MSN: Education vs. Specialty Degree

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Apr 30, 2015

Advanced practice degrees have ZERO coursework related to educating students at any level. I specialize in pediatrics, demonstrate that competency by having both Board Certification and CCRN-Peds. My MSN is in education.

starryx2 · Apr 30, 2015

I am curious if there are any duel programs in education and a specialty. I know there are some midwifery/FNP programs out there. I have been trying to do some research on such things.

CraigB-RN, MSN, RN · May 6, 2015

unfortunatly with the salaries that some educators make, you will need to be in a postion to suplement your salary.

Getting your NP won't prepare you for teaching, but it will get you an MSN or DNP which is all you will need. However, will you be prepared for that educator position? Prob not so much. Can you learn what you need? Yes.

Some of my classemated got their MSN-Ed and then took post grad cert program for their NP. THey knew that their primary desire was to teach, but that they could better supliment their income as an NP.

p.s. As I look around all the clinical percepters on tonight were FNP's who where moonlighting as educators.

elkpark · May 6, 2015

Hello,
I am looking for some input from all you wonderful educators. When thinking about pursuing a masters degree with a hope of teaching in the future what is the recommendations for education. Is it better to go for an advanced degree such as nurse practitioner or midwifery vs. the traditional Masters in Education? Pros? Cons?
I keep getting told that I would have more options if I went into a specialty like I mentioned vs. a general degree in education because I could still teach with that specialty degree.
Thoughts?

The MSN in education isn't "traditional," it's a comparatively recent invention. People who chose to go the MSN in education route like to talk about how important it is to be trained to teach, but all of us were taught by perfectly competent faculty members who had "ZERO coursework related to educating students." In fact, the vast majority of college and university faculty in all disciplines over the years have been people who were educated in their discipline, but not formally in education.

You can teach with an MSN in an advanced practice clinical specialty, but you can't be an advanced practice nurse with an MSN in education. Maybe that is important to you, maybe it isn't. For what it's worth, while many community colleges have embraced the "generalist faculty" approach of having all faculty teach all subjects (who thinks that's a good idea???) and seem to like the MSN in education idea, all the job postings I see for faculty positions in BSN programs specify what advanced practice specialty, experience, and certification they are looking for. I have yet to see a "regular" college or university faculty posting that specifically said they were looking for someone with an MSN in education (pls. note I'm not saying they don't exist, just that I haven't seen any).

I guess it really comes down to what your future plans are, and what's most important to you.

CraigB-RN, MSN, RN · May 11, 2015

Hmm all the Nursing Faculty positions I just scanned said MSN or PhD. Didn't specify what kind of MSN. I do definitely agree that you can teach with as an NP but you can't be an APRN with a straight MSN. So your long term plans will have to guide you. One thing to remember is if your not working as an NP you might have to take the cert test again when your renewal is up.

Here is a thought. MSN, Get into academics and then get your DNP if your interested in being an APRN. Lots of options.

The only thing that the jury is still out on is how the DNP will affect tenure in academic programs.

LeesieBug · May 15, 2015

I struggled with this same decision, and the answer is: There is no right or wrong way to go! It just depends on your individual interests and goals. I decided to do a masters in nursing education for several reasons. 1) I had NO desire to be an NP. I wanted to be an educator. 2) I did not have a desire to teach in an NP program. 3) I knew how to be a nurse; I wanted to learn how effectively educate and inspire others, and be the best nursing instructor possible! 4) I (rightly) believed that there was much, much more to being a nursing faculty member than being a knowledgeable clinician.

I worried the whole time I was in school, wondering if I had made the right choice. I loved what I was learning, but had concerns about whether I would be limiting myself, professionally. I worried needlessly. Just before graduation I was offered a management position in my ED, which I accepted. My MSN actually complimented my management role very nicely. So much of being an effective manager is about leading, coaching, and mentoring, skills that were well developed in my MSN program. I stayed with the management role for just over a year before deciding I needed to follow my passion for education.

