Best Online MSN Schools in Tennessee for RN and BSN Graduates

Online MSN Programs in Tennessee: What to Know Before You Apply

A Master of Science in Nursing is the credential behind nurse practitioner licensure in Tennessee, along with roles in nurse-midwifery, informatics, nursing education, and administration. Most people earning one here are already working RNs who bring RN experience before NP school, which is why nearly every program in the state now delivers coursework online or in a hybrid format.

Entry points differ sharply by nursing degree levels. ADN-prepared RNs, diploma nurses, BSN holders, and career changers with a non-nursing bachelor's each qualify for different tracks, at different lengths and different total costs.

Online rarely means entirely remote. Tennessee schools still require supervised practicum hours, and several add campus intensives or on-site skills checks, which quietly narrows your options by geography.

These are Tennessee MSN programs that can be completed fully online or in a hybrid format that pairs online coursework with limited on-campus sessions. Entries are listed in order of overall program and institutional strength, not price or speed, and every school here holds nursing accreditation. Where a school's online footprint is narrow, that is noted in its entry.

How We Ranked Tennessee's Online MSN Programs

What actually goes into a list like this one? The honest answer: publicly reported numbers, not guesswork or marketing copy.

Each MSN program on this list was screened for online or hybrid delivery eligibility for Tennessee residents, then compared using net price, institution-wide graduation rate, and program-level outcomes where a school reports them separately. Those first two figures matter, but they describe the whole university, not the MSN cohort specifically. A school's overall graduation rate reflects undergraduates far more than its smaller graduate nursing population, and net price is a campus-wide average that may not match what a working RN pays for an online track with transfer credit.

What This List Doesn't Measure

This ranking does not account for NCLEX or certification exam pass rates, faculty-to-student ratios, or student satisfaction survey results. Many schools don't publish these figures at the program level, and where they do, methods vary too much for fair comparison. Treat this list as a starting filter, not a final verdict.

Reweight It for Your Own Priorities

If tuition is your biggest constraint, sort mentally by net price first and treat rank as secondary. If you already know you want a psychiatric mental health focus or an FNP program in Tennessee, filter for specialty availability before cost. If you're worried about finding preceptors on your own, weight clinical placement support heaviest and let the rest settle around it.

RN to MSN, BSN to MSN, or Direct Entry: Which Pathway You Qualify For

Tennessee's online MSN applicants tend to fall into five buckets, and the bucket you land in determines both how long you'll study and which schools will even read your file.

The five entry points

• ADN-prepared RN: You hold an associate degree in nursing and an active license. South College admits you through its RN to MSN track, and UT Knoxville accepts qualified ADN-prepared RNs into its RN to MSN pathway.
• Diploma RN: UT Knoxville explicitly accepts diploma-prepared RNs alongside ADN holders. South College's published MSN requirements name an associate nursing degree only, so diploma applicants should call admissions before assuming eligibility.
• BSN-prepared RN: The widest set of doors. South College, UT Knoxville, and ETSU , all featured among the Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee , admit BSN graduates directly into master's coursework.
• Non-nursing bachelor's holder who is already an RN: ETSU's RN to MSN is built specifically for this profile, and UT Knoxville admits these applicants once prerequisite science, behavioral science, and undergraduate nursing coursework is complete.
• Non-nursing associate holder: No established online MSN route in Tennessee. You'll need to earn an RN license first, usually through an ADN or accelerated BSN, then re-enter as one of the categories above.

Do you get a BSN along the way?

This question trips up more applicants than any other. ETSU states plainly that RN to MSN graduates are not awarded a BSN; you complete bridge coursework and finish with the master's alone. South College likewise does not confer an interim BSN. If holding a BSN credential matters to you for employer tuition rules, military advancement, or a future DNP application, confirm this in writing before you enroll.

Direct entry and bridge credit loads

None of the Tennessee online MSN programs reviewed here admit non-nurses into Direct Entry MSN Programs. Licensure comes first. Applicants without a nursing background typically route through an accelerated BSN, then apply to graduate study.

Bridge loads are modest where they're published. ETSU requires four bridge courses totaling 12 credit hours before master's-level coursework begins, roughly one additional term for most part-time students. South College sets a 3.0 cumulative GPA floor for both its RN to MSN and BSN to MSN entry points.

From RN License to MSN: The Typical Tennessee Timeline

Most Tennessee online MSN programs follow the same basic sequence, whether you start with an ADN or a BSN. Two of these steps apply only to ADN and diploma nurses moving through an RN to MSN bridge.

What an Online MSN Actually Costs in Tennessee, Start to Finish

Sticker tuition rarely tells the whole story with graduate nursing programs, because Tennessee schools increasingly bundle online course fees and specialized nursing charges into the per-credit rate. To budget honestly, any nursing school cost comparison should look past the base tuition number and add up the mandatory fees, then multiply by your program's total credit count.

