Online Master’s in Nurse Informatics (MSN Degree)

Florida A&M University offers an online MSN in nursing informatics. Graduates of the nursing informatics MSN are eligible to take the nursing informatics RN-BC exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

This program offers instruction in the theory application and advanced role development in nursing; the role of the APN in health promotion and disease prevention; research methods and evidence-based practice; health policy and nursing; informatics in nursing and healthcare; database design, development, and application; system design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance; data science and data analytics I; health budgeting and financial management; nursing informatics project and change management; and nursing informatics capstone practicum.

• Location: Tallahassee, FL
• Duration: Two years
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)

Queens University of Charlotte offers an online MSN and post-master’s certificate in nurse informatics, with courses such as leadership principles and practices; financial management for nurse leaders; clinical information systems; healthcare project management; and two nursing informatics practicums.

Graduates may go on to roles as clinical informatics specialists, nursing informatics analysts, nursing information specialists, and information practice specialists.

• Location: Charlotte, NC
• Duration: Two years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

Walden University’s nursing programs offer a comprehensive range of degrees designed to support nursing professionals at various stages of their careers. These programs include undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels and post-graduate certificate options. Walden stands out as a leading provider of doctoral research programs in nursing, offering advanced degrees such as the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and a PhD in Nursing. The programs are fully online, allowing for flexibility and catering to working professionals. In addition, Walden emphasizes social change and the application of evidence-based practices, aiming to empower nurses to make a positive impact in healthcare settings. Accredited and recognized for its high academic standards, Walden’s nursing school provides multiple specializations tailored to students’ career goals.

• Location: Minneapolis, MN
• Duration: One to eight years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

Northeastern State University offers a fully online master of science in nursing in nursing informatics program enabling students to meet the growing demand for nurses with specialized knowledge in data management. Offering six start dates each year with seven-week courses, this program prepares students for opportunities to work as consultants in private, corporate, or public settings.

Delivered entirely online, the coursework for this 32-credit program has an embedded practicum in which students will work with a mentor as they complete 200 hours in the field. The program also includes a capstone that will allow students to demonstrate a synthesis of competencies in nursing and informatics through a master’s project or thesis.

Applicants to the program must have a bachelor of science in nursing degree from a nationally accredited nursing program with a minimum 2.5 GPA and must hold a current, unencumbered RN license.

The program’s curriculum includes courses such as theoretical foundations for nursing practice; advanced research & evidence based practice; cultural perspectives; issues & trends in professional nursing; foundations of nursing informatics practice; system design life cycle; data management and healthcare technology; and leadership development for the advanced nursing professional.

Notably, Northeastern State University also has an online RN to MSN in nursing informatics program for registered nurses with associate degrees.

• Location: Tahlequah, OK
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC); Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
• Expected Time to Completion: 12 months

Aspen University offers an online master of science in nursing program with a specialization in informatics. This program equips students with the knowledge of information security, skills to interpret and analyze data, ability to manage resources, understanding of ethical, public, and legal issues, and data analytics skills. This program is for RNs who have completed a BSN. RNs who have not yet completed a BSN but would like to pursue their MSN may enroll in the RN to MSN bridge program in informatics.

Graduates will be prepared for a range of employment areas including government organizations, hospitals, medical vendors, health insurance providers, consulting firms, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Comprising 36 credits, the program includes courses such as healthcare informatics; healthcare systems; diverse populations & healthcare; legal and ethical issues in healthcare; healthcare finance and economics; management of information systems; advanced healthcare informatics; and information systems strategic planning.

• Location: Phoenix, AZ
• Accreditation: Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Duke University offers an online master of science in nursing (MSN) program with a major in health informatics. While all courses are offered online, students are expected to attend campus once each semester. The program teaches students essential skills such as project management, planning, and using clinical information systems.

Admission requirements for the program include sending transcripts from every school where college credit was earned, three professional recommendations, a personal statement, a current resume, and TOEFL scores for international students. It is recommended (but not required) that applicants have one year of nursing experience before applying. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required either.

