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Nursing to MBA: How RNs Can Move into Business and Leadership
Discover how nurses can move from direct patient care into leadership roles with broader organizational impact.
Expand beyond the bedside with the right leadership degree
Nurses considering an MBA are often looking for more than a career change. Many want to build stronger leadership, finance, operations, and decision-making skills they can apply in healthcare and beyond.
Depending on your background and goals, the right next step may be a standalone MBA, an MSN in Nursing Leadership and Administration, or a dual MSN/MBA pathway. Each option offers a different mix of business knowledge, nursing leadership development, and career flexibility. The best fit depends on where you are now and where you want to go next.
Here’s what you need to know about potentially pursuing an MBA and/or an MSN in nursing leadership and administration:
1. MBA pathway options for current RNs
Your pathway to an MBA, or potentially a dual MSN/MBA combination, can vary widely based on the highest degree in nursing you’ve already earned. We’ve built our nursing school to provide the perfect pathway from where you are now to where you want to be:
ASN to MBA
Earn a BSN, then enroll in a dual MSN/MBA pathway to build advanced nursing knowledge and core business principles.
- Time to complete: 36 monthsi
- Programs: RN to BSN, Dual MSN-NLA/MBA
BSN to MBA
Current BSN holders may choose our dual MSN/MBA pathway, designed for nurses seeking to strengthen their clinical and business acumen.
- Time to complete: 24 monthsi
- Program: Dual MSN-NLA/MBA
Nurses considering developing core business skills and open to potential opportunities outside healthcare may consider our standalone MBA program.
- Time to complete: 12 monthsi
- Program: BSN to MBA
MSN to MBA
MSN-prepared nurses may consider strengthening their educational foundations in business principles by pursuing an MBA.
- Time to complete: 12 monthsi
- Program: MBA
MSN nurses have the option to reproduce the comprehensive “dual degree” experience by earning a post master’s certificate in nursing leadership and administration and an MBA.
- Time to complete: 24 monthsi
- Programs: PMC in Nursing Leadership and Administration, MBA
iBased on average program lengths for students attending full-time. In the case of tracks with multiple programs, average program lengths are added together.
Choosing MBA and/or MSN
2. Identify which educational pathway is right for you
Nurses considering an MBA should also be aware of a broadly similar MSN in Nursing Leadership and Administration curriculum.
If you are looking to move on from the bedside into organizational leadership, an MSN-NLA curriculum can also help you develop a more nursing and healthcare-related skillset
MBA vs. MSN-NLA degree comparison
| MBA | MSN-NLA | |
| Primary focus | Business leadership, strategy, finance, operations, analytics, and organizational decision-making | Nursing leadership, healthcare systems, administration, quality, policy, and nurse executive preparation |
| Best fit for… | Nurses who want stronger business and executive leadership skills, including finance, strategy, and operations | Nurses who want to advance in nursing leadership and administration while staying rooted in nursing practice |
| Degree lens | Business-first | Nursing-first |
| Who it is designed for | Graduate students seeking broad leadership preparation in business settings; useful for nurses who want business acumen | Licensed RNs with a BSN who want to move into nurse leadership and administrative roles |
| Core skills developed | Financial management, strategic planning, analytics, project management, technology management, change leadership, and organizational leadership | Healthcare leadership, nursing informatics, quality improvement, policy, systems thinking, resource management, and interprofessional leadership |
| Nursing relevance | Lower; this is not a nursing degree | High; this is a graduate nursing degree specifically focused on leadership and administration |
| Clinical practicum component | No nursing clinical component; includes a capstone or internship option | Includes direct care coursework and practicum experiences, with clinical hours built into the program |
| Career direction | Broader administrative, operational, business, and executive growth, including roles that benefit from strong business fluency | Nurse manager, nurse administrator, director-level nursing leadership, and other nursing-centered leadership roles |
| Bottom-line reason to choose it | Choose this if the main goal is to build business acumen as a nurse leader | Choose this if the main goal is to build nursing leadership depth within healthcare systems |
Maximize your qualifications with both degrees
Our dual degree MSN-NLA/MBA pathway represents a powerful combination of both curriculums. Nurses who earn this comprehensive graduate-level education can potentially compete for some of the highest leadership positions in the field of nursing.
By completing both programs at once (at your own pace), you can minimize academic overlap, saving substantial time and cost compared to earning both degrees separately.
Benefits of an MBA
3. The benefits of an MBA for registered nurses
Your qualifications as an experienced nursing professional with an emphasis on the business of healthcare will jump off a resume:
- A BSN-prepared registered nurse who earns an MBA can build the business, leadership, and strategic decision-making skills required to better understand healthcare operations and pursue leadership or administrative careers.
- A nurse practitioner with a master’s degree may pursue an MBA to improve their business skills and start their own practice, or join another in a business leadership role.
- A nursing educator with many years teaching in a clinical practice and an MSN may earn an MBA to pivot their career in a more business-oriented direction.
- A nursing leader or administrator with an MSN can add an MBA to their resume to make them highly qualified for a position in business leadership in a medical institution.
You can potentially consider starting a nursing-related business
Nurses with a desire to work for themselves may consider building several different types of businesses:
- Nurse consulting
- Home care or care management services
- Nursing education or training
- Care coordination or patient advocacy
- Wellness or health coaching
- Healthcare staffing and/or recruiting
Starting a nursing-related business requires more than clinical expertise. It also takes the ability to plan strategically, manage resources, understand financial decisions, and lead through change. Nurses interested in entrepreneurship can benefit from developing stronger business skills that support long-term growth and sustainability.
