Online RN-BSN-MSN: Career Outlook

No — that is the purpose of the RN-BSN-MSN pathway. Sacred Heart’s program is specifically designed for registered nurses who have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Rather than requiring you to complete a BSN separately before applying to an MSN program, this pathway allows you to earn both degrees in sequence through one application and enrollment process. The undergraduate BSN portion is completed first, and students transition directly into their chosen MSN specialization. This structure is ideal for ADN- or diploma-prepared RNs who want to advance to a master’s level without the time and cost of two separate graduate admissions processes.

An RN-to-BSN program awards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and stops there — the degree qualifies you for BSN-level roles and satisfies Magnet hospital requirements, but it does not prepare you for advanced practice positions (NP, CNL, CNO) or independent prescribing. An RN-to-MSN bridge, like SHU’s RN-BSN-MSN pathway, takes you all the way to a Master of Science in Nursing in one continuous program, enabling you to qualify for graduate-level specializations. For RNs who are confident they want an advanced clinical or leadership role, the bridge pathway is typically more efficient and costs less in the long run than completing an RN-BSN and then applying separately to an MSN program.

SHU’s RN-BSN-MSN is designed to be completed in approximately 3.5 years for students who enter with 90 qualifying transfer credits and maintain a full-time course load. Students with fewer transfer credits — or who choose a part-time pace — may take longer. The undergraduate BSN portion is completed first, followed by the graduate MSN specialization. Completion timelines also vary by specialization: the non-NP tracks (Nursing Education, CNL, Nursing Management) take approximately 2 years for the MSN portion, while the FNP and PMHNP tracks take approximately 2.5 years due to additional clinical hours. Your admissions advisor can provide a personalized timeline based on your transfer credits and preferred specialization.

Among the five specializations available through SHU’s RN-BSN-MSN program, the FNP and PMHNP tracks generally lead to the highest compensation, reflecting the expanded clinical scope of nurse practitioners. Family nurse practitioners earn a median salary of approximately $129,000 (BLS, 2024), and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners earn a similar median — with demand for PMHNPs particularly strong given the national mental health care shortage. The Clinical Nurse Leader and Nursing Management & Executive Leadership tracks offer strong pathways into hospital administration, with CNO-level roles exceeding $140,000 at larger health systems. Nursing Education roles, by contrast, typically offer lower direct salaries but may provide academic-track benefits and schedule flexibility that other roles do not.

Magnet designation is the gold standard of nursing excellence, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to hospitals that demonstrate exceptional nursing practice. Magnet hospitals are required to have a high proportion of BSN-prepared nurses and strongly prefer — or require — BSN credentials for all direct-care RN hires. By completing the RN-BSN-MSN, you satisfy both the BSN credential requirement and advance to MSN preparation, which qualifies you for nurse leader, clinical educator, and advanced practice roles that Magnet hospitals actively recruit. Additionally, through this program, students earn both degrees; other RN-MSN pathways don’t often offer both degrees. SHU graduates have been employed by Bridgeport Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Good Samaritan Hospital — all institutions where MSN-level credentials are competitively advantageous.