The 38-credit program places special emphasis on real-world application. The curriculum includes 12 credits of core courses and 26 credits in the nursing informatics major.

The core courses in the program are nurse as scholar I: science development, study design and statistics; nurse as scholar II: evidence-based practice; population health in a global society; and professional transitions: advanced nursing practice. The nursing informatics courses include clinical data analytics; an introduction to health informatics; health information exchange standards, methods, and models; and the synthesis of specialty practice.

Students learn how to deal with physicians, physical therapists, and pharmacists. They also work on designing systems that promote patient-centric care. One of the perks of the program is that students will get a chance to build a professional network in informatics and expertise in both nursing practice and health care IT. They learn how to implement healthcare IT systems in areas such as electronic health records and clinical documentation. On completion of the program, students will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) generalist exam for nursing informatics.

• Location: Durham, NC
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

The University of Colorado offers an online master of science in nursing with a concentration in healthcare informatics through its Anschutz Medical Campus. The program provides students with skills to take up an informatics specialist role.

Applicants to the program must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a completed online application, official transcripts from all schools attended, a minimum undergraduate nursing degree GPA of 3.0, a current resume, three letters of reference, a copy of an active and unencumbered RN license, and English language proficiency proof for international students.

The program consists of 34 credits. It provides students with learning guides to take them through each course. The curriculum includes topics such as theory foundations for advanced nursing; policy and politics of health; decision support; semantic representation; the information systems life cycle; and the foundations of healthcare informatics. The program teaches students to plan, select, design, and implement emerging technologies that drive quality care and support clinical decision-making.

At the end of the program, graduates can pursue opportunities in primary care facilities, hospitals, health technology companies, specialist offices, and consulting firms. They can take up roles such as trainers, analysts, nursing or clinical informatics specialists, directors of clinical informatics, project managers, and telehealth coordinators.

• Location: Aurora, CO
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center offers an online master of science in nursing degree with a nursing informatics track. This program offers courses online but requires students to complete fieldwork experience and technical competencies on campus.

Admission requirements include a baccalaureate nursing degree from a regionally accredited college or university, an unencumbered RN license, completed undergraduate courses in research and statistics, a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0, and TOEFL scores for international students.

The program comprises 38 credits and trains students to take up advanced roles in nursing informatics. Some of the courses included in the curriculum are leadership for healthcare; the scientific foundations of advanced practice nursing; project management; foundations of nursing informatics specialization: theories of practice; health information management and knowledge; and information technology.

This nursing informatics program prepares students to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s certification and the HIMSS Certified Professional in Health Information Management (CPHIMS) exams.

• Location: Lubbock, TX
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing offers an online master of science in nursing (MSN) with a specialty in nursing informatics. All courses are offered online with clinical practicums being conducted at a place negotiated between the student, clinical agency, and the faculty. Students are trained to identify, process, and manage data to support their nursing practice. The program is ideal for working registered nurses, as it offers ample flexibility.

Admission requirements for the program include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, an unencumbered RN license, a statement of purpose, a GPA of at least 3.0, official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended, three letters of professional reference, and TOEFL or IELTS scores for international students.

The program consists of 36 credits and trains nursing specialists to effectively use technology. The curriculum includes courses such as the foundations of leadership; designing, planning, and managing scalable projects; nursing informatics and the information system lifecycle; applied quality improvement and patient safety; and data to information.

Students learn how to develop synergies between processes and people, make positive changes in healthcare, and use technology to create new and improved systems. At the end of the program, graduates can take up roles such as clinical analysts, informatics administrators and executives, consultants, data analysts and data managers, and health system implementation specialists.

• Location: Nashville, TN
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

The Rutgers School of Nursing offers an online nursing informatics master’s in nursing program. The program trains students to create efficient systems for administration and impact research in the field of nursing. The program requires an additional 225 clinical hours in person with an approved preceptor in New Jersey.

