Career opportunities for online MSN graduates

September 4, 2023

You’re ready to engage with your patients and provide a deeper level of care. Whether it’s increased decision-making authority, enhanced nursing skills and specialization, or higher earning potential, you’re courageously seeking that next step. With Maryville Online, you can prepare to pursue leadership roles in a field that is both in high demand and personally rewarding.

Though earning your MSN doesn’t guarantee nursing employment, your degree can help you position yourself for leadership or qualify for roles like the ones listed below.

Understanding your career options with an online MSN degree

Gain autonomy and increase your earning potential as a nurse practitioner. Often the next step for RNs, the advanced coursework in an MSN degree helps equip nurse practitioners with the skills to make diagnoses, prescribe medication, and develop patient treatment plans. Explore what you can do with an MSN.

Advanced Practice registered nurse (APRN)

As an APRN, you’ll be able to pursue focused certifications to launch a career as a nurse specialist, RN anesthetist, nurse midwife, or nurse practitioner. You’ll be trained to diagnose, treat, and educate patients.

Qualify to work in a variety of environments, including:

Hospitals
Surgery centers
Private practice

Median salary:
$117,670*

Discover How to Become an APRN

Clinical research specialist

Nursing supervisor

Nursing supervisors, a type of medical and health service manager, provide expert guidance and oversight to ensure that each member of their team understands clinical tasks and responsibilities.

Related Career Tracks:

Nursing supervisors add critical leadership wherever teams of nurses are employed. Learn more about the Role of Nurse  Managers and Nurse Leaders.

Median salary:
$104,280*

Discover How to Become a Nursing Supervisor

Aesthetic nurse

Aesthetic nurses are trained to address patients’ aesthetic health issues and administer in-office, noninvasive cosmetic treatments.

Qualify to work in a variety of environments, including:

Plastic surgeon offices
Clinics
Medical spas
Hospitals

Median salary:
$85,621 †

Learn More: Becoming an Aesthetic Nurse: Specializations in Cosmetic Nursing

Infection control nurse

Forensic nurse

Forensic nurses treat patients who’ve been victims of violence and trauma, including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and human trafficking.

Qualify to work in a variety of environments, including:

Hospitals
Correctional health centers
Medical examiners’ and coroners’ offices

Median salary:
$65,047 †

Discover How to Become a Forensic Nurse

It’s never been a better time to advance your career in  nursing

Some advanced areas of the nursing field are expected to grow by 45% between 2020 and 2030*

Healthcare and social assistance are expected to create more jobs than any other industries by 2030 — about 3.3 million*

Nurse  practitioner  is ranked No. 3 in Best Jobs by  U.S.  News  & World  Report

5 nurse practitioner specializations

The nurse practitioner field offers a vast array of specializations, which impact the scope of your work as well as your earning potential. As you develop your area of expertise, you can choose whether you want to assist in performing surgeries or focus on clinical and front-facing patient engagement. You can also tailor your skill set toward particular communities, such as children or the elderly.

Specializations include:

Smiling, male Maryville nursing student looking into the middle distance.

As of 2020, the median annual income for nurse practitioners was $114,510, with the highest-paying industry — community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services — offering a mean salary of $143,480.* Regardless of your career path, nurse practitioner specializations each offer meaningful opportunities and strong earning potential.