Doctorate VS Masters in Nursing.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 28, 2014

To do higher level functions in nursing (e.g. teaching, advanced practice, etc.) a doctoral level education is the preferred level of qualification. In the past, an MSN has been sufficient for many roles -- and it still is for some. But we are in a period of transition to becoming a profession with the doctoral degree as the one being preferred for higher level stuff.

What is best for you? That depends on a lot of things, such as:

1. What level of practice/teaching are you interested in? For example, if you want to teach in an LPN program or supervise clinical rotations in an ADN program ... an MSN will probably be sufficient for the foreseeable future (next couple of decades). Similarly, if you want to teach for a clinical facility (i.e. staff development), an MSN will probably be sufficient for several years. However, if you want to be a full time, tenure track faculty member of a university faculty, you will probably need a doctoral degree. Your original post does not say what type of teaching you want to do.

The same goes for clinical roles. Most of the advanced practice programs (NP, CRNA, Midwife, CNS) are transitioning to DNP. Right now, MSN is sufficient ... but in 20 years? ... the MSN's will probably be in the minority and that will put them at a political advantage as far as making policy is concerned ... which will put them at a disadvantage in the job market.

2. Where you live is also a factor. If you live near universities that are stressing the DNP's or PhD's, then it is more likely that the particular segment of the job market YOU will face will favor those degrees. However, if you live in an area without such schools and/or the educational levels of nurses in your community is a below average ... then the movement to elevate the educational level will probably take a little longer to reach your community.

3. How old are you? How many career years do have left? Someone in their early 20's should be planning a career based on what expectations will be 10-20 years from now (and beyond) -- now on what was great 10 years ago, and is OK now. However, someone within 10 years of retirement is in a different situation and should consider that in their decision-making.

Your choice of a graduate education path should be based on the type of work you want to do as well as the expected future job market for that type of work. Too many people base those decisions on what is convenient now or on what type of education was sufficient in the past. At some point they regret some of their decisions.

Good luck to you, whatever path you choose to take.

MissRN2 · Oct 28, 2014

Thank you sooo much for this.It really helps alot.I am actually in my mid 20s and I would like to teach at the university level eventually.Gathering what you just taught me I am guessing the DNP would be the better route.Do you know by any chance how long these DNP programs usually take?Ive heard 5yrs and some say 3.5yrs.Ive also heard of (FNP, Gerontology,etc) are these apart of the masters track only.?

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 29, 2014

You'll need to look at individual programs to estimate how long each program will take you. There may be some differences between programs. There are various specialties within the Nurse Practitioner field (both MSN level and DNP level). So you will need to decide what specialty will best fit your career plans.

For more information on DNP program curricula, I suggest you go to the AACN website (American Association of Colleges of Nursing).

SierraBravo · Oct 30, 2014

One thing to consider is that the DNP requires a clinical Masters degree as a pre-requisite, or at least here in NY it does. So if you want the DNP you need to be an NP first. There are other doctoral degrees which will afford you the ability to teach if you don't obtain a clinical Masters. For example, the Ed.D. is a viable option or, of course, the Ph.D.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Nov 1, 2014

I moved your post to the post-graduate forum (vs. the NCLEX forum) to ensure best response.

elkpark · Nov 1, 2014

One thing to consider is that the DNP requires a clinical Masters degree as a pre-requisite, or at least here in NY it does. So if you want the DNP you need to be an NP first. There are other doctoral degrees which will afford you the ability to teach if you don't obtain a clinical Masters. For example, the Ed.D. is a viable option or, of course, the Ph.D.

The majority of DNP programs currently are for those with MSNs, because there is such a large population already "out there" of MSN-prepared advanced practice nurses, but there are a growing number of BSN-to-DNP programs. The long term goal (of those that are pushing the DNP, that is) is for nurses to go directly from BSNs into DNP programs, and eliminate the MSN advanced practice programs entirely.

SierraBravo · Nov 2, 2014

The majority of DNP programs currently are for those with MSNs, because there is such a large population already "out there" of MSN-prepared advanced practice nurses, but there are a growing number of BSN-to-DNP programs. The long term goal (of those that are pushing the DNP, that is) is for nurses to go directly from BSNs into DNP programs, and eliminate the MSN advanced practice programs entirely.

Thank you for that insight, I didn't realize that. Will these BSN to DNP programs award a Masters degree, too?

elkpark · Nov 2, 2014

Don't know. I would anticipate that, eventually, if TPTB in nursing academia have their way, the MSN in nursing will be largely or entirely eliminated. In most other disciplines, Master's and doctorates are two entirely different career tracks. People who want to get doctorates go directly into doctoral programs with a baccalaureate degree, and bypass the Master's. Master's degrees in those disciplines are for people who know (or who believe at the time) that they don't want to get doctorates (e.g, if someone wants to be a secondary school science teacher, that person would get a Master's in chemistry or biology, while someone with a career goal of doing research in chemistry or biology would go directly into a PhD program and bypass the Master's. If someone wants to be a concert musician or teach music in the schools, one gets a Master's in music; if one wants to teach at the colleg/university level and do research in music theory/history, one gets a doctorate).

I guess that, because that is the academic background I came from into nursing, the old system made perfect sense to me: Master's preparation for advanced clinical practice, and the doctorate for research and teaching (and that system seemed to be working fine for generations).