Our MBA program is designed to help you build those capabilities. You can expand on your nursing experience with practical knowledge in organizational leadership, business analytics, and strategic decision-making, helping you better assess opportunities, guide teams, and make informed decisions in a healthcare business environment.
4. Advancing your skills: you can develop strong management and leadership capabilities
Advanced master’s degree curriculums in nursing leadership and business administration can help you build a broader leadership skill set for today’s complex healthcare environment. Coursework is designed to connect clinical insight with business strategy, helping you grow in areas such as:
- Strategic planning and organizational leadership
- Economics, finance, and budgeting
- Quality improvement and risk management
- Operations and change management
- Talent development and human capital strategy
- Business analytics and data-informed decision-making
- Ethical leadership and systems-based thinking
These competencies can help you better understand how healthcare organizations function and prepare to pursue roles that require both nursing expertise and business-focused leadership.
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Discover the educational pathway designed to maximize your career potential. Reach for greater heights with Herzing University.
Job Opportunities
5. Potential job opportunities in leadership & administration
MBA degrees (and MSN degrees) can open doors to leadership positions in nursing, or even advance to senior leadership positions and executive level roles, including job titles such as:
- Nurse Manager. Nurse Managers oversee a team of nurses and additional healthcare staff. You’ll have a critical role in patient care and improving outcomes for an organization.
- Nurse Administrator. Nurse Administrators are responsible for a wide array of managerial roles within a healthcare institution with the primary purpose of delivering the best patient care.
- Healthcare Manager. You’ll learn the inner workings of the healthcare system, helping hospitals, small practices, insurance companies and other institutions adapt to evolving trends in healthcare.
- Director of Nursing (DON). A Director of Nursing is a RN who manages the care of all patients in a healthcare institution. It’s a supervisory role in which you’ll facilitate communication between patients and doctors, as well as manage staff.
- Chief Nursing Officer/Executive (CNO/CNE). These titles are used for the highest management position in nursing. CNO/CNE’s are the senior nursing supervisors charged with improving patient care. They are part of the C-Suite level executives.
Job descriptions associated with the title will vary based on the medical organization. Ongoing experience as a registered nurse plus an MSN/MBA degree can put you in the running for these kinds of positions.
Salary Potential
6. Salary potential with an MBA and/or MSN
The degree combination of BSN and MBA can result in a wide variety of different types of jobs with a broad pay range (roughly $98,430-$137,730 annually, according to BLS data below).
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides multiple relevant occupational categories which generally reflect the broad range of salaries you may be able to compete for with the required education and experience:
Average salary estimates for roles in nursing and business*
Average salary | ||
| Career | Per year | Per hour |
| Registered nurses | $98,430 | $47.32 |
| General and operations managers | $133,120 | $64.00 |
| Medical and health service managers | $137,730 | $66.22 |
Nurses who earn “Chief” or C-suite titles such as Chief Nursing Officer may earn substantially higher salaries depending on the size of the institution and specific roles and responsibilities.
For Career Changers
7. Considerations for those interested in changing career paths
You’ve already invested a lot to earn your nursing degree. Going back to college for something new is a daunting prospect. However, advancing your education to the master’s degree level can put you in a position to start making a new kind of difference as a nurse at the systems level.
Both MBA and MSN programs can help you develop the knowledge and skills to move on from the bedside but still make a meaningful impact in healthcare.
Your frustration may stem from a job problem rather than a career problem
A mismanaged organization with a poor culture, a bad boss, burnout or lack of progression can make nurses feel inadequately empowered in an otherwise very rewarding career. The everyday stress of patient care combined with little support from an employer is a formula for very understandable impatience to find something new.
Sometimes an addition of knowledge, skills and attitudes can be empowering as an individual and help you reinvigorate your career to a new and exciting future.
The best answer might be advancement rather than outright career change
You have a wealth of experience in a high value field and you can use it to your advantage. A career change from bedside nursing to business or leadership is a common way for nurses to take the next step into new responsibilities.
Nurses who earn an MSN or MBA will be strongly considered for business and leadership roles in healthcare facilities. Combining your experience in nursing with a master’s degree puts you in an excellent position to make the most of what you’ve accomplished and reach new heights as a nurse leader.
Our MBA program is designed to help develop these competencies. You can build on your nursing background with practical business knowledge that supports your ability to evaluate opportunities, lead teams, and make informed decisions in a healthcare-focused business setting.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best online graduate nursing and MBA programs in 2026
The future you want is worth building
You have already built valuable experience in one of the most important professions in healthcare.
The next step is choosing the graduate path that best supports the future you want to pursue. An MBA, an MSN in Nursing Leadership and Administration, or a dual MSN/MBA pathway can help you expand your leadership potential in different ways.
We can help you identify the kind of leader you want to become and help make that vision a reality. Your highest career ambitions are possible with Herzing University.
Learn more about our online dual degree MSN/MBA pathway
* BLS pay estimates calculate the median annual wage for various occupations. Per the BLS the median wage for an occupation is: "The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey." Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2024. BLS median wage estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geographic market in which you want to work, and degree level and field, will affect career outcomes, including starting salary and earnings as an experienced employee. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the median salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, particular wage or salary, or other career growth.