and learning resources, saving you hundreds per term

=

=$4,385

TOTAL PER TERM

+$65

One-time application fee

Apply FREE this week

Tuition rate effective August 1, 2021. This program also requires a Health Professions Fee of $350.
Reduce the cost of your program: Our tuition links cost to time.

By charging per term rather than per credit—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or learn quickly—WGU helps students reduce the ultimate cost of their degrees. Use the slider below to estimate your tuition costs at current rates:
Flat-rate tuition of $4,385 per term links cost to time.

By charging per 6-month term rather than per credit hour—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or can learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees.

Adjust the time and see your costs change

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1 yr

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There's help if you need it.

Financial aid is available.

WGU is approved for federal financial aid and U.S. veterans benefits.

View more about financial aid.

WGU students borrow less than half the national average.*

Our goal: You graduate with little or no debt.

The average student loan debt of WGU graduates in 2019 (among those who borrowed) was less than half the national average. WGU’s three-pronged approach to keeping your debt low and your return on investment quick: One, provide useful information and advice on responsible borrowing before enrollment. Two, keep tuition low while you're enrolled. And three, offer degree programs that lead to better-paying jobs after graduation.

Read about our Responsible Borrowing Initiative.

*WGU data: 2019 Annual Report. National data: The Institute for College Access & Success and Student Loan Hero.

Degree Cost Comparison

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Other Online Nonprofit University

WGU

Earn your MSN for about half what you’d pay elsewhere.

Low tuition and the ability to accelerate make WGU a more affordable option than many other nursing schools. When you compare us with other traditional or online nursing programs, WGU’s BSN-to-MSN – Education program offers rigorous curriculum with competitive post-graduation results, but at as little as half the cost—or even less.

*WGU average annual bachelor’s tuition rates are 57% the national average, compared to national rates reported by IPEDS. WGU average rate does not include rates for WGU B.S. Nursing Prelicensure program. Learn more about WGU's tuition and how it compares.

Transparent fees and no hidden costs.

The cost of attending college often includes much more than tuition and fees. WGU is designed to be different, and that can translate into cost savings everywhere from books to babysitting.

Other universities bury you in unexpected costs. Not WGU.

Click to explore the extra costs:

Tuition Books

Parking Gas

Library / resource fees Babysitter every week for
nighttime classes

WGU

Other online college

Traditional
4 year school

This demonstration shows how various costs—including official fees and incidental costs of attending school—can add up in different learning environments. It's meant as an illustration only.

Scholarships make our already low tuition even more affordable.

Many scholarship opportunities are available. Here are just a few you may be eligible to apply for:

$2,500

Master Your Future Scholarship

$2,000

ANPD Excellence in Nursing Education Scholarship

$5,000

Leadership Scholarship

The affordable, flexible programs offered at WGU can put high-quality education within your reach. Start working toward your future.

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Curriculum that helps you master the things employers want you to know.

Program consists of:
15 Courses
An unofficial estimated 0 courses are fulfilled by your associate degree leaving 15 courses.
I have an associate degree Download Program Guide

At WGU, we design our online nursing programs to be timely, relevant, and practical—all to ensure your nursing degree is proof you really know your stuff.

Every course in your M.S. Nursing – Education degree program focuses on a set of clearly defined competencies that you must prove you’ve learned—through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments. Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so learning what it takes to be outstanding in your career is at the heart of WGU’s M.S. Nursing – Education (BSN to MSN) curriculum.

That means what you learn can help you at work—and it means what you’re doing at work frequently informs the work you’re doing in your courses. It’s all about real-world applicability so every moment spent studying is time well spent.

Courses in this program.

This program consists of the following courses, which you will typically complete one at a time as you make your way through your program, working with your Program Mentor each term to build your personalized Degree Plan. You’ll work through each course as quickly as you can study and learn the material. As soon as you’re ready, you can pass the assessment, complete the course, and move on. This means you can finish as many courses as you're able in a term at no additional cost.

