MSN or DNP: Choosing the right advanced nursing degree for you
Choosing between a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is one of the most common points of confusion for nurses looking to advance their education. Both degrees can open the door to leadership opportunities, advanced clinical roles, and higher earning potential, but they differ in length, cost, and long-term career goals.
The Master of Science in Nursing is a graduate-level degree that prepares registered nurses for advanced clinical practice, leadership, and specialized roles. It is one of the primary pathways to becoming an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), including nurse practitioners and nurse midwives, a Nurse Educator and Nurse Administrator.
At the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, full-time MSN students typically complete the degree in two years, with part-time tracks also available. MSN programs blend advanced coursework with clinical practicum hours and prepare graduates to sit for national certification exams in their specialty.
The practice-focused counterpart to the research-focused PhD, the Doctor of Nursing Practice is the terminal, highest level of clinical nursing education available. It builds directly on MSN-level foundations by adding coursework in evidence-based practice and quality improvement, systems leadership and organizational change, and health policy and population health.
At the University of Cincinnati, BSN to DNP programs generally take three years of full-time study. Nurses who already hold an MSN and pursue a post-master's DNP track can finish the program in four semesters of full-time study. Part-time tracks are also available for both BSN to DNP and post-MSN DNP programs.
Simply put, the MSN prepares nurses to practice in advanced and specialized roles, while the DNP prepares nurses to lead change, improve healthcare systems, and practice at the highest clinical level of the profession.
What is the difference between MSN and DNP career paths?
Both MSN and DNP degrees prepare nurses for a broad range of advanced practice and leadership roles, including Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, nurse educator, and nurse administrator/manager. The DNP qualifies nurses for all MSN-level roles, plus a tier of executive and system-level positions, as well as faculty for graduate programs.
The overall job outlook for advanced practice nurses is exceptional at both degree levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 35% growth in APRN employment between 2024 and 2034, driven by a predicted physician shortage in primary and specialty care, an aging population, and a persistent nursing shortage.
Salary data across degree levels is nuanced. Because MSN and DNP graduates often hold the same APRN clinical titles, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not separate their statistics. However, DNP-prepared nurses often earn higher salaries overall because the degree can lead to executive leadership, systems-level, and academic roles with greater compensation potential.
What are the differences between the MSN & DNP curriculum?
MSN and DNP programs share a substantial core. Both include advanced clinical courses and practicum hours preparing nurses for certification and practice, with the DNP curriculum providing additional depth in:
- Evidence-based practice: critically evaluating research and applying findings to clinical systems;
- Quality improvement: Designing and measuring initiatives that improve patient outcomes;
- Healthcare informatics: Leveraging data systems for organizational decision-making
- Policy and systems leadership: Navigating organizational and legislative structures.
Practicum hours are also the same for similar MSN and DNP specialties; however, the DNP curriculum requires an additional 500 hours dedicated to a final project demonstrating mastery of advanced nursing concepts and the ability to translate knowledge and research into practice.
Nursing is moving toward doctoral-level preparation as the baseline for advanced practice leadership. Other health professions — medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, audiology — already require doctoral degrees, and nursing continues in that direction.
The AACN's position statement calling for doctoral preparation for all advanced practice nursing leaders signals where the profession is heading. Nurses who earn a DNP now are positioning themselves ahead of potential future requirements, while those who earn an MSN can always return for a post-master's DNP later.
Deciding between the MSN or DNP
There is no universal “best” option. The right choice depends on where you want your nursing career to go.
The MSN may be the better fit if you want to specialize clinically and enter advanced practice as quickly as possible, your career goals focus on direct patient care roles, and you want the flexibility to pursue a DNP later if your professional goals evolve.
The DNP may be the right choice for nurses who want long-term career advancement, aspire to executive leadership roles, seek stronger preparation in healthcare systems, plan to influence policy or organizational change, or are interested in academic and teaching opportunities. As of current accreditation standards, new CRNA programs award doctoral degrees, making a doctorate such as a DNP or DNAP the standard educational pathway for nurse anesthetists.
Both the MSN and DNP degrees lead to rewarding, high-demand careers. The right choice isn't about which degree is objectively better, it is about which aligns with your professional goals, timeline, and the kind of impact you want to have in healthcare.
Hear from our students
Matt Depenbrock, DNP, RNC-NIC Certified Registered Nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital NICU
"I chose the DNP with intentionality about my professional future — I wanted more than a single lane. The terminal practice degree prepares you not just to practice at the highest clinical level, but to lead, educate, engage in research translation, and drive systemic change. It positions you to walk into any room, be it a clinical unit, a boardroom, a classroom, a conference stage, and have the foundation to contribute meaningfully in all of them.
Beyond the credential, the DNP taught me to look at everyday clinical challenges differently — to dig into the evidence, identify gaps in practice, and design solutions that last. What I didn't expect was how personally transformative that process would be.
My DNP project, Project HEALS, started as an academic requirement and became something I am genuinely passionate about, one I am still presenting at national conferences today. A well-executed DNP project doesn't just fulfill a degree requirement; it can shape your professional identity and open doors you didn't know existed."
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