RN to MSN programs in Louisiana let you go from an associate degree or diploma to an MSN. You don’t need a separate BSN first. Most take two to three years. Nurse practitioner, nurse midwife and clinical nurse specialist tracks lead to advanced practice licensure. That takes national certification and approval from the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
If you’re an RN with an associate degree (ADN), you don’t have to finish a BSN before starting a master’s. That’s the basic deal with RN to MSN programs anywhere: bachelor’s-level courses come first, then the graduate core. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) counts 155 of these programs nationwide, as of May 2026.
Pick your role before you compare schools. Nurse practitioner (NP), nurse midwife and clinical nurse specialist tracks lead to licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Education and leadership tracks don’t. The Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) reports that APRN programs in the state admitted 867 students in 2025. Of those, 695 entered NP programs.
RN to MSN Programs in Louisiana
The Four APRN Roles in Louisiana
LSBN licenses four APRN roles, and you can’t practice in any of them or use the title without that license. Here’s what each takes for a nurse starting a program now.
| APRN Role | Education for New Students | National Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Certified nurse practitioner (CNP) | Graduate NP program in a population focus, such as family or psychiatric-mental health | An NP exam in that population focus |
| Certified nurse midwife (CNM) | Graduate midwifery program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) | American Midwifery Certification Board exam |
| Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) | Graduate CNS program in a population focus | A CNS exam in that population focus |
| Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | Accredited doctoral nurse anesthesia program | National Certification Examination |
Education, administration and clinical nurse leader tracks don’t lead to a license. LSBN’s 2025 report says the board has no jurisdiction over those programs. You keep practicing on your RN license.
Nurse Anesthesia Now Takes a Doctorate
If anesthesia is your goal, an MSN alone won’t qualify you as a new student. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) sets the rule. Students accepted into accredited entry-level programs on or after January 1, 2022 must graduate with a doctoral degree. An RN to MSN program can still lead to the other three APRN roles.
Louisiana Schools With LSBN-Approved Graduate Nursing Programs
LSBN’s 2025 Nursing Education Capacity report lists graduate nursing programs at these Louisiana schools, as checked in November 2026:
- Dillard University, New Orleans: MSN in nursing education and nursing administration
- Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, Baton Rouge: MSN family nurse practitioner (FNP), nurse educator and nurse administrator
- Grambling State University, Grambling: MSN FNP, pediatric NP and nurse educator
- Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing (ICMSN): FNP, psychiatric-mental health NP, adult health NP and CNS, educator and executive tracks
- Loyola University New Orleans: MSN FNP, adult NP, psychiatric-mental health NP and certified midwife (CM)
- LSU Health New Orleans: MSN nurse educator and clinical nurse leader. Its NP, CNS and midwifery tracks are doctoral. An older MSN nurse anesthesia listing remains, but COA’s doctoral rule covers new students.
- Northwestern State University, Shreveport: MSN FNP, pediatric, women’s health, adult-gerontology and psychiatric NP tracks, plus nurse educator and administrator
- Southern University at Baton Rouge: MSN FNP, gerontology NP and CNS, nurse educator and nurse administrator
- University of Louisiana Monroe: MSN FNP and clinical nurse leader/nurse administrator
ICMSN is one MSN shared by McNeese State, Nicholls State, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Loyola’s midwifery listing is a certified midwife (CM) program. That’s a separate credential from the CNM role LSBN licenses.
Being on this list doesn’t mean a school offers a direct ADN to MSN route. It also doesn’t mean every track is admitting students. Ask each school which entry routes it offers now.
LSBN approval and accreditation are separate, too. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) notes a program can be board-approved but not accredited. Check the specific program’s current status with ACEN or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Online Programs and Neighboring States
LSBN’s report also lists out-of-state graduate programs approved to offer clinical experiences in Louisiana. If your program isn’t on that list, ask how it handles Louisiana clinical placements before you enroll.
