5 Questions to Ask When Choosing an Online Graduate Nursing Program

For nurses who wish to advance their careers, pursuing an online master's or doctoral degree may be a great choice, experts say. Doing so can lead to higher salaries and roles with greater authority over patient care.

Some experts say that when it comes to graduate-level study, the nursing field is starting to move away from the master's degree and shifting more heavily toward doctoral degrees such as the Ph.D. or the Doctor of Nursing Practice. But master's degrees are still viable options for some students, and institutions including Capella University and Pennsylvania State University--World Campus are continuing to offer them online.

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"A lot of schools have eliminated that master's degree for advanced practice nurses. That's not what we've opted to do," says Patrick Robinson, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Capella University, which offers master's, Ph.D. and DNP degrees online.

It's important for online learners to select the nursing program that's best suited to meet their goals. Experts recommend asking the following questions about a program before deciding to enroll.

1. Which type of degree is best for your particular career? In many cases, students will pursue a master's degree if they want to specialize in a specific area of nursing, experts say.

That was the case for Renae Epler of Hershey, Pennsylvania, a recent graduate of the online master's in nursing program offered through Penn State. The program allows students to choose specializations in nurse education and administration. Epler, who now works as a patient safety analyst at a hospital, chose the latter.

"For me, it was the right way to go," she says. "I didn't want to pursue a doctorate -- something I didn't know for sure I wanted. This was a good place to start, I think."

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When it comes to doctorates, the Ph.D. is generally meant for those who wish to become research-focused nursing scientists and develop the knowledge base on which nurses practice, says Robinson, of Capella. The DNP, meanwhile, is geared toward those who hope to use the science of nursing to advance nursing care out in the field, he says.

There are other options out there, too. A bridge program allows students to save time and money by combining the curricula of two degrees. For example, the RN-to-MSN in care coordination offered at Capella gives registered nurses who don't have bachelor's degrees the opportunity to complete a Master of Science in Nursing.

2. How much time and money can you spend on a degree? Different degree programs cost different amounts of money and require various time commitments. When choosing a program, it's important for students to estimate how long it might take them to complete all the requirements and budget accordingly. A Ph.D. typically requires a student to complete more credit hours than a DNP or a master's degree, for example, Robinson says.

At Capella, the Ph.D. requires 96 credits at $660 per credit. The DNP requires 52 credits at $775 per credit, and a master's requires 56 at $399 per credit.
3. Is the program accredited? When looking into an online program, a student should verify whether it is accredited and if it is accepted in his or her current state of residence to meet licensing and other requirements, says Michele Pedulla, assistant academic graduate program chair at Kaplan University's School of Nursing.

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For instance, at Kaplan, the online nursing master's programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, she says. Other schools' programs may be accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

4. Is there an on-campus component? Online nursing graduate degree programs can be structured in different ways. Some -- like those hosted by Capella, Penn State and Kaplan -- enable students to complete all of their requirements, including the clinical experience, in a location of their choice; others, like many of Vanderbilt University's, require students to spend some time on campus.

Both options have advantages. The former allows for more flexibility. As for the latter, at Vanderbilt the weeklong on-campus component provides an opportunity to interact with faculty and other students.

"It allows them to network with other students, hear renowned speakers, work together with professors and really become engaged," says Mavis Schorn, senior associate dean for academics at Vanderbilt's School of Nursing.
5. Who are the faculty, and what kind of support will you receive? Especially in an online course, where a student rarely, if ever, sees an instructor in person, communication and resources are key, experts say.

A student should research whether a nursing program offers assistance such as academic advisers, writing help centers and library resources, says Pedulla, of Kaplan.

In the program offered at Penn State, students interact with the instructor and each other through online discussion boards, among other forms of communication, and there's an online help desk to address any technical issues they may encounter, says Judith Hupcey, associate dean for graduate education and research at Penn State's College of Nursing.

"It's about more than just cost and speed," Hupcey says. "It's the quality of the program you're getting."

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