What the Public Schools Charge

Tennessee's public universities publish resident and non-resident rates, and the widest gap is between those two.

• East Tennessee State University: Base tuition runs $672 per credit for Tennessee residents and $1,513 out of state. Depending on the concentration, MSN pathways range from 42 to 51 credits, putting resident tuition roughly between $28,224 and $34,272 before fees. Budget for an additional $150 per credit nursing course fee and $40 per credit online fee, which together add meaningfully to the total.
• Tennessee Tech: For 2026-2027, the online MSN blended rate is $817 per credit for residents and $957 for domestic out-of-state students, across 45 credits. That works out to about $36,765 in state and $43,065 out of state, excluding books and clinical costs. The blended rate already folds in a $150 online course fee and a $65 nursing specialized fee (capped at 10 credits per term).

What the Private Schools Charge

Private and career-focused schools use flat rates that don't vary by residency.

• Tennessee Wesleyan University: Tennessee Wesleyan University Tuition and Fees lists $700 per credit for 2026-2027, plus a $10 per credit online technology fee and a one-time $150 graduation fee.¹ Total program cost depends on your track's credit count, which the school has not published for every concentration.
• South College: Rather than a single per-credit rate, South College Tuition and Fees details billing by quarterly credit-load tiers, plus a $245 nursing fee and a $695 technology and services fee each quarter. A third-party estimate placed one 81-credit BSN-to-MSN psychiatric mental health track near $25,155, though that figure won't carry over to shorter concentrations.²

The Numbers Still Missing

For several well-known programs, including Vanderbilt, Belmont, Union University, and Southern Adventist, current 2026 online MSN per-credit tuition and total-credit figures aren't publicly confirmed, so any total would be guesswork. At UT Knoxville, published online support and nursing differential fees exist, but the base MSN tuition and full fee schedule aren't established. When you request information, ask each school for a written cost-of-attendance estimate tied to your specific concentration and residency status.

Fully Online Vs. Hybrid: Campus Visits, Intensives, and On-Site Skills Checks

South College is the clearest Tennessee example of a program that markets online coursework while still requiring in-person work: its MSN practicum courses in Nursing Informatics, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP, and Psychiatric-Mental Health NP must be completed at an approved location¹. Importantly, that language points to approved healthcare settings, not to a mandatory trip to the Knoxville or Nashville campus, and the school does not publish a set number of campus visits or their length.

"Online" Rarely Means Zero In-Person Hours

East Tennessee State University lists its MSN as an online program. What published materials do not spell out is whether every concentration runs fully at a distance or whether any track builds in campus time for orientation or competency checks. Be careful about assumptions here: some universities describe start-of-semester intensives or on-campus requirements for their DNP programs in Tennessee, and those rules do not automatically apply to the master's level. If you read a requirement on a nursing school's website, confirm which degree it governs before you plan travel.

Across other Tennessee schools, current published delivery details are thin enough that we would not tell you a program is fully online or hybrid without confirmation from the school itself.

Three Different Kinds of On-Site Requirements

When a program does require you to show up somewhere, the reason matters:

• Skills and competency validation: physical assessment check-offs, simulation, or procedural sign-offs. These usually cannot be waived and often recur each clinical term.
• Orientation or immersion: typically once per program, front-loaded, and easier to plan around.
• Capstone or scholarly presentation: a single appearance near graduation, sometimes offered by video.

The Question to Ask Admissions

Before you deposit, email the program coordinator this: "For my specific concentration and start term, how many times will I be required to be physically present, where, for how many days each, and is that per semester or once for the whole program?" Ask for the answer in writing. A vague reply is itself useful information, and a program that cannot quantify its travel burden is a program you cannot budget for.

Who Finds Your Clinical Placement, You or the School?

The short answer: it depends. If you are comparing online MSN programs in Tennessee, make clinical placement responsibility one of your first questions. Some schools arrange sites through existing partnerships; others expect you to find a site and preceptor on your own.

Tennessee Tech University's 2025-2026 MSN is a clear example of the student-arranged model. You identify a clinical site and preceptor in your local community, and the school does not permit your workplace to serve as the clinical site. A signed clinical site agreement and faculty approval are required before you start, and those steps connect to the broader process covered in Navigating Nursing Approval and Accreditation in Tennessee. The preceptor must hold an unrestricted state license, a master's degree, at least 1 year of experience, and national certification, and you are responsible for preceptor compensation. For NP students, the preceptor requirement spans 1 semester.

Vanderbilt University paints a different picture for 2025-2026: a clinical site affiliation agreement is required, and a preceptor may not accompany you at a non-affiliated site. This effectively keeps placement within the school's established partnership network.

