Earn Your Master's in Nursing in as few as 2 years.
Specialize Your Practice with a Nursing MSN
Choose from 9 specialty tracks in the online MSN program
As a registered nurse, you’ve likely been drawn to a specific area of the profession - maybe it’s mentoring the nursing students on the floor, working with the aging, or implementing new technology. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of practicing more independently as a nurse practitioner, or leading a team of nurses.
Prepare to take that next step in your nursing career by honing your skills in one of 9 specialty areas in Chamberlain’s MSN degree program. If you’re unsure which track is right for you, our admissions team will partner with you to discuss your career goals.
Online MSN Program Specialty Tracks
If your CGPA fell below our requirements - in the range of 2.75 to 2.99 - you may still be considered for provisional acceptance into the master’s in nursing online program.
Master of Science in Nursing Admission Requirements
How do I get started?
New students can enroll in the online MSN program every eight weeks, our next session starts February 28.
For your MSN nursing application, you should have:
- A degree in nursing at the bachelor’s level or higher from an accredited institution
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Current, active and unrestricted RN license in the U.S. or in a jurisdiction that is an associate member of the NCSBN
Can I transfer credits into the MSN program?
Chamberlain welcomes transfer students into our graduate nursing programs. General guidelines for the transfer of master’s in nursing credits include:
- A maximum of six semester hours may be accepted towards your MSN degree
- Core coursework must have been completed within the past 7 years for transfer; specialty coursework with the past 5 years
- A grade of ‘B’ or higher is required for transfer credits
- For the NP specialty tracks, transfer credits will only be accepted for core courses
Our admissions team can get you started on a transcript evaluation so you’ll know exactly what will transfer in before making your enrollment decision.
Ask a Student
What was online learning like?
“The professors I had in the online environment were so knowledgeable and supportive that they inspired me to pursue teaching as a career.”
Donna C.
RN-BSN to MSN graduate, education specialty track
Join a Proudly Accredited Institution
Are you looking for accredited online nursing masters programs?
Chamberlain has university accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and master’s degree program in nursing accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).† Chamberlain continuously earns new approvals from respected agencies across the nation.
Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.
For a complete list, check out our authorizations or view our approvals in your state.
See if you are eligible for special partner tuition rates
Chamberlain University has educational alliances with over 1,000 healthcare institutions and organizations across the country. Enjoy the following benefits:
Search for your employer below to see if you are eligible for special partner tuition rates:
Master of Science in Nursing FAQs
A specialty track is a concentration. You must select one of seven specialty tracks in the MSN degree program (Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Educator, Executive, Family Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Policy and Informatics). When you graduate, you will earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree with the specialty of your choice. Specialty track availability varies by state. See which tracks are available in your state.
It is possible to change MSN nursing specialty tracks within all non-nurse practitioner tracks (Educator, Executive, Healthcare Policy and Informatics). If you wish to change tracks, we recommend that you do so while you are in your core courses because credits completed in the original specialty track will not transfer to a different specialty track. Switching into the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner or the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track is subject to Dean approval and availability.
Students who enroll in the Accelerated MSN Options will not be eligible to transfer to the traditional online MSN program.
Your admissions representative can help identify if you qualify for tuition savings through a partnership with your employer, community college or association. Alternatively, you may qualify for a scholarship or grant for the online nursing masters program.
Call 877.751.5783 or request more information to learn more about financial assistance.
You will be responsible for finding your own preceptor or mentor, which includes the site where they work, to earn your master’s degree in nursing. Your experiential learning coordinator will provide guidance on how to locate a mentor or preceptor and a site. Once you've identified where you would like to complete your practicum your coordinator will begin to secure the necessary contracts on your behalf.
You may complete your practicum with your current employer as long as it is in a different department than you currently work in and your mentor or preceptor is not your current supervisor. Please see the MSN Practicum Handbook, MSN AGACNP Practicum Handbook, MSN AGPCNP Practicum Handbook, or MSN FNP Practicum Handbook for more information.
