Master of Science in Nursing Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that registered nurses are the largest health care occupation and one of the occupations with the most projected new job openings in the 2008-2018 period. While it is possible to become a registered nurse with a diploma, associate's or bachelor's degree, research shows that for those with the Master of Science in Nursing title, salary and advancement potential tend to be the greatest.

Master of Science in Nursing Salary and Advancement

According to the BLS, the mean annual salary for registered nurses (without differentiating between degree levels) in 2009 was $66,530 or $30.65 per hour. A 2010 Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) survey supports this, reporting that the average salary for a staff nurse in a small (10 operating rooms or less) facility was $65,400 and in a large facility was $67,100.

However, according to the BLS, the four advanced practice nursing specialties--nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife and clinical nurse specialist--may only be practiced by a nurse with a Master of Science in Nursing degree. Salary increases follow this advanced training; for example, the average nurse practitioner salary in 2008, according to NP Central, was $83,401. And the AORN survey reported a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) salary in a large facility to be $85,600.

On the whole, according to the AORN, the average master of science in nursing salary was approximately $2,100 per year higher than that of nurses with less education.