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Nursing Education Specialty

Evolving Roles of Nurse Educators in Diverse Environments

Evolving Roles of Nurse Educators in Diverse Environments examines the multidimensional roles of a contemporary academic nurse educator. This course explores the roles and responsibilities of the nurse educator as a teacher, leader, change agent, and curriculum innovator. Students will also examine the importance of personal and professional development by developing strategies that promote academic integrity, cultural sensitivity, social justice, and ethical/legal values in diverse environments. The course emphasizes the responsibility of nurse educators to utilize communication, collaboration, and leadership in mitigating challenges in academic nursing education.

Facilitation of Context-Based Student-Centered Learning

Facilitation of Context-Based Student-Centered Learning explores how the nurse educator will incorporate authentic experiences into the creation of course plans that facilitate scholarly inquiry, collaboration, and knowledge acquisition in varied educational environments. Emphasis is placed on innovative, transformational, and experiential teaching and learning strategies to facilitate student development of professional, context-based nursing principles, knowledge, skills, and behavior. Evolving Roles of Nurse Educators in Diverse Environments is a prerequisite to this course.

Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education

Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education analyzes the concepts of creating curriculum based on national nursing accreditation standards and instructional design best practices. Nurse educator students will create course content that supports learning in diverse, real-world environments where nurse educators facilitate learning. Instructional design strategies for delivering course content will reflect the mission of academic institution programs, contemporary trends in nursing education, and the needs of key stakeholders in nursing education and practice. Facilitation of Context-Based Student-Centered Learning is a prerequisite to this course.

Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Measuring Student Learning

Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Measuring Student Learning addresses the academic nurse educator's role in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of student achievement outcomes in nursing education programs. This course requires students to integrate best practices from nursing theory and theories of learning to assess student learning in diverse educational settings. Topics include validity, reliability, and practicality of assessments; interpreting item difficulty and discrimination test results; and analyzing student achievement and learning outcomes data. This course has no prerequisites.

Emerging Trends and Challenges in 21st Century Nursing Education

Emerging Trends and Challenges in 21st Century Nursing Education analyzes the emerging trends, technologies, and challenges that academic nurse educators encounter when facilitating learning in diverse healthcare settings. Students will focus on the necessity of interprofessional collaboration and the barriers and facilitators to overcoming the challenges associated with teaching and learning in nursing. Topics include the impact of emerging technology, challenges in nursing practice, and the role of the academic nurse educator as a scholar and a nursing education policy advocate. This course has no prerequisites.

Nursing Education Field Experience

The Nursing Education Field Experience provides the academic nurse educator student an opportunity to work collaboratively with academic mentors and interprofessional stakeholders to analyze the need-gap for a curriculum change, innovation, or improvement. Based on the identified need-gap, the graduate student will design and develop a course that reflects evidence-based instructional design and assessment principles and practices. This course prepares students for the role of an Academic Nurse Educator, as an agent for change and quality improvement in nursing education.

Nursing Education Capstone

The Nursing Education Capstone course provides the Academic Nurse Educator student an opportunity to apply previous course work towards the completion of an evidence-based curriculum proposal project. During this course students will build on previous work during their Nursing Education Field Experience course by planning the implementation and evaluation phases of their proposed curriculum change, innovation or improvement. The capstone proposal project represents a synthesis of competencies across the Masters Science of Nursing—Nursing Education degree program, which prepares them to lead, manage, and transform nursing education in diverse and complex academic settings. All MSN Core and Specialty courses, including the Field Experience course, are prerequisites to this course and must be completed before taking this course.

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MSN Core

Professional Presence and Influence

Professional Presence and Influence is a masters-level course designed to guide students towards an enhanced state of presence, where therapeutic relationships are built between nurse and patient. Students will learn techniques for self-care practices that result in enhanced mental and physical wellbeing and that ensure ethically-generated patient care. Presence is an intrapersonal and interpersonal quality that allows the nurse to relate to others and to be aware of the world around them. The characteristics of presence, which include holism, intimacy, sensitivity and adaptability, create a heightened sense of awareness that fosters therapeutic relationships between the nurse and patient. Developing a mindful, authentic presence is central to health and spiritual practices in several cultures and a major element of leadership. Students will intentionally develop a focused mindfulness practice that will influence patient outcomes and lead to conditions that create joy in the workplace.

