Only around 15 percent of registered nurses in the U.S. carry a master's degree and 2.2 percent hold a doctoral degree, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Despite the small number of professionals who carry advanced degrees in the field, the ones who do may have certain advantages.
An advanced degree in nursing opens up job opportunities to roles including nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, clinical nurse specialists and leadership positions like directors or managers.
Here are the average salaries to expect for seven industry roles when holding a Master of Science in nursing in 2023, according to Forbes and the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Nurse anesthetists — $195,610
- Nurse practitioners — $120,680
- Nurse midwives — $112,830
- Nurse administrators — $91,000
- Legal nurse consultants — $87,000
- Nurse educators — $77,440
- Nurse researchers — $74,000