Has your Missouri nursing career ceased to be a challenge? MSN programs in Missouri can help remind you what attracted you to the nursing profession in the first place while providing you with enhanced earning potential and more employment opportunities. When you pursue a nursing master’s degree in the Show Me State, you’ll train in specialties like nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, healthcare leadership, nursing education, and more. Healthcare employers will automatically give your resume more attention, and your job opportunities will rise by 42 percent in the next 10 years. Your salary will rise, too: On average, Missouri-based MSNs earn $113,710 a year. This guide to the 14 best MSN programs in Missouri has more information.
MSN Program Details: Saint Louis University’s MSN program in Missouri offers five nursing specialties: a 31-credit AGACNP track, a 34-credit FNP track, a 36-credit FPMNP track, a 31-credit PPCNP track, and a 32-credit Clinical Nurse Leader pathway. All five concentrations share a foundational MSN curriculum that includes courses like “Advanced Assessment and Clinical Decision Making,” “Advanced Pathophysiology,” and “General Research Methods.” Though coursework is primarily delivered online, you’ll make one three- to five-day visit to the university’s campus in St. Louis for skills practice and evaluation.
Students enrolled in the four nurse practitioner tracks must complete 600 clinical hours, while students enrolled in the Clinical Nurse Leader pathway must complete 525. You’ll be able to complete your clinical rotation at a healthcare facility in your own community.
All five of Saint Louis University’s MSN concentrations offer full-time and part-time enrollment options. The university admits students on a rolling basis and admits new MSN cohorts in the fall and spring.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Saint Louis University also offers an accelerated MSN program for people who aren’t RNs but have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.MSN Program Details: Webster University’s Nurse Educator track and Nurse Leader track both require 36 credits with core MSN classes like “Policy and Politics in Nursing,” “Collaboration and Communication,” and “Translating Evidence to Practice.” This may be one of the best online MSN programs in Missouri for working students because it’s explicitly designed for part-time enrollment.
Webster University’s nursing master’s program is only available to RNs licensed in Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, and South Carolina. There are five eight-week terms per year, and most students graduate in two and a half years. The university admits new students into this MSN program in the fall and spring.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Students enrolled in the Nurse Leader track are eligible to earn a joint MSN/Master’s of Health Administration (MHA) degree.MSN Program Details: Whether you want to pursue advanced RN practice, or you’re leaving clinical nursing to become a nurse leader, the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College has an MSN track for you. The Goldfarb School offers three nurse practitioner options: a 54-credit (1,020 clinical hours) AGACNP pathway, a 49-credit (840 clinical hours) AGPCNP pathway, and a 52-credit (840 clinical hours) FNP pathway. The school also offers two non-clinical MSN choices: a 39-credit (540 clinical hours) Health Systems Executive Nurse Leadership track and a 30-credit (240 clinical hours) Nurse Educator track.
This MSN program in Missouri is a blend of distance and in-person learning. All five MSN concentrations share a core curriculum that includes classes like “Health Promotion Theory & Population Health,” “Foundations of Scholarly Writing and Evidence-Based Practice,” and “Health Systems Policy.” Course materials are available online, but students enrolled in the AGACNP and FNP programs must make one to two trips each term to Goldfarb’s campus in St. Louis for skills labs and clinical experiences. Students enrolled in the NP tracks will have the opportunity to participate in clinical rotations at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, consistently ranked as the # 1 hospital in St Louis. Students enrolled in the non-clinical tracks may complete practicum requirements in their own communities.
How long will it take you to complete the program? That depends upon the concentration you choose. The non-clinical concentrations can be completed in four terms (a year and a half), and the NP options in seven to eight terms (two and a half to three years).
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Interested in pursuing a career in critical care? The Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College is one of the few MSN programs in Missouri that offers a dedicated course in invasive procedures like central line insertion, arterial line insertion, airway management, and lumbar puncture.MSN Program Details: Southeast Missouri State University’s 43-credit MSN/FNP track is a hybrid program primarily delivered online. It includes some face-to-face courses at the university’s campus in Cape Girardeau as well as 765 hours of face-to-face clinical experiences. You’ll complete your clinical rotations in Missouri, so applicants must have RN licensure in the Show Me State. This MSN program takes five semesters to complete and begins in the fall semester.