Essentials of Advanced Nursing Roles and Interprofessional Practice

Essentials of Advanced Nursing Roles and Interprofessional Practice explores essential characteristics of the advanced professional nurse in the role of leader, educator, practitioner, or informatics specialist. In this course, students will apply evidence-based strategies to facilitate interprofessional collaboration on teams. Students will explore the role of nurses in advocating for change at the bedside, as well as leading teams to advocate for health policy reform. Students will gather and analyze data to identify patients and populations at risk and recommend policy change to improve health outcomes in the community.

Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care

Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care incorporates current standards of quality and safety within the context of value-based care. In a value-based healthcare system, the benefits are derived from measuring health outcomes against the cost of delivering the outcomes. These benefits are then extended to patients, providers, payers, suppliers, and society as a whole. This course introduces new healthcare delivery models, which stress a team-oriented approach to patient care and sharing of patient data so that care is coordinated, and outcomes can be measured easily. Emphasis is placed on performance and quality improvement methods that underlie value-based nursing care. The nurse in advanced practice today must exemplify the standards of quality and safety and be prepared to lead the delivery of value-based patient-centered care.

Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations

Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations provides advanced practice nurses foundational knowledge in the many pathologies encountered in practice today. Advancing from the cellular to the body system level, this course examines the pathologies of common conditions seen in healthcare today. Consideration is also given to the human affective response to alterations in health. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Advanced Health Assessment for Patients and Populations

Advanced Health Assessment of Patients and Populations builds on prior physical health assessment knowledge and skills acquired during undergraduate studies by focusing on the advanced assessment of biopsychosocial and sociocultural contexts in patients and populations across the life span. This course emphasizes the use of a comprehensive health promotion, disease prevention, and health restoration model to address health concerns in patients and communities. Students will acquire advanced assessment knowledge and skills for clinical interviewing, focused history taking, critical diagnostic reasoning, and clinical decision-making using a problem-focused framework that integrates authentic experiences with practical knowledge of health patterns in patients and communities.

Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care

Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care integrates nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Students will acquire knowledge and skills to apply informatics concepts, communications, and data that are critical to facilitating interprofessional data-driven decision-making. It is designed to build competence in the use of patient- and population-based applications that inform and support the transformation of nursing care delivery toward a future of value-based quality nursing care that improves health outcomes. This course aligns theoretical concepts with practical applications of informatics and is consistent with the functional areas and responsibilities of informatics nurses as defined by American Nurses Association Scope and Standards for nursing informatics.

Leadership and Management in Complex Healthcare Systems

Leadership and Management in Complex Healthcare Systems prepares graduate nurses to be thoughtful strategists and informed decision makers who serve as strong leaders in high performing healthcare systems. Students develop competencies for managing diverse teams in complex systems, monitoring and measuring organizational performance, allocating financial and human resources, and leading change towards a transformed healthcare system. Additionally, students acquire the knowledge and skills to become full partners with other healthcare professionals by demonstrating nurse contributions toward high-quality care to patients and populations, while working collaboratively with interprofessional teams.

Advancing Evidence-Based Innovation in Nursing Practice

Advancing Evidence-Based Innovation in Nursing Practice introduces students to the dynamic union of healthcare innovation and evidence. Core competencies and behaviors required to be a nurse innovator are discussed. Strategies for measuring innovation at various system levels are presented, as well as techniques for synthesizing and disseminating evidence to advance innovation in healthcare. The skills needed to appraise the quality of diverse sources of evidence are presented within the framework of evidence-based practice. This course focuses on identifying new and emerging sources of evidence that can inform, translate, and scale the complexity of leading innovation in healthcare organizations. Students will experience building communities of practice for collaboratively developing innovative practices and policies designed to improve the health of populations and enhance the patient experience of care.

Plan to work hard: Program requirements and expectations.

The MSN – Education (BSN to MSN) is a mostly online nursing degree program that you will complete by working and studying independently with support and instruction from WGU faculty. You will be expected to complete at least 8 competency units (WGU's equivalent of the credit hour) each 6-month term. (Each course is typically 3 or 4 units.)

The first person you speak with at WGU will be your Enrollment Counselor, who can explain requirements and expectations in more detail. You can also read more about each course in the Program Guide.

