If you’re looking to advance your nursing career, WGU’s Master’s in Nursing (MSN) program may be just the thing you need to do so.
WGU offers a number of nursing programs, including both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Whether you’re looking for an RN-to-MSN program or BSN-to-MSN program, the school has quite a few offerings you may want to consider.
If you want to gain new skills and knowledge so you can take on more advanced nursing specialties, read on to see if WGU’s MSN program may be a good fit for you.
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Why Enroll in WGU’s Online MSN Program?
Providing care to patients through nursing is a great way to make a living while helping people.
However, if you truly want to be a leader and innovator in nursing, you’ll likely need to improve your knowledge and skills with an advanced degree.
These nursing leaders are critical to improving patient outcomes and contributing to key decisions in any healthcare facility.
Fortunately, WGU offers a wide selection of programs to help you obtain the skills and knowledge you need to be a great leader in nursing.
Whether you want to become a Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Educator, getting your MSN degree at WGU can help you take on more advanced nursing specialities and roles.
Graduate Reviews of the MSN Program at WGU
A number of graduates from WGU’s Online Master’s of Science program have left positive reviews on OnlineU. Here are a few of them:
“I love that WGU is knowledge-based. My higher education allows me to do what I want to do ~ Teach! And I did not break the bank getting my Masters. I did my research: I looked up their accreditation, cost, and time requirements to complete my degree. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
-Vicky (July 21, 20222)
“I really enjoyed the BSN to MSN Nursing Leadership and Management program. There were alot of papers with weekly calls from my mentor. The fact that you can work at your own pace is a PLUS! Under 10,000 for my degree and possibly could have completed in one semester. The semesters are 6 months long. This program teaches you to not procrastinate.”
-Carla (May 3, 2020)
“WGU is a great school. The classes are online and organized well. The classes are rigorous and require a lot of work. The program is self-paced, so you are able to graduate sooner if you can finish the classes faster. The standard MSN program takes two years.”
-Jessica, (February 28, 2020)
As with any program, however, not all the reviews were positive:
“Evaluation of the papers submitted are based entirely on compliance with APA (mistype the name of an author once or the year of publication…it will be returned not competent even if everything else is perfect) and whether you can repeat back the wording of the prompts enough.”
-Jojo, June 27, 2021
4 Pros of WGU’s Online MSN Program
There are quite a few upsides of enrolling in WGU’s MSN program. We discuss 5 of them below.
1. Lots of Options
One of the best things about WGU’s MSN program is that there are lots of pathways you can choose to enroll in.
Here are the different tracks you can take:
- Leadership and Management
- Nursing Informatics
- Nursing Education
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Another great thing about this MSN program is that each of the tracks above have both a BSN-to-MSN option or RN-to-BSN option, with the exception of the last two.
The Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner options are only available in the BSN-to-MSN format.
2. Affordable
Another upside to WGU’s MSN program is that it is relatively inexpensive compared to similar programs.
According to their website, if it takes you two years to complete your BSN to RN degree, the total cost will be $19,980. However, if you can complete your degree in less time, you it will cost less money.
For example, if it takes you a year and half, the total cost $14,985, while finishing in one year costs just $9,990.
Additionally, the Nurse Practitioner track typically take two and half years to complete, and generally ends up costing about $26,900.
Meanwhile, the RN to MSN track requires the completion and both undergraduate and graduate courses. For the undergraduate portion, they’ll charge you $4,685 per six-month term, while the graduate portion charges $4,795 per six month term.
You should also keep in mind that there is a flat $200 fee every six-month term to pay for e-books and learning resources.
However, compared to other online programs, this is definitely an affordable option!
3. Graduate Ahead of Schedule
WGU emphasizes a “competency-based education.” This means that if you can demonstrate skills and knowledge through a series of assessments related to your degree, you can graduate faster.
If you’ve already got plenty of experience and knowledge under your belt, or if you’re able to put in the effort to study and learn at a faster rate, you may be able to graduate sooner. You may also be able to transfer existing graduate credits to your MSN program at WGU.
Finally, you can spend more time working on areas where you need to really focus on building your skills, and not spend as much time working on areas you’re already proficient in.
Not only will this allow you to start advancing your career quicker, but it also affords you the opportunity to save money on classes.
4. Accredited and Recognized
One more upside to WGU’s MSN program is that it is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This means you can be assured that the knowledge and skills you’re gaining are backed by a respected organization in nursing.
WGU’s MSN program was also recognized as Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing.
Finally, WGU’s MSN program received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty.
Cons of WGU’s Online MSN Program
As with any degree program, there are always bound to be some drawbacks and negative reviews.
One of the main cons we saw for WGU’s MSN program is that GradReports assigned it a low post-graduation nursing salary score.
While there could be confounding factors involved in the low score, the median alumni earnings for this program based on 2,096 students is $86,680.
Meanwhile, the median debt based on 2,405 alumni is $11,620.
The good news, however, is that the employment rate for graduates of this program is 99%.
Conclusion
While the salary outcomes for the MSN program at WGU may not be quite as high as some other schools, it’s also one of the most affordable online programs you can enroll in.
The schedule flexibility and plethora of degree pathways also make this school an enticing choice.
Remember, every school will have it’s pros and cons. It’s up to you to consider what your priorities are so you can make a decision that works best for your goals, budget, and any other important factors.
If you’re ready to enroll in an online MSN program, then search for an MSN program that fits your needs right now!
Nurse Luke is a CRNA who specializes in Nursing content and still enjoys a very busy career with Locum, Per Diem and Travel nursing in the greater midwest. He has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare field and received his CRNA masters degree from the Mayo Clinic School of Healthcare. He is passionate about helping nurses explore the options of becoming a travel nurse as well as spending time with his Family.