Courses like “Advanced Health Assessment,” “Evidence-Based Practice: Synthesis and Translation,” and “Policy, Politics, and Advocacy in Advanced Nursing Roles,” will give you a solid theoretical foundation for your future professional practice. Your studies will culminate with a capstone project, either a thesis or an MSN portfolio. All students must take a comprehensive examination modeled after the FNP certification exam to qualify for graduation.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Graduates of Southeast Missouri State University’s MSN/FNP program have a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the American Nurse Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination.MSN Program Details: For the past dozen years, U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the University of Missouri-Columbia’s nursing master’s program in the nation’s top 50 MSN programs, making it one of the best MSN programs in Missouri. The program offers five APRN concentrations and two non-clinical concentrations. The Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist pathway requires 46 credits and 660 to 780 clinical hours, while the Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist pathway requires 45 credits and 570 to 660 clinical hours.
If you want to become an FNP, you’ll need to complete 45 credits and between 510 and 660 clinical hours. The PPCNP specialty entails 45 credits and between 510 and 600 clinical hours, while the PMHNP track comprises 43 credits and 630 clinical hours. The Leadership in Nursing & Healthcare Systems option involves 30 credits; the Nurse Educator option is 40.
Core MSN classes common to all seven concentrations include “Advanced Nursing Roles and Professional Communication,” “Translational Evidence-Based Nursing Practice,” and “Public Health, Sociocultural Issues, and Health Policy.” Though courses are taught online, you will visit the university’s campus in Columbia once a year for skills intensives and participate in clinical rotations. You’ll need to recruit your own preceptor and clinical site at a healthcare facility near your home.
The University of Missouri-Columbia accepts new cohorts into its MSN program in the spring, summer, and fall. Full-time students can finish the program in two years, and part-time students can finish in three.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• At the end of Mizzou’s MSN program, you’ll demonstrate your mastery of the subject matter by passing a comprehensive examination modeled after the one you’ll take to earn certification in your chosen concentration.MSN Program Details: Want to pursue an MSN degree completely online as a full-time student and graduate in 20 months? Check out Maryville University’s MSN program in Missouri. You’ll be able to choose among five concentrations: a 51-credit AGACNP track, a 47-credit AGPCNP track, a 47-credit FNP track, a 44-credit PNP track, and a 51-credit PMHNP track. Each of these five specialties involves 500 clinical hours, which you can do at a local healthcare facility.
Core courses like “Professional Role Development: Advanced Practice Nurse,” “Health Promotion/Disease Prevention,” and “Health Care Policy” will give you a firm foundation in advanced nursing practices before you start your APRN specialization coursework. Maryville University offers six convenient start dates in January, March, May, July, August, and October. Full-time students should be able to complete this program in five terms (20 months), while part-time students should be able to complete it in eight (32 months.)
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Maryville University depends upon the Canvas Learning Management System to deliver asynchronous online content. Canvas utilizes recorded lectures, VoiceThread presentations, discussion boards, assessments, and individual and group projects.MSN Program Details: At the University of Central Missouri, you can pursue two nursing master’s pathways. The 44-credit (855 clinical hours) Family Nurse Practitioner pathway is offered primarily online. However, you will need to pay two visits to UCM’s campus in Lee’s Summit for skills intensives and participate in person at practicums in healthcare facilities near your home. For the online 33-credit Nurse Educator track, you’ll need to complete a teaching project that focuses upon teaching and learning in academic and professional development settings.
Core MSN classes common to both specialties include “Theories of Nursing,” “Organizational Leadership in Complex Health Systems,” and “Family/Population Health.” This MSN program in Missouri is only offered as a part-time enrollment option, and most students can graduate from it in nine semesters (three years.) The University of Central Missouri welcomes new cohorts into this program in the spring, summer, and fall.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Fortune Magazine calls the University of Central Missouri’s FNP/nursing master’s program the nation’s most affordable online MSN Nurse Practitioner program.MSN Program Details: Missouri State University has four MSN specialties: a 55-credit AGACNP pathway, a 53-credit FNP pathway, a 53-credit PMHNP pathway, and a 36-credit Practice Leadership track. The three NP pathways each require 672 clinical hours. The Practice Leadership track involves 432 clinical hours plus a capstone project during which you’ll apply what you’ve learned in classes to a challenge you’ve encountered in the clinical realm. All four MSN specialties are available via distance learning, and the FNP and PMHNP are also available as classroom options.