Request info from an Enrollment Counselor

Download the Program Guide

Special requirements for this program:

While most of your coursework will be completed online, your nursing program includes some requirements—including field experiences—that must be completed in a facility near you, which the university will help you find.

We offer degrees for in-demand careers that provide the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. Give your résumé the boost it needs!

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Quality you can trust: Curriculum developed with guidance from healthcare employers and professionals.

Program councils—teams of industry and academic professionals—drive the development of our degree programs, providing input on the competencies a successful graduate needs to have mastered.
Designed to be different: An MSN program built for a busy nurse’s schedule.

Competency-based education puts working nurses in the driver’s seat of their education. As a busy nurse, you need a nursing degree program that's more than simply online—you need an online nursing program that truly reflects the realities of your work life and experience.

At WGU, your progress is driven by your ability to prove what you’ve learned. How—and how quickly—are largely up to you. Once you’ve mastered the defined competencies (knowledge and skills), you prove what you know through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments. Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so learning what it takes to be outstanding in your career is at the heart of WGU’s MSN – Education curriculum.

Other universities' online M.S. programs may give you the convenience of distance learning; WGU's competency-based online programs take that flexibility further—many steps further!

“I hadn’t been in school for so long, but having the work experience from being a nurse, I not only did well, I actually loved it. The courses were practical, and everything made sense.” Keith Plant
B.S. Nursing

Designed for working nurses.

Day shift, night shift, or on-call; flu season or the onslaught of summertime injuries; 5-minute coffee breaks where you’re still on your feet… A nurse’s schedule is never predictable—and not very forgiving. That’s why we focus on making the best use of your time and experience and why we maximize the real-world impact of what you’re learning—so your years as a nurse can help you graduate faster, and the hours of study time you squeeze in actually pay off at work.

Competency-Based Education (CBE)

How it helps you

Efficient

Save time and money by focusing efforts where they matter the most.

No two students are alike—especially working adult students with nursing experience. Students come to school knowing different things, they learn at different speeds, and they have different amounts of time to spend studying. Competency-based education lets you prioritize where to spend your valuable time.

Flexible

Learn on a schedule that fits your needs.

Nurses' schedules are unpredictable. Online degree programs all offer some degree of flexibility, but not like WGU does! Whatever your week looks like, competency-based learning at WGU allows you to study and complete competencies when it fits your life—even if that means taking a proctored test online at 3 a.m. While you will be required to maintain a base level of consistent progress through your program, WGU is designed to empower you to maximize your personal schedule by allowing you to build a study plan that fits into your life—not one that requires you to rearrange it.

Results

Know you’re learning real-world skills.

You earn an M.S. Nursing degree for results—not simply to accrue credits. Competency-based education centers on competencies—the clearly defined knowledge and skills that leading healthcare employers are looking for. How do we know what they’re looking for? They tell us—and their input drives our curriculum.

Finish courses by proving what you know, when you’re ready.

With competency-based education at WGU, success is measured by actual learning, not class time. You advance by demonstrating that you've mastered the course subject matter—whether you learned it through your study at WGU or picked up that knowledge through years of work experience.

Your progress through a course is driven by you.

How quickly you learn

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The time you devote to studying

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How much previous knowledge you bring

Your experience pays at WGU.

Why start from square one when you could use what you already know to help jump-start your journey to a degree?

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Real results for your career: An MSN – Education degree prepares you to be a nurse educator.

Once you have earned a CCNE-accredited M.S. Nursing – Education degree, you will have the knowledge and skills to be an outstanding nurse educator. You'll be in demand, because you'll be prepared to translate your extensive nursing knowledge into learning opportunities for other nurses.

Nursing instructors at colleges, universities, or professional schools make over $84,000 on average, according to recent statistics.
—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
WGU's M.S. Nursing – Education graduates are thriving in diverse careers.

