MSN vs. DNP for Nurse Practitioners: The Credential Decision

The table above answers the licensure and cost questions, but not the career question. Which role you want next determines whether the extra time and tuition make sense. The sections below break down what each credential changes in practice, starting with the MSN by itself.

What Does the MSN Alone Allow You to Do?

An MSN-prepared nurse practitioner can practice, prescribe and bill for care at the same scope as a DNP-prepared nurse practitioner in the same specialty and state. The degree behind your license does not change your prescriptive authority, certification eligibility or scope of practice; those are set by your state board of nursing and your national certification.

For a nurse who wants to see patients, build a specialty practice and stay focused on direct clinical care, the MSN is a complete, terminal credential for that goal. Among A-State’s online MSN programs are NP options, including the FNP, PMHNP and AGACNP programs, which prepare graduates for exactly that outcome.

Britney James, who earned her MSN – FNP online at A-State in 2022, followed this exact path from bedside RN to specialty practice without a doctorate. “That inspired me to go back to A-State for the master’s degree,” she said of the family conversations behind her decision. “My family knew my character as a nurse. I am glad that I did it.” Her experience also illustrates an important point: nurses can successfully transition from bedside practice into advanced practice roles without first pursuing a doctorate. Read her story.

Do Nurse Practitioners Need a DNP?

No single national body requires it, and no state currently mandates it for NP licensure. What exists instead is a long-running professional recommendation. In 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) endorsed a position statement calling for the DNP to become the entry-level degree for advanced nursing practice. In 2018, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) went further and called for DNP entry-to-practice specifically for NPs by 2025, a position it reaffirmed in 2023.

That target date has now passed, and the MSN remains the accepted entry-level degree for NP practice nationwide. MSN-to-NP programs continue to enroll students, graduate cohorts and prepare nurses for national certification exams without interruption.

One transition did happen on schedule: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) have been required to hold a doctorate since students who matriculated after January 1, 2022, moved through their programs, per the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), making CRNA the one APRN role where the DNP shift became a hard requirement. NP practice has not followed the same path, though DNP enrollment keeps climbing regardless: AACN counted 44,976 students enrolled in DNP programs in 2025, up from 42,767 the year before. A-State’s online MSN – FNP, MSN – AGACNP and MSN – PMHNP programs are among those still graduating nurse practitioners under that entry standard, with enrollment and certification-exam preparation continuing without interruption.

What Does the DNP Add?

The DNP adds preparation for roles above direct patient care: clinical leadership, quality improvement at the department or system level, healthcare informatics and the kind of scholarly project work that academic and administrative employers seek. DNP curricula build on the MSN by adding coursework in systems leadership and evidence-based practice implementation, according to the AACN DNP Fact Sheet. A-State’s online DNP – General frames that project work as a three-part quality-improvement or policy initiative, including proposal, implementation and dissemination, typically carried out at the student’s existing workplace rather than a separate practicum site.

That distinction matters most once a nurse practitioner starts looking beyond direct patient care. In practice, that shows up in three places:

• Health-system leadership roles: Positions such as clinical director, quality improvement lead or advanced practice program director increasingly require or prefer the DNP, according to AACN’s State of the DNP report, which found hospital systems reserving the degree mainly for leadership and executive-level positions.
• Academic faculty roles: Over 80% of full-time nursing faculty vacancies required or preferred a doctoral degree in AACN’s 2025 faculty vacancy survey, which makes the DNP directly relevant if you eventually want to teach.
• Large academic medical centers: Even at the most competitive academic medical centers, that preference tends to track the leadership and executive positions above rather than direct clinical NP hires, per that same AACN research; the degree’s edge shows up more in title and scope than in whether you get hired as a bedside or clinic-based NP.

None of this changes your day-to-day scope as a bedside or clinic-based NP. It changes which doors are easier to open next.

Is the DNP Worth the Extra Cost?

The honest answer depends on the role you want, not just the degree itself. A-State’s online MSN – FNP and MSN – AGACNP each total $15,770, already well under half of what comparable online FNP programs charge at Chamberlain, Grand Canyon University or Maryville, and the MSN-PMHNP totals $24,225. Adding the online DNP – General on top costs another $20,160 and runs as few as 14 months, without traditional precepted clinicals; instead, students complete 540 practice hours and a scholarly project typically based at their own workplace.

