Degrees
Which Nurse Administrator Degree Fits You: MSN, MHA or Both?
What Degree Does a Nurse Administrator Need?
Most nurse administrators earn a master's degree after their RN license and bachelor's. The usual nurse administrator degree is an MSN in nursing administration or leadership, about 36 credits and up to 360 clinical hours. An MHA (36 to 42 credits) also qualifies, because the BLS says management-level nursing jobs increasingly require a graduate degree in nursing or health services administration. A dual MSN/MHA, 51 to 60 credits, gives you both. Compare them in the healthcare administration degree guide.
You’re a registered nurse, you’ve been charge nurse a few times, and you want the job that runs the unit, or the whole department. Every nurse administrator degree path forks at the same place: an MSN in nursing administration, a Master of Health Administration (MHA), or a dual MSN/MHA that gives you both.
Most pages ranking for this search sell one of those. This post puts all three side by side with real programs, credits and published prices, so you can choose by where you want to end up. If you’re new to the field, the healthcare administration degree guide explains every level from associate to doctorate.
What Degree Does a Nurse Administrator Need?
You need a master’s for most management jobs, and either nursing or health administration counts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says it plainly: management-level nursing positions increasingly require a graduate degree in nursing or health services administration.
That gives you two families of degrees:
- MSN in nursing administration or nursing leadership. A Master of Science in Nursing with a management focus. You need an active RN license to enroll, and it keeps you inside nursing’s own ladder, from nurse manager up to chief nursing officer.
- Master of Health Administration. The business-of-health-care degree: finance, operations, strategy, policy and law. It doesn’t require an RN license, so your classmates come from business, public health and clinical work. The what you can do with an MHA guide shows where it leads.
The BLS describes the usual climb for nurses as running from assistant clinical nurse manager, charge nurse or head nurse into more senior administrative roles. Both degrees support that climb. They differ in what they teach and which doors open widest.
MSN vs MHA: How the Two Degrees Compare
The short version: the MSN deepens your nursing leadership, and the MHA trains you to run the organization around the nurses. Here’s how real programs line up.
| MSN, nursing administration | MHA | Dual MSN/MHA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RN license required | Yes | No | Yes |
| Typical credits | 36 (UNC Charlotte, Lincoln Memorial) | 36 to 42 (Wilmington 36, Webster 42) | 51 to 60 (Wilmington 51, Webster and Saint Joseph’s 60) |
| Clinical or practicum hours | 180 at UNC Charlotte; at least 360 at Lincoln Memorial | Capstone or residency, set by each program | Nursing practicum plus MHA capstone |
| Program accreditor | CCNE (UNC Charlotte) | CAHME (Webster, Saint Joseph’s) | Both, by degree |
| Certification it points to | ANCC Nurse Executive (NE-BC) | ACHE’s FACHE | Either |
| Best for | Nurse manager, director of nursing, CNO track | Department, practice or system operations | Nurses aiming for system-level leadership |
Accreditation works differently for each degree. UNC Charlotte’s online MSN is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). MHA programs answer to the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME); the CAHME-accredited MHA programs list shows which ones hold it.
What an MSN in Nursing Administration Looks Like
Expect about 36 credits, a supervised practicum and a schedule built for working nurses.
UNC Charlotte, online. The UNC Charlotte Nurse Administration MSN is 36 credit hours, 100% online, with 180 clinical hours. You need an unrestricted RN license and a bachelor’s degree; a BSN, a 3.0 GPA and one year of nursing practice are preferred or recommended. North Carolina residents pay $341.21 per credit hour and non-residents $1,305.87, plus a $66.67 per-credit college fee. See the UNC Charlotte school profile for its health administration options.
Lincoln Memorial University. The Caylor School of Nursing administration concentration runs 17 months and 36 semester hours, with at least 360 clinical hours. The course list reads like a management degree: human resource management and business strategy, finance and budgeting, informatics, and two administration practicums of 135 hours each.
The practicum is the part to plan around. You’ll spend those hours shadowing a nurse leader, so ask early whether your own employer can host you.
What an MHA Gives a Nurse
An MHA trades clinical leadership content for the business side: budgets, payer contracts, operations, strategy and law. If you want to run a service line, a physician practice or a hospital division where most of your staff aren’t nurses, that’s the better fit.
Prices for the MHA side, from each school’s published rate:
- Wilmington University: a 36-credit MHA at $564 per credit hour for 2026-27. See the Wilmington University MHA profile.
- Webster University: a CAHME-accredited 42-credit MHA at $775 per credit hour for 2025-26, on campus or online. See the Webster University MHA profile.
- Saint Joseph’s College of Maine: a CAHME-accredited online MHA at $645 per credit from July 1, 2026, with a published total of $26,334 before textbooks and fees. See the Saint Joseph’s College of Maine online MHA profile.
For more price points, the affordable online MHA programs ranking sorts programs by published tuition. Admission to an MHA is usually simpler than nurses expect: the MHA admission requirements guide covers GPA, test waivers and work experience.