When looking for a faculty position, I found a fair amount of variation in requirements, depending on the school, program, or specific courses. Some favored the MSN in Nursing Education, some favored an advanced practice degree in a clinical specialty, and some just wanted people with an MSN, period. I easily found a full-time faculty position in a college, that I LOVE! I quickly learned that my MSN-Ed coursework was absolutely invaluable to understanding and excelling in my new role. At the time I was hired, the college was in warning status with accreditors, and were specifically seeking faculty with a degree in nursing education to help turn things around. Right from the start, I was able to jump in and be a valuable member of the team that worked on fixing our areas of weakness (we had a successful survey in February). I also had the opportunity to help design a new, concept-based curriculum for our BSN program. Had I not gone the education route, I would have been completely clueless. Our nursing faculty is a balance of nurse practitioners and those with education masters. It makes for a great team, where we balance each other out with our specific strengths.

Recently, I was accepted into a PhD in nursing program, with no difficulty, and will start that new adventure this fall.

My best advice is to think about where your passion is, and work from there. Advanced degree programs are too intense NOT to enjoy what you are learning.

Good luck, whatever you decide! Nursing is such an amazing profession, with so many options. You just never know where the journey will take you! :up:

SheriffLauren · Aug 4, 2015

How did you go about getting your degrees? Did you do the CCRN-Peds first or the MSN? Also, when did you decide upon your specialty, and do you remember how long it took?

Msn2017 · Jun 6, 2017

Hello everyone! I graduated fairly recently with a MSN in nursing education. If I had to do it all over again, I would say DONT do it! There are several reasons why I say this. The first reason is that I am seeing how difficult it is to find a job as a faculty member of a community college or university. They ALL want experience. I have gone for several interviews and everyone that has interviewed me looks to be on the verge of retirement. I feel they do not embrace younger graduates AT ALL. Also, I have talked with professors from colleges and university's and many of them have stated they are unhappy with their career choice. The attitudes I have seen in some of them have definitely changed my opinion of this area in nursing. The second reason is you are very limited as to what you can do. Most university's only want to hire graduates of a doctorate program. That is definitely something to consider when looking at future goals. I do not want to come across as negative in this post. I just want people to know and think about the facts. I wish I would have known this when I was considering this area of nursing.

organichombre, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jun 18, 2017

Starry x2,

What do you want to do with your life? If you want to educate and educate only, get the Educational doctorate, if you want to still work in the field finish the NP requirements and in your spare time get the doctorate. What is time and money anyway right? Sorry to be so flip but I think of my own situation when I completed my Masters...I should have attended a bridge to Doctorate of Teaching pathway because I new I was done caring for people in the bedside/provider role. Good luck and thanks for being a nurse.

carrob · Dec 17, 2017

Msn2017 - thank you for your candid post. People on this thread say things like " just get your doctorate in this" or "become a NP first" - etc. It is so easy to advise that, however, these degrees are very VERY bloody expensive obviously. I have already completed 1/3 of the MSN-edu program and have now decided against finishing - partially for reasons you state. It commands low salary with high expense ratio - and many institutions prefer those with prior teaching experience and/or a DNP/PhD at this point. I am 52 and no one is assisting me financially in paying for this degree. I am too old to do something just to say I have a Master's and then have little else to show for it. MSN-edu does not seem to command the respect or proper place in the nursing profession which it deserves. I would only personally teach if, like others have stated, I was getting a Master's as an NP (which does not interest me at all). I decided to forgo the degree and get certified in my specialty area instead. Retirement savings and time have become more important than the degree at this point. The nursing profession is behind in deciding on what skill level/degree is required for what position.

Thank you again for your honest assessment:)

AtomicWoman · Jan 17, 2018

I know the original post is old, but anyone reading this can consider getting their advanced degree in an NP specialty, get a teaching job and then getting their CNE certification after 2 years of teaching experience. Just another option to think about, not the right one for everyone.