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03.
Become a Highly Qualified Advanced Practice Nurse with Southern's MSN Program
Exploring the Career Paths of an MSN with Southern
If you’re an RN and want to pursue advanced roles in clinical practice, administration, or education, then earning your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) may be the path for you.
Nursing professionals with an MSN enjoy increased responsibility and earning potential. They also will be able to pursue advanced practice positions in many different fields, such as primary care and acute care.
An MSN will also prepare you for opportunities in research, education, and administration if those are areas of passion that drive you.
Whatever career you pursue, an MSN from Southern will earn you more autonomy in your practice and prepare you to succeed in any healthcare setting, including:
- Hospitals
- Rehabilitation centers
- Public health agencies
- Schools
- Private practice
Most commonly, Southern’s MSN graduates go on to become nurse practitioners, nurse educators, or nurse administrators.
Nurse Practitioner
Earning an MSN from Southern will prepare you to be a primary care family nurse practitioner, acute or primary care adult/gerontology nurse practitioner, or a primary care psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, depending on which excites you most. Read more about each career path here.
Nurse Educator
Becoming a nurse educator can be a fulfilling path if you’re passionate about educating the next generation of nurses, who will deliver the same level of patient care that you’ll learn here at Southern. You can choose to either work at a higher ed institution (like our faculty!) or train nurses within the hospital system.
Nurse Administrator
As a nurse leader or administrator, you will work within an organization to assure quality patient outcomes. You will have opportunities to interact with patients and families, support nurses in their roles, and work with executives to achieve organizational goals.
MSN Salaries in Tennessee
Here’s a snapshot of the typical salaries for MSNs in the Tennessee area. Actual numbers may vary depending on the field, level of experience, and location, but you can expect to earn $105,824 on average.
| Job Title | Salary |
| Nurse Administrators and Executives | $118,880 |
| Family Nurse Practitioners | $114,510 |
| Nurse Educators | $84,060 |
| Acute Care Nurse Practitioners | $117,066 |
| Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioners | $96,519 |
| Advanced Practice Nurses | $109,992 |
If you’re looking to get started, click the links below to start your application or schedule a meeting with our team!
The MSN Program at Southern
Southern’s flexible MSN program is designed to accommodate the busy schedules of working nursing professionals. Courses may be taken on a full-time or part-time basis.
The program offers four nurse practitioner emphases, plus nurse educator and leadership (MSN/MBA) options:
- Acute Care–Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (51 semester hours)
- Primary Care–Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (50 semester hours)
- Primary Care–Family Nurse Practitioner (50 semester hours)
- Primary Care–Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (56 semester hours)
- Nurse Educator (48 semester hours; available fully online)
- MSN/MBA (50-56 semester hours)
Depending on your level of experience, you can enroll in either the MSN program or the RN to MSN program.
Ready to take the first step and start your application? Click the link below! Or, to speak with an Admissions counselor, schedule a meeting today.
The RN to MSN Program
The accelerated RN to MSN program is designed for registered nurses who have nursing experience and can manage an expedited approach to a graduate degree. All of the MSN specializations that are listed above are offered in this program.
The RN to MSN program includes a unique curriculum that will provide you with both the broad and specialized education that will prepare you for success. You’ll start with general education requirements, such as Chemistry, Computer Science, Public Speaking, Religion, and Christian Ethics.
Then, you’ll take undergraduate-level nursing courses and MSN core courses that will help build a solid foundation for your specialty area.
Once you’ve completed your core requirements, you’ll get to take classes that are specific to your area of emphasis. For a full list of courses and additional details on the MSN, visit our program page.
Eligibility and Prerequisites
- Degree or Diploma: Associate’s degree or diploma in nursing from an accredited program
- GPA Requirement: A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25
- Licensure: Current RN licensure in the state or country of practice
- Work Experience: A minimum of two years (4,000 hours) of current nursing experience
- Acute Care Emphases: Acute Care or Psychiatric Mental Health applicants should have substantive experience in these specialty areas and submit documentation of skill set with the application.
The Admissions Process
Here’s a quick look at the admissions process and requirements. For more information, visit our program page.
- Graduate application
- Transcripts
- Recommendations
- Written statement
- Resumé
- Interview
Application Deadlines
Each step of the application and its requirements must be completed by the dates below.
“What I love most about teaching nursing students at Southern is seeing the passion they bring every single day and knowing that we’re building the nursing leaders of tomorrow.”
Ronda Christman
Professor
