* Prior education: If the RN already has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the Master's program will typically take 1-2 years. An RN with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) may need to complete a bridge program to a BSN first, adding another 1-2 years to the overall timeline.
* Program type: Some programs are full-time, while others are part-time. Part-time programs naturally take longer to complete.
* Course load: The number of courses taken per semester or term also impacts the completion time.
* Program requirements: Some programs may require a thesis or capstone project, which can add time.
Therefore, a realistic timeframe is 1-4 years for an RN to obtain a Master's degree, with 2 years being a common timeframe for those already possessing a BSN.