MSN Programs in Texas

By EveryNurse Staff on January 16, 2023

A large variety of MSN programs in Texas are available, and these programs prepare nurses to obtain careers in education, administration or specialty fields. They are a great option for the RN or BSN holding nurse who wants to further his or her education and obtain a more lucrative position. Just a few titles MSN holders can pursue include family nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, and nurse anesthetist.

Schools With MSN Programs in Texas

Abilene Christian University offers up the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing, where students can prepare for roles in advanced family nurse practitioner roles, or as educators or managers of patient care services. The MSN is a 38-credit hour to 44-credit hour program, and applicants must hold a BSN from an accredited school in order to qualify.

Lamar University offers tracks for their MSN program in nursing administration and nursing education. Both programs require 37 credit hours and are designed to be completed in 2 years with full-time study. All MSN programs are available online as well as campus-based, and the school also offers a MSN/MBA dual degree. Tuition is $235 per credit hour for most students.

Located in Wichita Falls, Midwestern State University offers an MSN program with three separate tracks: family nurse practitioner program (48 credit hours), the family psychiatric mental health practitioner program (46 credit hours) and the nurse educator program (39 credit hours). Eligibility requirements include holding a BSN (those who do not can be judged on a case-by-case basis), adequate score on the GRE test, and a previous GPA of 3.0 or higher.

With the MSN program at Prairie View A&M University, students can pursue an education as a family nurse practitioner (53 credit hours), nurse educator (42 credit hours) or nurse administrator (41 credit hours). Both full-time and part-time options are available, and the program is accredited by the National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC), and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Tuition is approximately $6,000 per year.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s MSN program offers up several programs of study. The administration track prepares nurses for management positions, and is completed in 39 semester hours. The education track, completed in 42 semester hours, prepares nurses who want to pursue teaching positions. The adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner track prepares nurses for providing compassionate, excellent quality care to seniors (completed in 48 semester hours). Also completed in 48 semester hours is the family nurse practitioner track, which prepares nurses to provide medical care for families. The nurse midwifery track enables nurses to provide women-centered care to pregnant women and their babies, and is completed in 51 semester hours. Finally, the pediatric nurse practitioner track is perfect for nurses who want to provide excellent care for children, and requires 48 semester hours. Tuition is approximately $300 to $400 per semester hour.

Texas Wesleyan University, located in Fort Worth, prepares nurses to become nurse anesthetists. Nurses must already hold a bachelor’s degree to pursue this program. It is a 28-month program split into two phases, and requires 65 credit hours. Cost is approximately $11,000 per semester, not including textbooks and various fees.

Texas Woman’s University offers up an MSN program with a variety of different tracks, including nurse practitioner, clinical nurse leader, nursing education, nursing health systems management and even an RN to MS program. Each of the tracks require between 40 and 46 credit hours to complete, and most require good scores from the GRE or MAT tests and a previous bachelor’s degree. The approximate tuition cost is just under $6,000 per year.

The MSN program at University of Texas at Austin offers up 10 areas of specialty, including child health, family nurse practitioner, family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, adult gerontology clinical nurse specialist, holistic adult health, maternity, nursing administration and healthcare systems management, pediatric nurse practitioner and public health nursing. Programs require between 38 and 49 credit hours, and most are 2-year, full-time programs, although part-time is offered as well. The cost is approximately $5,181 per semester.

The MSN program at the University of Texas at Brownville offers several areas of study, each one prepared in consultation with the graduate advisor. The program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and is a member of the National League for Nursing Council of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs in Nursing.

The University of Texas at El Paso offers three majors, including nursing education, nursing practitioner and nursing systems management. The nursing practitioner major has concentrations in adult/gerontology acute are, family primary care and pediatric primary care. Each of the programs is between 33 to 49 semester hours. MSN programs are also available at The University of Texas at Tyler, the Health Science Center at Houston, San Antonio, Galveston, and Pan American.

The University of Houston Victoria’s MSN program prepares nurses for a variety of new jobs with three areas of concentration: nurse administration, nurse educator, and family nurse practitioner. Part time study is available for the nurse administration and educator track, but the family nurse practitioner track is a full-time only study area; 5 days a week. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree as well as an untarnished RN license in the state of Texas.

West Texas A&M University provides a solid MSN program as well as FNP preparation. The comprehensive MSN program prepares nurses to work in administrative or educator positions as well as in a variety of specialty fields while the family nurse practitioner program prepares nurses to work as primary care nurses. Individuals must have a bachelor’s degree and hold an open, unrestricted RN license in the state of Texas.

Texas MSN Checklist

Must hold a BSN from an accredited institution as well as a Texas RN license (or be eligible for a RN license in the state of Texas).
Obtain scores for the GRE and/or MAT tests (for some schools).
Apply for licensure through the Texas Board of Nursing.

Texas MSN Salary & Job Outlook

The salary for an MSN holder in the state of Texas will depend upon several things, including what specific title they hold, where they live within the state of Texas and what their experience is. Those who have graduated from MSN programs in Texas can become a variety of different professionals: family nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, anesthetists, etc. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the annual median salary for a nurse midwife is $88,020 and for a nurse practitioner it is $97,710. The highest reported median salary is for a nurse anesthetist at $166,380.