Certain core classes like “Population Health: A Local to Global Perspective” and “Clinical Epidemiology” are requirements for all four concentrations. Campus-based students can complete clinical rotations at healthcare facilities in Springfield, like the MSU Care Clinic in the O'Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center and CoxHealth; distance learning students can pursue practicums at hospitals and clinics in their own geographic area. New students can start MSU’s MSN program in the spring and fall.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• 100 percent of the family nurse practitioners who graduate from MSU’s MSN program find employment in their chosen field within 12 months of earning their degree.MSN Program Details: At Graceland University, online MSN classes are recorded and archived so you can access the educational materials you need any time of the night or day. This MSN program in Missouri offers three APRN concentrations: a 38-credit FNP track, a 41-credit AGACNP track, and a 41-credit PMHNP track. The Adult & Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner tracks both entail 540 clinical hours, while the Family Nurse Practitioner track involves 600 clinical hours.
Apart from clinical rotations and a single two-day visit to the university’s campus in Independence to participate in skills intensives, this MSN program is taught online using asynchronous technology. Full-time students can expect to complete their MSN degree in 32 months, while part-time students can anticipate finishing in 48 months. Graceland University accepts new cohorts into its MSN program in the spring, summer, and fall.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Graceland University’s RN-to-MSN program—which gives ADN- and hospital diploma-educated RNs the opportunity to earn both a nursing bachelor’s and a nursing master’s degree—accepts new students every eight weeks.MSN Program Details: Enrolling in Central Methodist University’s MSN program gives you two specialization options. Both the Clinical Nurse Leader and the Nurse Educator tracks require 44 credits, 16 of which are core MSN courses like “Clinical Management of Selected Patient Populations,” “Advanced Health Assessment,” and “Advanced Pharmacology.” Both MSN pathways are 100 percent online except for 240 clinical hours during your last semester, which you can complete at a healthcare facility in your own community.
This is one of the MSN programs in Missouri that admits new students in the fall (August) and spring (January) semesters. Full-time students can complete the curriculum and graduate in 18 months, while part-time students have up to five years to earn their MSN from CMU.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• CMU will not admit a new MSN cohort unless it has accepted at least 10 to 12 qualified applicants.MSN Program Details: With full-time and part-time enrollment options and eight nursing specializations, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is one of the most flexible MSN programs in Missouri. The AGNP, FNP, WHNP, PCPNP, and PMHNP tracks each comprise 46 credits. You must complete 45 credits to graduate from the NNP pathway and 52 credits to earn the PACNP degree. If you’re interested in pursuing the Nurse Educator pathway, you’ll need to complete 41 credits.
The APRN tracks each require 660 clinical hours and 90 lab hours, except for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner pathway, which requires 743 clinical hours. If you choose the nurse educator specialization, you’ll participate in 495 hours of real-time teaching experience.
All eight of UMKC’s MSN concentrations use a hybrid delivery method. Though the majority of your coursework will be accessible online, all students must visit the campus at least once during the semesters when clinical courses are scheduled, though you’ll be able to complete practicums in the state where you’re licensed. Online courses are conducted using the Canvas learning platform; though you’ll be able to access most of your classwork asynchronously, some classes will require real-time interaction via Zoom.
The Nurse Practitioner pathways accept new students in the spring and summer. The Nurse Educator track admits fresh cohorts in the spring and fall. If you’re a full-time student, you can graduate in two years by taking three courses each semester. Part-time students typically graduate in three years.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• U.S. News & World Report ranks UMKC’s online nursing programs among the 20 best in the nation.MSN Program Details: Southwest Baptist University offers a nursing master’s degree with a 39-credit Nursing Education concentration. The program also includes 360 clinical hours, during which you’ll work with students in an academic or clinical nursing setting in your own community under the supervision of a professional nurse educator.
