What Can You Make with a Master's in Nursing?

An MSN opens the door to higher-paying nursing roles. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the advanced practice jobs an MSN qualifies you for, like nurse anesthetist, pay a median of well over $200,000. That is a large jump from the registered nurse median of $93,600, which usually requires only a BSN. A Medscape compensation report found the move from a BSN to an MSN brings roughly a 9% bump in earnings, and the degree also buys career stability, since many MSN-level positions have low turnover.

The takeaways are straightforward. An MSN can lead to higher pay, with nurse anesthetists clearing $200,000. It opens diverse paths across advanced practice, education, and administration. Online and traditional MSN programs produce the same salary outcomes, and adding specialty certifications or a DNP can push earnings higher still.

How Much You Can Earn

Even with an MSN, pay varies widely by role, setting, and location. A nurse anesthetist can make upwards of $200,000 a year, while a certified nurse educator teaching at a college may make around $80,000. Most MSN-level jobs fall into one of three groups: advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), MSN generalist, or non-clinical MSN specialist. The majority pay six figures.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Roles

APRNs are nurses trained for high-level roles such as nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, and nurse anesthetist. They are in high demand and command the upper end of nursing pay. Note that two of these roles are moving to doctoral entry: all accredited nurse anesthesia programs now award a doctoral degree as of 2025, and the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists calls for all CNSs to hold a DNP for entry beginning in 2030.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Nurse anesthetists administer general anesthesia for surgeries and procedures, working alongside surgeons, dentists, and anesthesiologists to monitor vital signs and oversee recovery. They practice in hospitals, surgical centers, military and veteran facilities, and maternity units.

CRNAs earned a median of $212,650 in May 2024, with a mean of $223,210. To enter the field, you now need a Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, since the AACN and AANA standards phased out master's-level entry as of 2025.

Certified Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are mid-level providers who diagnose patients, manage treatment, prescribe medication, and interpret diagnostic testing. Depending on the state, they work independently or under physician supervision, assessing patient needs and building treatment plans.

NPs earned a median of $129,210 in May 2024. A master's is enough to practice, though a doctorate opens more advancement. Twenty-seven states plus the District of Columbia grant NPs full practice authority, which lets them work independently under the state nursing board.

Certified Nurse Midwife

Nurse midwives coordinate the full birthing process, from gynecological and prenatal care through delivery, family planning, and postpartum care. They work independently or with OB/GYNs and hospital staff, and they provide routine women's health services.

CNMs earned a median of $128,790 in May 2024. The role requires at least an MSN in nurse-midwifery. Passing the American Midwifery Certification Board exam licenses you to practice in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

Clinical Nurse Specialist

CNSs are leadership-oriented nurses who provide direct care and manage conditions within a specialty such as oncology, gerontology, or pediatrics. They diagnose patients, build population-based treatment programs, work with pharmacists on prescribing, and serve as patient advocates.

BLS groups CNS pay with registered nurses, which runs from a median of $93,600 to $135,320 for the top 10%. A master's is currently sufficient, but new regulations require all CNSs to earn a DNP for entry beginning in 2030. Subspecialty training in a population, setting, or disease area can raise your pay.

MSN Generalist Roles

Generalist roles let you work directly with patients at a broader scope than a BSN allows, taking on more responsibility, more independence, and leadership over other nurses on your unit.

Clinical Nurse Leader

The clinical nurse leader is a newer role developed by the AACN. CNLs work across the care team to improve the safety and quality of patient outcomes, collaborating with doctors, nursing staff, EMTs, and pharmacists to improve care processes. They act as a liaison among team members to implement long-term solutions.

BLS files clinical nurse leaders under medical and health services managers, who earned a median of $117,960 in May 2024, with the top 10% reaching $219,080. The role requires an MSN plus the AACN's Clinical Nurse Leader certification.

Non-Clinical MSN Specialist Roles

Plenty of MSN-level jobs sit away from the bedside, in education, administration, and informatics. These suit nurses who want to train the next generation or shape how a facility runs.

Certified Nurse Educator

Nurse educators train healthcare workers in classrooms and clinical settings, building evidence-based practice into the profession. They may serve as staff development officers, faculty, or continuing education specialists, and they often speak at conferences or participate in grant writing and peer review.