The Dual MSN/MHA: Both Degrees in One Program
A dual degree shares core courses, so you finish both degrees in fewer credits than two separate programs would take. Three verified options:
| School | Credits | Published cost |
|---|---|---|
| Wilmington University, online (MHA + MSN in Nursing Leadership) | 51 | $1,692 per 3-credit course |
| Webster University (MSN/MHA) | 60: 24 MSN, 36 MHA | $775 per credit hour (MHA rate, 2025-26) |
| Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, online (MSN/MHA) | 60 | $42,240 total, before textbooks, online fee and clinical fees |
Saint Joseph’s admits RNs with a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of work experience. One catch from its own page: the shared core trims total credits, but you can’t finish either degree early. You graduate with both at the end.
The MHA/MBA and other dual degree programs guide lists every pairing with a health administration master’s, including the nursing ones.
Which Certification Follows Each Degree?
Certification isn’t required for a nurse manager job, but it’s how many nurse leaders prove their experience, and each degree points toward a different one.
NE-BC from ANCC. The Nurse Executive certification asks for an active RN license, a bachelor’s or higher degree in nursing, 2,000 hours in a leadership, management or administrative role within the last three years, and 30 hours of leadership continuing education. The exam costs $395, or $295 for ANA members, and you renew every five years.
That degree rule matters if you’re weighing an MHA. A BSN already meets it, so a nurse with a BSN and an MHA can still sit for the NE-BC.
FACHE from ACHE. Fellowship in the American College of Healthcare Executives is the credential for health system executives, nurses included. The FACHE certification guide walks through the experience rules and the Board of Governors exam.
What Pays More, Healthcare Administration or Nursing?
Management pays more at the median. Medical and health services managers earned a median of $123,860 in May 2025, against $97,550 for registered nurses, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. The BLS projects manager jobs to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035.
The manager group includes clinical managers who run a department such as intensive care, which is where many nurse leaders sit. It also includes hospital executives and practice managers, so treat the median as a guide to the field, not a first-year offer. Pay data alone shouldn’t pick your degree. The work you want to do should.
How to Choose Your Nurse Administrator Degree
Match the degree to the job you want five years from now:
- You want to lead nurses: unit manager, director of nursing, CNO. Choose the MSN. It keeps you on nursing’s own leadership ladder, and its practicum puts you beside a nurse leader.
- You want to run operations beyond nursing: a service line, a clinic network, a long-term care facility. Choose the MHA. If long-term care is the goal, the nursing home administrator in training post explains the state internship that comes next.
- You want the top of a health system and can give it the extra semesters. Choose the dual MSN/MHA, and check that the MHA half is CAHME-accredited.
Before you apply, confirm three things on each program page: the clinical or practicum hours and who arranges the site, the total credits, and the accreditor for each degree you’ll earn. The online MHA programs ranking is a good place to start the MHA side of your list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Degree Does a Nurse Administrator Need?
A graduate degree is the norm for management jobs. The BLS says management-level nursing positions increasingly require a graduate degree in nursing or health services administration, so an MSN in nursing administration and an MHA both fit. Either one builds on an RN license and a bachelor's degree.
Can a Nurse Get an MHA Instead of an MSN?
Yes. MHA programs admit nurses alongside business and health administration graduates, and the degree doesn't require an RN license. If you hold a BSN, an MHA doesn't block the ANCC Nurse Executive (NE-BC) exam, which asks for a bachelor's or higher degree in nursing plus leadership hours.
What Pays More, Healthcare Administration or Nursing?
Medical and health services managers had a median wage of $123,860 in May 2025, against $97,550 for registered nurses. The manager figure covers every kind of health manager, so it isn't a promise for a first nurse manager job.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Nurse Administrator?
The master's takes about a year and a half: Lincoln Memorial University's nursing administration concentration runs 17 months. Certification takes longer, since the NE-BC needs 2,000 hours in a leadership role within the last three years.
Is It Hard to Become a Nurse Administrator?
The coursework is manageable for working nurses, and programs like UNC Charlotte's MSN run fully online. The harder part is the leadership experience: certification and most director jobs want proof that you've run a unit or department.
Is an MSN/MHA Dual Degree Worth It?
It suits nurses aiming above the unit level, toward director of nursing or system roles where finance and operations matter. Expect 51 to 60 credits, compared with about 36 for either degree alone. The dual degree guide lists every pairing.
Guides on This Topic
- Healthcare Administration Degree LevelsAssociate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in healthcare administration and what each qualifies you for
- MHA/MBA Dual DegreesEvery verified MHA/MBA and other dual degree with a health administration master's, by school
- What You Can Do With an MHAThe jobs an MHA leads to, where health administrators work, and BLS pay for medical and health services managers
More From the Blog
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical and Health Services Managers
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses
- ANCC: Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC)
- UNC Charlotte: Nurse Administration, M.S.N. (online)
- Lincoln Memorial University: MSN Nursing Administration curriculum
- Webster University graduate catalog: Master of Health Administration and MSN/MHA
- Saint Joseph's College of Maine: dual degree options
- Wilmington University: MHA + MSN in Nursing Leadership