Graduate Programs
Ready to continue your nursing education?
There are many ways to advance in the nursing profession – become a healthcare administrator, an educator, a nurse researcher or a nurse practitioner. The Washington State University College of Nursing has graduate programs to help you achieve any of these goals, and more.
Whether you choose a Master of Nursing (MN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), PhD, or graduate certificate, most of your coursework will be online. We also offer a range of scholarships and financial assistance programs to help you pay for your graduate studies.
The Washington State University College of Nursing has joined the Western Regional Graduate Program. If you’re a resident of 16 western states or territories and a full-time student, you can pursue your PhD, DNP or Master of Nursing-Population Health at WSU and pay the in-state tuition rate – a savings of thousands of dollars per semester.
Contact us today to learn more about graduate degrees and certificates at the WSU College of Nursing.
Which program is the best fit for you?
Master of Nursing
The MN Nursing program prepares you for an advanced practice nursing role in acute, outpatient and community settings. You will take the master’s core course work and additional course work if pursuing a graduate certificate in organizational leadership, nursing education or public health.
Specialty Tracks:
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program prepares you for a career in primary care. In many states, including Washington, Oregon and Idaho, a Family Nurse Practitioner can operate an independent practice, diagnosing and treating illness, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, and initiating treatments.
- Population Health
- The DNP Population Health degree (DNP-PH) prepares you to work in community health or public health, improving health care systems and population health. Health policy, epidemiology, and health promotion are core concepts of the program.
- Post-Master’s General
- The Post-Master’s DNP is focused on evidence-based practice, leadership, and research. This degree is for nurses who’ve already earned their master’s degree and want to advance their area of specialty or add a new specialty as a family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner or population health nurse.
- Psychiatric Mental Health
- The DNP-PMHNP prepares you to provide psychiatric and mental health services using a full scope of therapies. A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner assesses, diagnoses, and treats people with psychiatric disorders or the potential for such disorders.
What do former students have to say about the DNP program?
I love being a psych nurse, but I got to the point where I wanted to do more, to make more of the decisions about how my patients are cared for. I work full time, so I like the flexibility of the hybrid program. The instructors here are amazing. From an undergraduate until now, this school has given me a lot.
Thomas Wright, Spokane
What I get to do right now is absolutely transforming healthcare. The nursing model of care is meeting patients where they’re at, whether that’s providing care in the home to get them better, hospice initiations or comforting the family. It’s so much more than just providing medical care.
Christina Duncan, Nurse Practitioner (BSN ’14, MN ’16)
What do former students have to say about the PhD program?
If someone were thinking about a PhD in nursing from WSU I would say do it! In this world we need nurses and in nursing we need scientists. For me Washington State was an excellent choice and experience. I looked at many other schools and I’m sure they all have their strengths, but for me Washington State was the best choice for all the reasons I’ve said: quality, commitment, credibility, support and mentorship.
Beth Schenk, (PhD ’13)
If you look at most of the students who have graduated from our program and have gone elsewhere to work, either as a professor, researcher, things like that, they have done very well and they continue to contribute so much more, not only to their local communities, but at the national and international level.
Patrick Muturi, (PhD ’18)
- Nursing Leadership
- Nursing Education
- Public Health
Which campus is the best fit for you?
The Graduate Nursing programs are offered on four (4) WSU campuses. Each campus is unique and offers students who attend different experiences. Be sure to read about each campus to see which is the best fit for you!