Students applying for the program must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program, a GPA of 3.2 or higher, a current RN license, official transcripts of all prior college work, two letters of reference, a personal statement, and a resume. The GRE is not required for admission.

The program is made up of 37 credits. It prepares students to manage data systems that affect patient care and nursing research. Courses include information technology for evidence-based practice; concepts of nursing informatics; information systems principles; consumer healthcare informatics; the nursing systems development lifecycle; and informatics project and change management.

Through the coursework, students gain a thorough understanding of how to apply informatics and healthcare technologies, design quality improvement and safety initiatives, and engage in policy development to improve health outcomes. Additionally, graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the Informatics Nursing Certification Examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

• Location: Newark, NJ
• Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE); New Jersey Board of Nursing
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Liberty University offers a 100 percent online master of science in nursing informatics. The goal of the program is to make students proficient in designing nursing informatics solutions, resolving healthcare issues, and improving health outcomes.

Admission requirements for the program include an accredited bachelor’s degree, a minimum GPA of 3.0, a completed online application, at least one year of nursing practice as an RN (with an active license), and proof of English proficiency.

The curriculum consists of 36 credits. It includes courses such as biostatistics; health data analytics and decision-making; the principles of epidemiology; financial & resource management for nurse leaders; systems management & leadership for nurse leaders; nursing informatics data management; nursing issues, informatics & technology; nursing theory & advanced practice; and health policy & ethics.

Students become well-equipped to assess database development processes, evaluate the roles of information systems in healthcare, and create innovative database designs. They also learn how to examine healthcare records and compare data mining algorithms.

On successful completion of the program, graduates can take up roles such as project managers, nurse representatives, and nurse programmers, among others.

• Location: Lynchburg, VA
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

The University of Pittsburgh offers an online master of science in nursing with the nursing informatics area of concentration program. The program is taught by renowned faculty members and provides opportunities for problem-solving, active learning, critical thinking, discussion, and community building.

Admission requirements include a baccalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited program, a current RN license, a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, a prerequisite statistics course with a grade of B, three letters of recommendation, and a typed essay.

Consisting of 39.5 credits, the program provides students with the ability to develop, analyze, and evaluate information systems. Students study courses such as an introduction to health informatics; database management; clinical information systems; healthcare quality; informatics theories and issues; and research for evidence-based practice. The program helps students gain leadership skills in nursing and process data. They become high-tech specialists facilitating communication between the technical staff and clinicians.

At the end of the program, graduates can take up roles such as medical informatics coordinator, clinical solutions specialist, systems analyst, director, senior consultant project manager, informatics nurse, and applications manager.

• Location: Pittsburgh, PA
• Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Incorporating principles from CMSA and AACN standards, and integrating the PCMH model of care, Capella University offers an online master of science in nursing (MSN) program with a specialization in nursing informatics.

This specialization immerses students into the world of health informatics and explores the breadth and depth of health information systems and how they influence decision-making, clinical project management, and strategic planning. The program’s curriculum emphasizes best practices in health informatics essentials, including electronic medical records, patient safety, meaningful use, workflow, the health information system life cycle, and change management.

Applicants to the program must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of 2.8, official transcripts, verification of current, unrestricted RN license to practice in the United States, and a valid, government-issued form of photo identification.

Notably, highly motivated students looking to save time and money may want to consider the university’s FlexPath. Rather than facing weekly deadlines, students in the FlexPath work at their own pace to complete a series of assessments for each course. There’s no limit to the number of courses they can complete per session. This path requires the completion of just 27 credits.

The traditional GuidedPath requires the completion of 54 credits. Courses include fundamentals of nursing informatics; analysis of clinical information systems and application to nursing practice; advancing healthcare through data mining; managing the nursing informatics life cycle; healthcare law and policy; and evidence-based practice for patient-centered care and population health.

Moreover, for registered nurses (RNs) with an associate degree, Capella University offers an online RN-to-MSN nursing informatics program that can help streamline their path to a master’s degree.

• Location: Minneapolis, MN
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months