The mission of the American Public University System’s Nursing Program is to “provide quality, affordable, and accessible higher education for professional registered nurses to foster lifelong learning through a spirit of inquiry in order to prepare students for service and leadership roles in a diverse and global society.”
The online RN to MSN degree provides Associate and diploma degree prepared Registered Nurses an accelerated pathway to obtaining a Master of Science in Nursing degree while also obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. The RN to MSN degree is designed to facilitate the immediate and lifelong professional and personal development needs of Registered Nurses in the three areas of Practitioner, Scientist and Leader. Graduates of the RN to MSN program will be prepared to be agents of change in today’s rapidly transforming healthcare industry.
The RN to MSN degree program at APUS is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Note: This RN to MSN program is currently not open for admission to Tennessee residents or Washington State residents.
At this time, this program is not eligible for military tuition assistance; please speak with your admissions representative on other financial solutions.
This program has specific admission requirements.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Improve performance in the professional nursing role by developing leadership, management, sound clinical judgment, and communication skills to promote the health of individuals, families, and communities.
- Utilize evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and leadership principles to promote a culture of safety and achieve outcomes that are grounded in institutional values and professional ethics.
- Apply informatics and healthcare technologies to access critical information, to collaborate with other professionals, and to facilitate optimal patient-centered care.
- Apply scientific principles and the nursing process to evaluate responses to therapies and changes in patient health status.
- Integrate knowledge of human and organizational behavior to lead teams and to promote cultures of safety.
- Analyze the impact of financial, regulatory, and political decisions on local, national and global health outcomes.
- Synthesize knowledge of ethical, socioeconomic, and cultural factors to decrease health disparities, to advocate for diverse populations and to provide culturally relevant healthcare to individuals, groups and communities.
- Employ a spirit of inquiry to embrace the value of lifelong learning and to participate in professional activities that promote and shape the future of nursing.
- Apply the principles of ethical decision making to the practice of the master’s prepared nurse
- Demonstrate leadership skills to support safe nursing practices continually improve patient-centered care.
- Advocate for healthcare policies that improve healthcare outcomes across the lifespan.
- Apply data management principles in the delivery of cost-effective care to improve health outcomes.
- Analyze how healthcare policy and health care economics affect change within the healthcare system.
- Demonstrate effective inter-professional communication and collaboration to support safe and efficient coordination of care.
- Reflect on personal commitment to lifelong learning to gain the competencies needed to lead the provision of care in a complex and changing healthcare environment.
Programmatic Admission Requirements
To apply to this program, you must hold the following:
- Associate degree or diploma from an accredited or board approved institution in nursing.
- Current, active, unencumbered registered nursing (RN) license
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Signed statement of understanding
- Current resume/CV
- 500-600 word statement of purpose and goals for this master’s program
Note: This program is not currently open for admission to residents of Washington or Tennessee.
Please visit our AMU or APU graduate admission page for more information on institutional admission requirements.
Need help?
If you have questions regarding a program’s admission requirements, please contact an admissions representative at 877-755-2787 or info@apus.edu.