Postsecondary nursing instructors earned a median of $79,940 in May 2024, though pay varies widely by setting. The role requires an MSN with a focus in nursing education. A nurse educator certificate from the National League for Nursing can advance your career.

Executive Nurse Leader

Executive nurse leaders run healthcare and nursing organizations as business executives, encouraging collaboration among staff, resolving conflict, and building relationships with other administrators. They develop shared operational visions for their facilities.

As medical and health services managers, executive nurse leaders earned a median of $117,960 in May 2024, with the top 10% reaching $219,080. The role requires an MSN with a nurse executive concentration. The American Organization for Nursing Leadership offers a Certified in Executive Nursing Practice credential.

Genetics Nurse

Genetics nurses work with patients diagnosed with or seeking information about genetic conditions. They perform genetic screenings, counsel patients on inherited risks, and help build plans to lower those risks, often for families with a history of cancer.

BLS does not track genetics nurses separately and groups them with the RN median of $93,600. Genetic counselors, a similar field, earned a median of $98,910 as of 2023. An MSN earns you the advanced practice nurse in genetics (APNG) credential and a deeper education in the field than a BSN provides.

Nurse Administrator

Nurse administrators manage staff, oversee budgets, implement policies, and handle communication between nursing and other departments. Titles include clinical nurse leader, director of nursing, and chief nursing officer.

BLS does not track nurse administrators separately, but all medical and health services managers earned a median of $117,960 in May 2024. After completing a master's, a nurse administrator must be certified as a Nurse Executive through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Nurse Informatics Specialist

Nursing informatics blends nursing with computer science. Informaticists implement systems to make care more efficient and train staff to use new technology. A 2020 HIMSS workforce survey found about 68% of nurse informatics specialists work for hospitals or health systems.

Pay is comparable to health information technologists, who earned a median of $67,310 in May 2024, though nurses with an MSN or higher earn well above that floor. After your MSN, you can earn the ANCC's Informatics Nursing certification, which many employers require.

Public Health Nurse

Public health nurses focus on community health, educating people on safety and health issues, hosting workshops, and advocating for policies that improve public health. They also provide direct services like blood pressure screenings, and with an MSN they can take on community leadership and research roles.

BLS does not track public health nurses separately, but with an MSN your pay tends to track nurse practitioners, who earned a median of $129,210 in May 2024. Entry-level roles require only a BSN, but leadership and research positions usually call for an MSN with a public health emphasis.

Salary by Work Setting

Where you work shifts your pay meaningfully. The figures below come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2023 OEWS by industry).

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Outpatient care centers, $263,960. General medical and surgical hospitals, $230,150. Specialty hospitals, $229,980. Physicians' offices, $207,630. Colleges and universities, $190,420.

Certified Nurse Practitioner

Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, $141,260. Outpatient care centers, $139,860. General medical and surgical hospitals, $135,610. Physicians' offices, $122,780. Other health practitioner offices, $121,250.

Certified Nurse Midwife

Outpatient care centers, $164,080. General medical and surgical hospitals, $135,900. Colleges and universities, $121,260. Home health care, $107,130. Other health practitioner offices, $88,340.

Joint Degrees

Joint degrees pair your MSN with a credential in another field, usually to move into leadership. Each of the common options leads toward medical and health services management, which paid a median of $117,960 in May 2024.

An MSN/MPH combines public health knowledge with clinical skills and points toward healthcare management, with coursework in leadership and population health. An MSN/MBA, often called the Nurse Executive Program, prepares you to run the operations, planning, and public face of a healthcare organization. An MSN/MHA builds deep healthcare administration knowledge, including legal, financial, and ethical issues, for roles like director of nursing or healthcare manager.

Does How You Earn the MSN Matter?

No. Employers value the degree the same whether it was earned on campus or online, and you can command the same salary either way. It also makes no difference whether you complete a traditional two-year MSN or a bridge program.

Increasing Your Earnings Further

If you have worked as an advanced practice nurse for a while, a DNP prepares you for executive and managerial leadership and can raise your annual pay. If you are happy at the master's level but want a bump, specialty certifications make you more attractive to employers.

Overtime is another lever. A 2019 Medscape APRN compensation report found 46% of APRNs worked some overtime, about half of them one to five hours a week, and 14% regularly worked more than 10 hours. Overtime was voluntary for 60% of them. It adds to your take-home pay, but manage it against burnout.