A Master of Science in Nursing, or M.S.N., prepares nurses to work as Advanced Practice Nurses and deliver sophisticated medical care. The programs typically take 18 to 24 months to complete, and many M.S.N. programs enable nurses to focus on a specific area, including Certified Nurse Midwife, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Certified Nurse Anesthetist. Admission requirements for M.S.N. programs typically include a bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited program, a minimum grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, a current RN license in the state intended to practice, professional letters of recommendation and current cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification.
A dual Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, or M.S./Ph.D., degree is a program that enables students to directly enter the doctoral nursing program from the bachelor's degree program. M.S./Ph.D. programs in nursing generally take 5 years of full-time study to complete. Most programs have specific credit requirements for each degree and require teaching and research residencies. Students in these programs are also required to complete the Master of Science General Examination, dissertation proposal, dissertation coursework and defense of the final dissertation. Admission requirements generally include a current RN license, satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination, completion of Master of Science in Nursing and doctoral essay questions and letters of recommendation.
A Doctor of Nursing Practice, or D.N.P., degree prepares RNs to purse advanced clinical practice and leadership positions. The programs emphasize development of knowledge and skills for scholarly practice, improvement of practice, health policy, evaluation of health outcomes, leadership in delivery of health care and improving quality, creating and evaluating new health care delivery methods and advanced nursing education. D.N.P. programs generally admit RNs with postbachelor's degrees, advanced practice nurses with M.S. degrees and current M.S. nursing students. Admission requirements include a minimum of a bachelor's degree in nursing, a minimum 3.0 grade point average, completion of the Graduate Record Examination, current RN license in the state of the institution and personal interview with graduate program adviser. The D.N.P. program typically takes 2 years to complete.
A Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing degree is intended for nurses who wish to pursue upper-level nursing careers such as positions in academia and research. The programs generally take at least 4 years of full-time study to complete. The Ph.D. in nursing prepares nurses to improve the health of patients through improving public policy and developing, evaluating and disseminating knowledge. Nurses select a focused research area such as response to acute and chronic illness, health promotion and prevention of disease and health systems. Admission requirements include a master's degree in nursing, Graduate Record Examination scores, a minimum 3.0 grade point average, and letters of recommendation, current RN license, examples of scholarly writing and an interview with a doctoral faculty member.