Four powerful nursing career paths.
Graduate Nursing Degrees
Northeastern University offers four nursing programs led by industry experts, preparing you through training, real-world experience, and personalized learning critical to thriving and delivering compassionate client and community care.
1. MS in Nursing—Direct Entry
Launch an in-demand nursing career from any background. Use the degree and experience you already have and leverage them into a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing.
- Study full time on the Boston campus.
- Graduate with your bachelor’s in nursing in less than two years.
- Become a nurse in two years—no matter your background.
- Get real-world experience with Boston’s world-class hospitals, and concentrate on your area of specialty.
2. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Our practice-oriented degree is designed to prepare advanced practice registered nurses with the expertise needed to be clinical scholars and policy advocates.
- Study online and participate in once-per-semester weekend residencies on campus in Boston or Charlotte.
- Courses focus on leadership, research and evidence-based practice, and technology and data.
- Work closely with faculty and mentors on your scholarly project, which will be completed over four semesters.
3. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)—Nurse Anesthesia
Northeastern’s nursing anesthesia program provides the necessary skills and experience for students to develop careers in this highly specialized role in nursing.
- Study full time in a hybrid format in Boston.
- Gain real-world experience in a variety of healthcare settings, regionally or in the Boston area.
- Graduate eligible to sit for the national certification examination for nurse anesthetists.
4. Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-DNP)
This program prepares registered nurses holding a bachelor’s degree in nursing with the next-level clinical expertise and leadership skills needed to advance in their chosen specialty.
- Select a concentration from one of seven specialty areas; several areas are offered in an online format with once-per-semester weekend residencies on campus.
- Earn your BSN-DNP in a unique graduate program designed for students entering with a bachelor’s degree.
- The curriculum focuses on the sciences and competencies necessary for practice expertise.
- Learn translation of research for evidence-based practice, health policy and global advocacy and leadership, and systems leadership.
- Prepare for your certification examination with study support and mentoring.
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"Our master's-prepared nurses don't just deliver exceptional care—they transform healthcare systems, lead interprofessional teams, and drive evidence-based innovation that advances health equity for diverse communities. At Northeastern, we prepare nurse leaders who redefine what's possible through rigorous academic preparation combined with real-world clinical experiences,”
—Amanda Choflet, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, School of Nursing Dean
Explore our innovative nursing graduate degrees
MS in Nursing—Direct Entry
Earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s in nursing, and prepare for national certification exams in your area of specialty practice. You’ll gain 1–2 years of clinical experience in pediatrics, adult acute care, neonatal, and more. Plus, you can specialize your master’s degree with one of seven tracks.
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About Northeastern
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Our approach of integrating real-world experience with education, research, and innovation empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create worldwide impact.
Our global university system provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. The system—which includes 13 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 320,000-plus alumni, and more than 3,800 partners worldwide—serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions.
Northeastern’s personalized, experiential undergraduate and graduate programs lead to degrees through the doctorate in 10 colleges and schools across our campuses. Learning emphasizes the intersection of data, technology, and human literacies, uniquely preparing graduates for careers of the future and lives of fulfillment and accomplishment.
Our research enterprise, with an R1 Carnegie classification, is solutions oriented and spans the world. Our faculty scholars and students work in teams that cross not just disciplines, but also sectors—aligned around solving today’s highly interconnected global challenges and focused on transformative impact for humankind.