If you hold a multistate RN license, it already crosses state lines through the Nurse Licensure Compact. Louisiana’s membership took effect July 1, 2019, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas are compact states too. A multistate RN license covers RN practice in those states, but not APRN practice. Each state licenses APRNs on its own. If you live near the state line, compare RN to MSN programs in Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas as well.
Admission Requirements
Each program sets its own rules. Common requirements include:
- An active, unencumbered RN license (Louisiana or multistate)
- Official transcripts and a minimum GPA set by the program
- Letters of recommendation
- A criminal background check
- RN work experience, which some NP tracks require
- GRE or MAT scores, at some programs
What You’ll Study
The structure depends on the degree you start with. Some programs admit RNs with a diploma or ADN, and others admit only BSN holders.
An ADN to MSN bridge starts with the bachelor’s-level courses your associate degree didn’t cover. AACN notes that many of these programs award both a BSN and an MSN.
With a BSN, you start at the graduate level. APRN tracks add advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology and advanced physical assessment. For its FNP exam, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) requires separate graduate courses in all three.
Clinical Hours and Placements
Clinical hour minimums depend on your certification. For its FNP exam, ANCC requires at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours in the FNP program. Other boards and programs may set different or higher numbers, so confirm with both. Before you enroll, ask whether the program arranges your preceptors or expects you to find them.
APRN Licensure With the Louisiana State Board of Nursing
You can’t practice as an APRN in Louisiana until LSBN issues your license. Here’s the sequence from LSBN’s instructions for APRN licensure by examination, as checked in November 2026:
- Hold a current Louisiana RN license, or a multistate RN license from another compact state.
- Finish a graduate degree or post-graduate certificate in your role and population focus at an accredited school.
- Pass your national certification exam in that same role and focus.
- Apply through the LSBN Nurse Portal and pay the $100 nonrefundable fee.
- Have your school send official transcripts and the AP2 education verification form directly to LSBN.
- Have your certifying board send verification of your certification directly to LSBN.
- Upload a government-issued photo ID and mail a notarized Affidavit of Verification.
- Get fingerprinted at IdentoGO for state police and FBI background checks.
You must finish every requirement within one year of LSBN receiving your application. For licensure by examination, you must also have completed your APRN program within the preceding two years. If more time has passed, ask LSBN about your route.
Your first license runs for the calendar year. After that, you renew every two years, and licenses lapse on January 31 if you miss renewal.
National Certification Boards by Role
Your certification has to match the role and population focus on your Louisiana license. Confirm your board is on LSBN’s list of advanced practice national certifying organizations before you register.
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), now branded NPCB: nurse practitioners, including the FNP-C
- ANCC: nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, including the FNP-BC
- American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: acute care nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists
- Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB): pediatric nurse practitioners
- National Certification Corporation (NCC): women’s health and neonatal nurse practitioners
- American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB): CNMs from ACME-accredited programs who hold an active RN license. Its CM credential is separate.
- National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA): nurse anesthetists
Prescriptive Authority and Collaborative Practice in Louisiana
In Louisiana, APRN diagnosis and prescribing happen under a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) with a physician. Before you diagnose, write orders or prescribe, LSBN must approve your prescriptive authority. That’s a separate application, filed only after your APRN license is active.
LSBN’s prescriptive authority instructions, revised May 2026, set the conditions. You must have graduated in the last two years or logged at least 500 APRN practice hours in that span. Your collaborating physician must practice in Louisiana, in a specialty comparable to yours. LSBN approves no more than two collaborating physicians per practice site. With only one and no alternate-physician policy, you can’t diagnose, write orders or prescribe in that physician’s absence.
You sign the CPA on LSBN’s template and keep it at your practice site. You don’t send it to LSBN. Instead, you upload an Attestation of Collaborative Practice, mail a notarized affidavit and pay a $100 fee. LSBN closes applications it hasn’t approved within 60 days of receipt.