For nurses with no near-term leadership or teaching goal, that additional cost and time may not pay for itself: AANP’s Nurse Practitioner Compensation Report put the 2023 mean annual total-compensation gap between DNP- and MSN-prepared NPs at roughly $9,200, with administrative roles outearning clinical roles by an even wider margin, evidence that the premium concentrates in leadership and academic settings rather than direct patient care. That calculation changes for nurses already eyeing those roles, where the cost of the online DNP – General program is small next to the difference in pay and title those positions can carry.

How Do You Decide Between MSN and DNP?

Use your career goal, not the calendar, to make this call. The stronger question is where you want to be practicing in three to five years, not how quickly you can finish a program.

1. Stay at the MSN if your goal is direct patient care in your chosen specialty and you have no near-term plans to move into leadership, administration or teaching.
2. Add the DNP now if you already know you want to move into clinical leadership, health-system administration or academic faculty work, since the degree is built around exactly that transition.
3. Add the DNP later if you are not sure yet. Starting your NP career with an MSN doesn’t close off the DNP down the road; A-State’s DNP – General is designed for nurses who are already practicing and decide the doctorate is the right next step.

However you land on that decision, it isn’t set in stone: the requirements and numbers above are the same ones you’d revisit if your goals change later. The FAQ below covers questions nurses often ask when weighing these two paths.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a DNP to be a nurse practitioner?

No. The MSN is the accepted entry-level degree for NP licensure in every state, and no state currently requires a DNP for NP practice.

Is the DNP replacing the MSN as the entry requirement for NPs?

Professional organizations, including NONPF, have called for that shift since 2018 and set a target of 2025, but the target date has passed without a national or state-level requirement taking effect. The MSN remains the standard entry point.

What can a DNP do that an MSN-prepared NP cannot?

Nothing changes in scope of practice, prescriptive authority or certification eligibility. The DNP instead prepares graduates for clinical leadership, quality improvement and academic faculty roles that sit above direct patient care.

Does a DNP increase NP salary?

Modestly, and mostly outside direct patient care. AANP’s compensation data puts the average gap at roughly $9,200, concentrated in leadership and academic settings rather than clinical roles, though figures vary by employer, region and specialty.

Will hospitals require a DNP for NPs by 2030?

No current mandate exists at the state or national level, though some academic medical centers already list the DNP as preferred for NP hires. Watch your target employer’s job postings rather than relying on an industry-wide deadline.

How much more does a DNP cost than stopping at the MSN?

At A-State, the online DNP – General program adds $20,160 on top of the MSN – NP tuition, which is $15,770 for FNP and AGACNP or $24,225 for PMHNP.

Can I become a nurse practitioner with just an MSN, or do I need a doctorate?

An MSN is sufficient. It is the accepted entry-level degree for NP licensure, certification and practice nationwide.

Is the DNP worth it if I only want to see patients?

For NPs focused purely on direct clinical care, the added cost and time may not deliver a proportional return, since the salary premium in clinical roles is modest, but this can change if leadership or teaching is part of your plan.

Key Takeaways

• No state requires a DNP for NP licensure as of 2026, and the MSN remains the entry-level standard.
• NONPF’s 2018 call for DNP entry-to-practice by 2025 was a professional recommendation, not a legal mandate, and that target date has passed.
• The DNP adds preparation for clinical leadership, quality improvement and academic faculty roles, not additional scope of practice.
• Salary premiums for DNP-prepared NPs are modest in direct clinical roles and larger in leadership and academic settings, per AANP’s compensation data.
• A-State’s online DNP – General program costs $20,160 on top of the MSN and runs as few as 14 months, with no traditional precepted clinicals.

Whichever path fits your goals, A-State designed the online MSN and the DNP programs around nurses who are already working, not around a classroom schedule. Each track lists its own admission floor, timeline and cost up front, so the choice comes down to the role you want next rather than guesswork about requirements. Whether your goal is to practice as an NP, lead healthcare teams or teach the next generation of nurses, understanding the differences between the MSN and DNP can help you make a confident decision.

Explore A-State’s online DNP – General program page for the full curriculum, cost and admission details.