If you’ve tried to find a preceptor, but despite your best efforts, it hasn’t worked out—don’t worry. Chamberlain’s Preceptor Matching Service can help you identify an available masters in nursing practicum location and preceptor. You may be eligible* if you meet the following requirements:
- You have participated in at least two coaching calls with the Experiential Learning Coordination Team
- You can document at least five sites that have denied your practicum requests
- You submit your case to a Experiential Learning Coordinator no later than three sessions before the start of the practicum course
*This service is for post-licensure nursing degree and certificate program students only, specifically RN to BSN Online Degree Completion Option, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Master of Science in Nursing Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN-AGACNP), Master of Science in Nursing Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN-AGPCNP), Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP), Graduate Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner (GC-FNP) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
We recommend you take one class per session. Sessions are eight weeks long and our masters degree in nursing students average about 12-15 hours per week toward their studies when taking one class per session. If after your first course you feel you can successfully manage more than one course at a time, contact your student services team and ask to discuss an accelerated plan of study for your MSN degree.
All MSN nursing online classes will have no more than 20 students per class.
Communicating with your MSN nursing professors is vital to your success in your MSN program. In addition to all graduate faculty members being doctorally prepared, they also participate in an extensive training program to prepare them for online teaching and to provide you with the support and care you deserve. The following are the avenues for contacting your professors:
- Email and phone: Professors will provide their contact information in the syllabus. They are required to provide you with their email address and most provide their phone numbers with office hours. Professors typically respond within 24 hours on the weekdays and 48 hours over the weekend..
- Q&A forum: You will have a Q&A forum in every class you attend to post comments and questions that can be answered by anyone in the class, including the professor.
- Threaded discussions: Graduate nursing program professors are very good at participating in threaded discussions throughout the week and driving conversations to gain insightful information.
Support is essential in online MSN programs. Chamberlain has several resources that can help you become acclimated to the online classroom. Once you apply you will have access to Chamberlain Care Student Success Strategies, which provides information on time management, scholarly writing, using the library and more. You can also ask your admissions representative for a personal tour of the masters in nursing online environment in which you will be taking classes or you can view the Online Classroom Demonstration Video Series to learn about what you can expect when you log into your class.
We are dedicated to supporting you throughout your educational journey. To further support your success, a Student Online Readiness Assessment is designed to help assess the skills needed for success in your online MSN program courses. You will see the assessment listed as a task in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) course.
Chamberlain offers an Accelerated MSN Option and Accelerated MSN with Clinical Nursing Leadership Option. The Accelerated MSN Option and Accelerated MSN with Clinical Nursing Leadership Option are designed to prepare nurses for a variety of advanced roles in nursing practice, including those that require skill in delivering direct and indirect care; leading healthcare initiatives; and educating patients, staff and the community.
- Complete the Accelerated MSN Option in as few as 1.5 semesters
- Complete the Accelerated MSN with Clinical Nursing Leadership Option in as few as 2.5 semesters
In addition to the 144 hours of required practicum learning in the final required course of the Accelerated Master of Science in Nursing Option, students may choose to complete additional elective practicum hours in two additional 8-week sessions with 144 hours of practicum in each session. This ensures the completion of the 432 practicum hours required to qualify to take the CNL™ certification exam.
The Accelerated MSN Option and Accelerated MSN with Clinical Nursing Leadership Option provide increased flexibility and speed in the delivery of the MSN degree program to meet the needs of a wider range of masters in nursing students. Because of the integrative design of the curriculum, time to completion is shortened in comparison to other tracks or options within Chamberlain's MSN nursing degree program.
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Within each eight-week session, both Accelerated MSN options allow you to complete courses and assignments within an individualized timeframe while maintaining weekly interaction with faculty in each course. This gives you more flexibility in managing work-life-family responsibilities while completing your nursing master degree coursework.
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Students enrolled in the Accelerated MSN Options will take 2-3 courses per session, traditional MSN degree program students take 1 MSN course per session.
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While there are no specialty tracks in the Accelerated MSN Option, there is an Accelerated MSN Clinical Nursing Leadership Option. This option provides students with content that aligns with the Clinical Nurse Leader competencies.
No, students who enroll in the Accelerated MSN Options will not be eligible to transfer to the traditional MSN program.
Yes - you’ll have your transcript assessed for transfer credits that can cut down on general education courses.