Given the growing nurse educator shortage, earning your MSN with a focus in nursing education is both a rewarding decision and a solid career move. Once you master subjects like curriculum development, instruction and evaluation, and current technology in nursing education, your role in nursing can take on a whole new dimension. Our 3,000-plus M.S. Nursing – Education alumni have great jobs and satisfying careers:
Job Titles

Nurse educator

Nursing faculty

Program director

Academic clinical nurse educator
Diverse Industries

Hospitals and healthcare clinics

Colleges and universities

Healthcare networks

Law enforcement and corrections

Hospice providers
Major Employers

Healthcare Corp. of America

Kaiser-Permanente

Purdue University

University of Utah

Hospice Care of California
Explore a career in nursing education.

Get info about a nurse educator's salary, job outlook, work environment, and more.

More career info
WGU is an accredited university committed to graduate success.

One of the best indicators of your degree's value is whether it helps you become an outstanding employee and advance your career. Our happy grads—and their happy employers—confirm that WGU is the path to that kind of degree.
Happy employers

Happy grads

They're Prepared.

Employers said that WGU graduates were prepared for their jobs.

They Perform.

Employers rated WGU graduates' job performance as very good or excellent.

They Wow.

Employers said their WGU graduates have exceeded their expectations.

They're Confident.

Graduates said the majority of their coursework was related to their jobs.

They're Working.

Graduates are working full-time.

They're Satisfied.

Graduates said their degrees were worth the cost of their education.

Source: 2018 Harris Poll survey of 300 employers; 2018 Harris Poll Online survey of 1,374 new college graduates nationwide compared with survey of 1,147 WGU graduates; Gallup-Purdue Index 2018
“Our partnership with WGU enables our employees to advance their education affordably without interrupting their careers.” John Steele, Senior Vice President of Human Resources,
HCA Healthcare

Close the gap between you and your dreams.

Online degree programs start every month.

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Your master's degree in nursing education is attainable—start by enrolling today.

Next Possible Start

Start dates are the 1st of every month. Meet requirements by the 15th to start next month. Discuss steps and deadlines with your Enrollment Counselor.
APPLY TODAY

Get your Enrollment Checklist

Download your step-by-step guide to enrollment.
View checklist

Get your questions answered and take the next step: Talk to an Enrollment Counselor.

866-225-5948
Request info
WGU accepts transfer credits. And, there's no work requirement.
Now's the time to advance your healthcare career with a master's degree:

Transfer up to 17 competency units (47%) of your MSN courses taken at the graduate (master's) level at an accredited institution to this WGU degree program. Courses must have been completed at an accredited MSN program within the past five years with an earned grade of "B" or higher.

There is no RN work requirement. This means you don't need to be currently working as an RN in order to be eligible for admission into our MSN programs.

For more information, please read the transfer guidelines for this program.

Your Enrollment Counselor is there to help you make an informed decision.

The first step toward change can be the hardest—we get it. Your "welcoming committee" at WGU is made up of Enrollment Counselors, Admissions Specialists, and faculty members. Your initial interactions at WGU will be guided by an Enrollment Counselor who specializes in the programs you're interested in.

Your Enrollment Counselor is ready with as much help as you may need:

Get your cost and admissions criteria questions answered.

Assess WGU's fit with your career goals.

Get started toward enrollment!

Contact an Enrollment Counselor.

Safety Notice: WGU and the College of Health Professions (CHP) are committed to the health, safety, and well-being of all patients, community members, and key stakeholders that interact with WGU students at various clinical/host sites. Interactions might include direct patient interaction, observation experiences, laboratory experiences, project development, or conducting research. Standard compliance verification for students in applicable CHP programs is required to protect the public, meet CHP program expectations, reasonably assure compliance with state regulatory board requirements, meet WGU’s contractual and legal obligations with clinical partners, and support WGU’s mission to prepare students who will be qualified to enter their desired field. Compliance items may include, but are not limited to, background checks, immunizations, and drug screens as needed.
Admission requirements unique to our M.S. Nursing (BSN-to-MSN) degree programs.
To be considered for this master's in nursing education program, you must:

Possess a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN).

Possess an active, unencumbered RN license (though you are not required to be working as an RN at the time of enrollment):

1. In your state of residence, or
2. In your state of employment.

Submit to a criminal background check through American Databank. California residents are also required to provide proof of current immunizations. Additional fees apply.