Controlled substances take extra steps. You complete a board-approved three-hour continuing education course and write a letter explaining your need. The course is a one-time requirement, and it counts toward your annual pharmacotherapeutics hours. After LSBN approves, you get a state controlled dangerous substance (CDS) license from the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy. You also need a federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration for the same schedules. Send LSBN copies of both within 30 days of its approval letter. LSBN’s attestation also bars APRNs from prescribing controlled substances to treat chronic pain or obesity.
Prescriptive authority comes with ongoing duties. You need six contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics continuing education every year. You need LSBN’s written approval for a collaborating physician before you practice with them. Adding a physician or site takes a change application with a $50 fee. Report every change in writing within 30 days. The rules come from the Nurse Practice Act (La. R.S. 37:911 et seq.) and LSBN’s rules in LAC 46:XLVII. Rules change, so check LSBN’s current instructions before you sign an agreement.
Louisiana Salaries and Job Outlook for MSN-Prepared Nurses
Louisiana nurse practitioners earned a median of $125,600 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s below the national NP median of $132,300. Louisiana nurse anesthetists earned a median of $222,130, against $236,590 nationally. Nurse midwives earned $119,280, but BLS counted only about 60 in the state. For comparison, the median for all Louisiana registered nurses was $80,230.
Projections Central estimates 31.5% growth in Louisiana nurse practitioner jobs between 2024 and 2034, with about 380 openings a year. It projects 3.5% growth for nurse anesthetists and 2.2% for registered nurses, with about 2,580 RN openings a year. Louisiana’s nurse midwife workforce is too small for a reliable state projection. Nationally, BLS projects 11% growth for nurse midwives from 2025 to 2035.
| Occupation | Louisiana Median Wage (May 2025) | Projected Job Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Practitioners | $125,600 | 31.5% (Louisiana, 2024-2034) |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $222,130 | 3.5% (Louisiana, 2024-2034) |
| Nurse Midwives | $119,280 | 11% (national, 2025-2035) |
| Registered Nurses (comparison) | $80,230 | 2.2% (Louisiana, 2024-2034) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I go from ADN to MSN in Louisiana?
Yes, at programs that offer that entry route. Bridge programs admit RNs with an ADN or diploma and add bachelor’s-level courses first. LSBN’s list doesn’t show which schools do, so ask each one. Confirm its CCNE or ACEN accreditation separately.
Do nurse practitioners in Louisiana need a collaborative practice agreement?
Yes, to diagnose and prescribe. You sign a CPA with a physician who practices in Louisiana in a comparable specialty. LSBN must approve your prescriptive authority before you write orders or prescriptions.
Can I become a nurse anesthetist through an RN to MSN program?
Not by itself. COA requires students accepted into accredited entry-level programs on or after January 1, 2022 to graduate with a doctoral degree. An RN to MSN program can still lead to the NP, nurse midwife or CNS role.
Can I apply for Louisiana APRN licensure with a multistate RN license?
Yes. LSBN accepts a current multistate RN license from another compact state as your RN base. The APRN license itself comes from LSBN and covers Louisiana practice. The compact covers RN practice, not APRN practice.
How long does an RN to MSN program take?
AACN says RN to MSN programs generally take two to three years. Your timeline depends on your entry degree, your pace and your track. Clinical hours vary by certification, and ANCC’s FNP exam requires at least 500.
- Pick the role first: NP, nurse midwife and CNS tracks lead to LSBN APRN licensure, while education and leadership tracks don’t.
- CRNA means a doctorate: entry-level nurse anesthesia students accepted since January 1, 2022 must graduate with one.
- Licensure needs certification: LSBN wants a program finished within two years, matching national certification and a $100 application.
- Prescribing needs a CPA: you need an LSBN-approved collaborating Louisiana physician before you diagnose, write orders or prescribe.
- A multistate RN license travels: Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas are compact states, but each licenses APRNs separately.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives and Registered Nurses. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2026. National job outlook figures (2025-2035) are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Once you’ve picked a role, the next decision is format: campus, hybrid or online coursework with clinicals near home. The schools listed here include online options, so ask each how it arranges Louisiana clinical placements.