Degree at a Glance
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 30 | |
| Registered Nurse License | 30 | |
| Major Required | 31 | |
| Elective Requirements | 26 | |
| Final Program Requirements (BSN) | 3 | |
| Select one of the following concentrations: | 24 | |
| Final Program Requirements (MSN) | 3 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 147 | |
Degree Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (6 semester hours) | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop | ||
| World Literature through the Renaissance | ||
| World Literature since the Renaissance | ||
LITR210 | ||
| English Literature: 18th Century to Present | ||
| American Literature before The Civil War | ||
| American Literature from The Civil War to Present | ||
| Arabic I | ||
| Arabic II | ||
| French I | ||
| French II | ||
| German I | ||
| German II | ||
| Introduction to Japanese | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | ||
| Introduction to World Religions | ||
| Russian I | ||
| Spanish I | ||
| Spanish II | ||
| Civics, Political and Social Sciences (6 semester hours) | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Social Media and Society | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Geography | ||
| Practical Food Safety and Awareness | ||
| International Relations I | ||
| Contemporary World Culture Through Literature | ||
| Cultural Diversity in Contemporary American Literature | ||
| American Government I | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| American Popular Culture | ||
| Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) | ||
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Effectiveness in Writing | ||
| Composition and Literature | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Scientific Writing | ||
| Business Writing | ||
| Human Relations Communication | ||
| Information Literacy and Global Citizenship | ||
| Introduction to Information Technology Writing | ||
| Human Relations | ||
| History (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course From the following: | 3 | |
| American History to 1877 | ||
| American History since 1877 | ||
| World Civilization before 1650 | ||
| World Civilization since 1650 | ||
| Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | ||
| Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | ||
| African-American History before 1877 | ||
| African-American History since 1877 | ||
| History of the American Indian | ||
| History of Science | ||
| Mathematics (3 semester hours) | ||
| MATH120 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Natural Sciences with Lab (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Biology | ||
| Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Meteorology | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Introduction to Physics | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101 - Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110 - Making Writing Relevant. |
Registered Nurse License (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Current active, unencumbered registered nursing license | 30 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
Major Required (31 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS300 | Professional Transitions in Nursing | 3 |
| NURS310 | Assessment, Evaluation and Clinical Decision-Making | 3 |
| NURS325 | Integrated Pathophysiology and Clinical Pharmacology | 4 |
| NURS340 | Science of Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS400 | Emerging Scholarship and Trends in Healthcare | 3 |
| NURS421 | Community Health I | 3 |
| NURS422 | Community Health II | 3 |
| NURS502 | Population-Based Healthcare 1 | 3 |
| NURS504 | Informatics and Technology 1 | 3 |
| NURS507 | Leadership for the Master's Prepared Nurse 1 | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 31 | |
| 1 | NURS502, NURS504, NURS507 may not be taken until all courses, except NURS498, have been completed. |
Elective Requirements (26 semester hours)
Select any courses that have not been used to fulfill major requirements. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major.
Final Program Requirements (BSN) (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS498 | Senior Seminar in Nursing Studies (Must have a ‘B’ or better and to be taken as the last course before conferral) 1 | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |
| 1 | Prerequisite: Senior Standing and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. |
Total Degree Requirements for BSN Conferral = 120
Concentration in Nurse Educator Track (24 semester hours)
Looks at curriculum, instruction, and assessment in nursing education with a focus on teaching and evaluations for nurse educators.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Apply programmatic objectives to the nurse educator role in clinical or academic settings.
- Create educational and curricular materials for a variety of audiences.
- Evaluate effectiveness of teaching strategies and modalities.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS500 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS505 | Healthcare Systems and Health Policy | 3 |
| NURS601 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS604 | Advanced Pathophysiology and Pharmacology | 3 |
| NURS606 | Nursing Curriculum Development, Assessment and Evaluation | 3 |
| NURS610 | Learner-Centered Teaching Methodologies | 3 |
| NURS620 | Educational Assessment and Evaluation for Nurse Educators | 3 |
| NURS695 | Practicum in Nursing Education | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 24 | |
Concentration in Nurse Leader Track (24 semester hours)
Offers a focus in leadership, human resource management, and operational quality. Healthcare business and finance are also covered.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Apply programmatic objectives to the role of the nurse leader.
- Advocate for business practices that promote healthcare quality and patient safety.
- Synthesize knowledge of key business and human resources practices to lead healthcare teams.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS500 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS505 | Healthcare Systems and Health Policy | 3 |
| HCAD605 | Human Resource Management in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCAD650 | The Business of Healthcare | 3 |
| HCAD651 | Healthcare Finance | 3 |
| HCAD652 | Operational Quality in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCAD520 | Legal and Ethical Aspects of Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| NURS696 | Practicum in Nursing Leadership | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 24 | |
Final Program Requirements (MSN) (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS699 | Evidence-Based Practice Capstone Project 1 | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |
| 1 | Taken once all other requirements have been met. |