NOTE: RN licensure in your state of residence or employment is required to successfully complete clinical experiences. Compact licenses must be endorsed by your state of residence. For more information about compact licenses, click here.

View general admissions requirements
Making an informed admission decision.

WGU seeks to admit individuals who have the capacity and determination to complete a rigorous WGU degree program…and graduate. The admission process is designed to help you and the university reach an informed decision about your likelihood of success.

At WGU we want you to graduate, not just enroll. Consequently, not every applicant is admitted because not every individual has the capacity and determination to complete a rigorous WGU degree program.
Common questions for BSN to MSN—Nursing Education program.

Do I have to pay the application fee to be admitted?

Yes. You may talk to an Enrollment Counselor without paying the $65 application fee, but the fee must be paid or waived with a unique code before you can be admitted. The application fee helps defray our costs associated with admissions, transcript collection, enrolling students, etc. Note: It is against federal regulations to use financial aid for an application fee.

What is the deadline for transcript submission?

Transcripts must be received by the 1st of the month before your intended start date. WGU requires that ALL official transcripts of previous academic work completed at other colleges and universities be submitted for evaluation.

How does WGU keep its tuition so low?

As a nonprofit university, WGU doesn’t need to benefit shareholders. Our students are our only focus. We also try to keep our operating costs low. And since we’re an exclusively online university, we don’t need to maintain expensive classroom buildings, a campus, or other nonacademic programs.

Should I consider financial aid?

Using financial aid is a personal decision. When making this decision, you should know that a degree is a great investment in yourself that can pay for itself many times over. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn on average almost a million dollars more over the course their careers compared to those without one. A master’s degree typically has a similar impact on your wallet. You should consider federal financial aid if it means the difference between getting your degree or not. Speak to an Enrollment Counselor to learn more.

Can a graduate of this program get into a nurse practitioner or other post-graduate nursing program?

Admissions requirements vary widely from program to program and from school to school. Nurse practitioner programs—including Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and post-MSN NP certificate programs—can be among the most competitive. One factor commonly considered for enrollment in post-graduate nursing programs is grade-point average (GPA) from previous college work. The nature of WGU’s competency-based model means WGU graduates do not have a GPA when they earn their degree.

However, other factors beyond GPA are considered by many programs across the country. WGU provides opportunities for students to demonstrate excellence beyond a GPA, including participation in nationally recognized honors programs, real-world projects that you complete as part of your program that you can showcase in your post-graduate applications, and letters of recommendation.

For any aspiring graduate student, it is important to maximize your own qualities as well as do the research to understand the schools that offer the programs you seek to join.

You can start your research by reviewing this list of post-graduate programs that have admitted WGU alumni in the past. Look on LinkedIn for WGU nursing alumni who have gone on to become nurse practitioners, and check their profiles to see which schools they attended for the MSN or DNP program. Contact the school to ask whether they enroll students from competency-based programs like WGU’s. And talk to your WGU Enrollment Counselor. WGU can provide alumni with a letter they can share with graduate schools, explaining our competency-based model. This letter has helped WGU alumni be accepted into a variety of graduate programs in a number of fields and disciplines.

How long does it take to go from BSN to MSN?

It depends on the type of program you choose for your MSN. Traditional programs typically take 2 years, but you may be able to find a competency-based program like WGU that allows you to finish faster.

How much does a BSN to MSN cost?

Typical BSN to MSN programs can cost upwards of $25,000. It's important to do your research when looking for an BSN to MSN program to find one that is accredited but also affordable. For example, WGU's BSN to MSN program costs less than $4,500 per six-month term. And if you finish faster at WGU, you pay less.

Is it better to get a BSN or MSN?

Depending on what you want to do with your career, an MSN can be extremely helpful. While nurses don't technically need a BSN or MSN, many hospitals are wanting BSN trained nurses to help their hospital reach magnet status. And if you are wanting to pursue other career options, such as nurse education, nurse management, becoming a nurse practitioner, etc. you will absolutely need an MSN.

Have more questions? Find more info here.
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“The enrollment process was seamless. I talked to a gentleman on the phone, and he told me what I would need. I sent my transcripts in. Within three days they were evaluated. It was a really good process.” Robin Hill,
M.S. Nursing–Education

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