Master's Degree in Nursing

Advance your nursing career through clinical practice, leadership, or education

Ball State University’s online Master of Science (MS) in Nursing is built for working RNs who want to advance their career while still caring for their patients full-time. All coursework can be completed online, except for the FNP concentration, which requires one 8-hour clinical day at our Muncie, Indiana, campus.

Choose Your Master's in Nursing Career Path

Our online Master’s in Nursing offers three distinct concentrations designed for practicing nurses ready to advance into specialized roles. Pursue one of three career-focused concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Leadership and Management, or Nurse Educator. The Nurse Educator and Leadership and Management concentrations are available 100% online. The FNP concentration requires one 8-hour clinical day at the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana.

Why Ball State's Online Master's in Nursing?

Nationally Ranked and Recognized

We are:

• Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing (CCNE). This signifies that our entire program and curriculum meet or exceed the national professional standards of quality and integrity for nursing education. This accreditation is important to employers and other academic institutions. Our graduates are confident that the program is well-designed and prepares them for professional success.
• Ranked as the 30th best online graduate program in nursing by U.S. News & World Report. This is for many reasons, though in large part, due to our faculty’s extensive training and credentials, the services and technological assistance we offer, and our student engagement. 
• Engaged with many highly respected health care organizations and committed to supporting students in planning their clinical experiences.
• Committed to assisting our graduates with transitioning successfully into their new career roles. We have an incredible Nursing Alumni Society and all of our graduates can benefit from the powerful networking and community of support.

Faculty are Scholars and Practicing Nurses

Ball State nursing faculty are dedicated to the belief that every individual has the right to holistic and nondiscriminatory health care that is accessible and of high quality. Many faculty are actively participating in projects to elevate health care locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Many of our faculty are working on health care projects to actively improve care for at-risk populations.

The University works with the Nursing faculty and provides major creative and technical support in building online courses that support students who are working and going to school using online technology. The team of expert instructional designers work with faculty to provide online courses that meet and surpass national best practices in online learning.

Clinical Requirements

As a graduate student in the nursing program, there are specific requirements for learning activities essential to success in your chosen specialty. You can expect to commit to 6-10 hours per week for online course work and 8-12 hours per week for clinical courses. These are general averages, and the actual time for academic work may vary depending on your semester course load and individualized study plan. The requirements are clearly defined in each course and multiple resources are available for your success.

Plan of Study

Each student in the nursing program will have a plan of study designed for their specific needs, concentration, and requirements. We will work closely with you to develop your plan of study, help you meet your clinical requirements, and guide you through earning your Master of Science (MS) in Nursing.

Career Outcomes for the Master's in Nursing

 How Much Does a Master's in Nursing Cost?

Cost can be a determining factor in your decision to return to school, which is why Ball State is transparent about tuition and fees. You can use our tuition cost calculator to estimate how much you will pay per semester. Additionally, the online nursing degree may have minimal course or program fees. We don’t want you to feel caught off guard by these, so please also check the Program and Course Fees for Online Students to make sure you have all the information you need.

Most of our online nursing students take 6 credits per semester so they can manage their education while continuing to work full-time. Using this model, tuition per semester is about $3,000 for Indiana residents and about $4,500 for out-of-state residents. Your Student Success Specialist can help answer any questions you have about tuition and fees.

Calculate Your Tuition

Online Delivery

Online courses are offered in an asynchronous format, meaning that for most course work there is no specific sign-on time each week. You will have weekly assignments and deadlines for course work, but the online design provides tremendous flexibility for your personal schedule.

As an online student, you will have access to a host of student services. We start all online students with an online orientation to help you become familiar with the university-wide resources available to you. Plus, as a nursing student, you will have a program-specific orientation. After orientation the Graduate Nursing team is a resource for all students.

While the online format makes your degree more accessible, it’s critical that you make it a priority in your weekly schedule.

More about Online Learning

State Authorizations

All students must reside in and complete all clinical hours in a state where the Ball State University School of Nursing is authorized to offer its programs. Students moving to a state where the master’s nursing program is not authorized will be unable to progress in the program.

Prior to applying, all prospective students need to visit the state authorizations website to determine if their state currently allows them to enroll at Ball State University for the master’s nursing program. The website and its links are updated on an as needed basis, so please check regularly for updates. 

Ready to Apply?

Are you interested in pursuing this degree? Then you will need to meet our admissions criteria and apply.