Your classes will include “Concepts of Advanced Practice Roles,” “Teaching and Learning Principles in Nursing Education,” and “Advanced Ethics and Policy Issues.” Courses are taught over eight-week intervals, allowing Southwest Baptist University to offer multiple start dates throughout the year. If you enroll in this program full-time, you can complete your degree in two years. Part-time students can anticipate graduating in three years.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Southwest Baptist University is a Christ-centered institution of higher learning associated with the Missouri Baptist Convention. This university educates from a Christian perspective.MSN Program Details: Want to become a nurse practitioner quickly? Whether you enroll in Cox College’s 45-credit FNP track or 46-credit PMHNP pathway, you’ll be able to complete your course of study in just five semesters as a full-time student. If you choose to enroll part-time, you can earn your degree in seven semesters.
Both APRN pathways deliver the same MSN core classes such as “Role of the advanced practice nurse I & II,” “Leadership in health care and nursing education systems,” and “Ethical and legal practice in health care.” You’ll also complete 780 clinical hours at a hospital, clinic, or community agency close to where you live. This MSN program in Missouri admits new cohorts in the spring and fall.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Cox College is affiliated with the CoxHealth healthcare system, which operates six hospitals in the Springfield area; you can depend upon getting a first-rate nursing education here.RN-to-MSN Program Details: It will only take you two years to earn a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree and a Master’s of Science in Nursing degree with Missouri Western State University’s RN-to-MSN program. This 50-credit accelerated program doesn’t offer specific concentrations per se. Instead, it focuses upon providing a solid foundation in advanced nursing practice with courses like “Research for Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership,” “Professional Role Development for Nursing Leaders,” and “Informatics for Decision Support.” Courses are entirely online in an eight-week format. You can enroll in this program three times a year in August, January, or May.
MSN Program Details: Missouri Western State University’s nursing master’s program offers two non-clinical concentrations: Health Care Leadership and Nurse Educator. Both specialties entail 32 credits that include core MSN courses like “Professional Role Development for Nursing Leaders,” “Research for Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership,” and “Foundations for Nursing Leadership.” Both concentrations include a clinical component. This MSN program in Missouri accepts new students in the fall and spring, and depending upon the course load you carry, it will take either one or two years to complete.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Missouri Western State University offers a joint MSN in Health Care Leadership/Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.S.No. | Accrediting Agency |
1 | Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) |
2 | Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) |
19 |
Hourly | $54.67 |
Weekly | $2,187 |
Monthly | $9,480 |
Annual | $113,710 |
Hourly | $40.22 |
Weekly | $1,609 |
Monthly | $6,970 |
Annual | $83,660 |
Level of Experience | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
1-4 Years of Experience | $45.51 | $1,820 | $7,890 | $94,660 |
5-9 Years of Experience | $53.72 | $2,149 | $9,310 | $111,740 |
10-19 Years of Experience | $59.83 | $2,393 | $10,370 | $124,440 |
20 Years or More Experience | $71.49 | $2,860 | $12,390 | $148,700 |
Metro | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
Cape Girardeau | $55.02 | $2,201 | $9,540 | $114,440 |
Columbia | $52.30 | $2,092 | $9,070 | $108,790 |
Jefferson City | $53.03 | $2,121 | $9,190 | $110,310 |
Joplin | $55.02 | $2,201 | $9,540 | $114,440 |
Kansas City | $57.08 | $2,283 | $9,890 | $118,730 |
St. Joseph | $57.09 | $2,283 | $9,900 | $118,740 |
St. Louis | $55.35 | $2,214 | $9,590 | $115,130 |
Springfield | $51.57 | $2,063 | $8,940 | $107,260 |
Job Title | Average Annual Salary | Difference | |
Number | % | ||
Podiatrist | $200,420 | -$86,710 | -43.26% |
Pharmacist | $132,570 | -$18,860 | -14.23% |
Physician Assistant | $128,280 | -$14,570 | -11.36% |
Nurse With MSN | $113,710 | $0 | 0.00% |
Optometrist | $109,890 | $3,820 | 3.48% |
Veterinarian | $104,380 | $9,330 | 8.94% |
Audiologist | $96,510 | $17,200 | 17.82% |
Physical Therapist | $91,030 | $22,680 | 24.91% |
Occupational Therapist | $87,970 | $25,740 | 29.26% |
Radiation Therapist | $85,630 | $28,080 | 32.79% |
Speech-Language Pathologist | $80,730 | $32,980 | 40.85% |
Dental Hygienist | $79,740 | $33,970 | 42.60% |
Chiropractor | $72,730 | $40,980 | 56.35% |