Choose One of 9 MSN Specialty Tracks
Prepare to take that next step in your nursing career by honing your skills in one of 9 specialty areas in the MSN degree program. If you’re unsure which track is right for you, our admissions team will partner with you to discuss your career goals.
Nurse Practitioner Tracks
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Clinical Track
A Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) who focuses on comprehensive healthcare for families and family members across all ages and demographics, body systems and diseases. They fill a void in primary care, especially in rural regions or areas with physician shortages.
Already have your MSN? FNP certificate option available
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)
Clinical Track
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners teach patients and their caregivers how to manage chronic conditions or diseases and management of acute conditions and can also perform check-ups, conduct tests, analyze results, prescribe medications and develop preventive care plans. Learn to develop long-term treatment plans, provide expert counseling for disease prevention and healthy living, and deliver care using cutting-edge diagnostic and clinical methods.
Already have your MSN? AGPCNP certificate option available.
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
Clinical Track
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners teach patients and their caregivers how to manage chronic conditions or diseases and management of acute conditions and can also perform check-ups, conduct tests, analyze results, prescribe medications and develop preventive care plans. Learn to diagnose and care for people with acute and chronic illnesses through evidence-based practices and then create personalized treatment plans.
Already have your MSN? AGACNP certificate option available.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
Clinical Track
The PMHNP specialty track is designed to prepare students to manage every facet of patients’ mental health needs and to sit for national certification as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The curriculum includes theory, simulation and clinical experiences that prepare graduates to be proficient, confident clinicians.
Already have your MSN? PMHNP certificate option available
Non-Clinical Tracks
Nurse Educator
Non-Clinical Track
The Nurse Educator is designed to provide the tools to educate future and current nurses by utilizing teaching-and-learning theories and strategy within an academic and clinical practice setting. Coursework includes educational foundations, instructional methods, program assessment and evaluation and curriculum development.
Nurse Executive
Non-Clinical Track
The Nurse Executive Specialty Track promotes skills and knowledge that nurse leaders can implement immediately, as well as use to plan for and achieve change. Coursework emphasizes the application of theory, using real-world scenarios and tools. Key executive skills such as effectively communicating across disciplines, budgeting, staffing, and performance measurement are taught.
Healthcare Policy
Non-Clinical Track
The Healthcare Policy curriculum trains nurses in the research, design and implementation of policies, as well as evaluation of policy outcomes. Coursework includes the foundations of healthcare policy, principles of healthcare systems, politics, economics and policy, global health, and nursing leadership in the public policy arena.
Nurse Informatics
Non-Clinical Track
The Informatics curriculum teaches you to interpret, analyze and use electronic health record technology, as well as empowers you to be more efficient and effective in healthcare practices. Coursework includes the practice of nursing informatics, management of data and information, healthcare information workflow and project management.
Population Health
Non-Clinical Track
The Population Health Specialty Track focuses on population-level health, wellness, health promotion and disease prevention. The Population Health track is designed to prepare future leaders for community and population health nursing with a focus on local, national and international nursing.
Still have questions?
A specialty track is a concentration. You must select one of eight specialty tracks in the MSN degree program (Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Educator, Executive, Family Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Policy and Informatics). When you graduate, you will earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree with the specialty of your choice. Specialty track availability varies by state.
It is possible to change MSN nursing specialty tracks within all non-nurse practitioner tracks (Educator, Executive, Healthcare Policy and Informatics). If you wish to change tracks, we recommend that you do so while you are in your core courses because credits completed in the original specialty track will not transfer to a different specialty track. Switching into the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, or the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track is subject to Dean approval and availability.
Students who enroll in the Accelerated MSN Options will not be eligible to transfer to the traditional online MSN program.
You will be responsible for finding your own preceptor or mentor, which includes the site where they work, to earn your master’s degree in nursing. Your experiential learning coordinator will provide guidance on how to locate a mentor or preceptor and a site. Once you've identified where you would like to complete your practicum your coordinator will begin to secure the necessary contracts on your behalf.
If you’ve tried to find a preceptor, but despite your best efforts, it hasn’t worked out—don’t worry. Chamberlain’s Preceptor Matching Service can help you identify an available masters in nursing practicum location and preceptor.
Communicating with your MSN nursing professors is vital to your success in your MSN program. In addition to all graduate faculty members being doctorally prepared, they also participate in an extensive training program to prepare them for online teaching and to provide you with the support and care you deserve. The following are the avenues for contacting your professors:
Email and phone: Professors will provide their contact information in the syllabus. They are required to provide you with their email address and most provide their phone numbers with office hours. Professors typically respond within 24 hours on the weekdays and 48 hours over the weekend..
Q&A forum: You will have a Q&A forum in every class you attend to post comments and questions that can be answered by anyone in the class, including the professor.
Threaded discussions: Graduate nursing program professors are very good at participating in threaded discussions throughout the week and driving conversations to gain insightful information.
Support is essential in online MSN programs. Chamberlain has several resources that can help you become acclimated to the online classroom. Once you apply you will have access to Chamberlain Care Student Success Strategies, which provides information on time management, scholarly writing, using the library and more. You can also ask your admissions representative for a personal tour of the masters in nursing online environment in which you will be taking classes or you can view the Online Classroom Demonstration Video Series to learn about what you can expect when you log into your class.
We are dedicated to supporting you throughout your educational journey. To further support your success, a Student Online Readiness Assessment is designed to help assess the skills needed for success in your online MSN program courses. You will see the assessment listed as a task in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) course.
Life at Chamberlain
For Nurses, By Nurses
Our 100% doctorally-prepared faculty use their nursing experience to help you grow. Join a CCNE-accredited nursing school with more than 130 years of history educating nurses.
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Chamberlain University has 4,500 Healthcare and Educational Institution, College and Association Partner locations across the country.
Individualized Support
From building a schedule that will work with your life and finances, helping you estimate of federal and institutional aid or assisting in locating a preceptor, we are with you every step of the way.