In practice, many students in Tennessee MSN programs will find that placement relies on both school infrastructure and individual initiative. Confirm the exact model before enrolling, because it affects where you can complete hours, who qualifies as a preceptor, and whether you need to budget for preceptor compensation.

Online MSN Options for Nurses in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga

For many Tennessee nurses, an online MSN program does not mean a program with no physical footprint. It means coursework is online, but intensives, skills checks, and clinical rotations often happen near the school's city or within its hospital network. Knowing which programs are close to you matters before you apply.

East Tennessee: Knoxville and the Tri-Cities

In Knoxville, South College offers an online MSN with an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track, making it one of several Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Programs in Tennessee. Farther east, East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, King University in Bristol, Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, and Tusculum University in Greeneville form a Tri-Cities cluster. These options are convenient if you live near Knoxville, Johnson City, or Bristol and want shorter travel for any required campus sessions.

Middle Tennessee: Nashville and Nearby Suburbs

Nashville has the largest concentration. Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, and Tennessee State University are all in Nashville itself. Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Cumberland University in Lebanon, and Tennessee Tech in Cookeville sit within commuting range of the metro. This cluster gives Nashville-area nurses multiple hybrid and online choices for skills days and clinical sites.

West Tennessee and Chattanooga

In Memphis, the University of Memphis offers hybrid MSN tracks. Union University in Jackson serves West Tennessee. Chattanooga-area nurses can look to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Southern Adventist University in Collegedale.

East Tennessee options are spread across Johnson City, Bristol, Harrogate, Greeneville, and Knoxville, while Middle Tennessee clusters heavily around Nashville and its suburbs. West Tennessee runs through Memphis and Jackson, and Chattanooga has two local choices. Proximity still matters in online programs because clinical hours cannot be completed remotely. Schools often have agreements with regional hospitals and preceptors, and on-campus intensives or skills validations may require a drive. If you are fully online, coursework may be location-flexible, but you should confirm where you can complete clinical hours before committing, just as you would when comparing the Best Online RN to BSN Programs in Tennessee as a step toward an MSN.

Admission Requirements for Tennessee Online MSN Programs

Tennessee has no single statewide admissions rule for online MSN programs, requirements shift by school and by pathway. Still, the same core items surface on nearly every application, and knowing them early lets you close gaps before deadlines.

1. Active, unencumbered RN license

   Every Tennessee online MSN program expects a current RN license in good standing. Tennessee State University's FNP track specifies an unencumbered Tennessee license, while Vanderbilt requires graduation from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited nursing school plus an unencumbered license.
2. Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0

   A 3.0 is the common floor at Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech, East Tennessee State University, and Herzing. Some programs build in flexibility: Tennessee Tech lists a 2.75 provisional admission floor, and the University of Memphis may admit applicants in the 2.75–2.99 range after they earn a B or better in two graduate nursing courses taken as a non-degree student.
3. Prerequisite coursework

   Undergraduate statistics is the most frequently required course, Tennessee State University asks for 3 semester hours (or 4 quarter hours), and the University of Memphis also requires it. Health assessment is commonly expected as part of BSN preparation.
4. RN work experience

   Tennessee State University expects applicants to be in current clinical practice. Acute care tracks go further: the University of Memphis AGACNP track requires two years of full-time RN experience within the last three years in ICU and/or ER, documented by a manager or director letter.
5. References, goal statement, and interview

   Three references are standard at Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech, and the University of Memphis. Expect a personal or goal statement, Memphis asks applicants to discuss prior professional experience, and be prepared for an interview at programs that use one to assess specialty fit.
6. GRE policy

   The GRE is generally not required for the Tennessee MSN programs reviewed here. Herzing's Direct Entry MSN explicitly waives it, and broader Tennessee program listings do not show a general GRE requirement. Always confirm on the program's current admissions page, since testing policies change.
7. Pathway-specific extras

   ADN and diploma RNs will not find a direct-to-MSN route at most Tennessee public universities; East Tennessee State University instead admits applicants holding a non-nursing bachelor's plus an RN license, requiring four bridge courses (NRSE 3525, NRSE 4620, NRSE 3200, NRSE 3510) before master's-level registration. Non-nurses with a bachelor's in another field can pursue Herzing's Direct Entry MSN, which requires a TEAS aggregate score of 66.

Accreditation, Board Approval, and When to Apply

Which Tennessee MSN programs hold CCNE accreditation, and which hold ACEN? Both bodies are legitimate, but the split matters when you are matching a program against certification and employer requirements.

CCNE, ACEN, and the Retired NLNAC Label

Among the Tennessee schools with confirmed status, Tennessee State University's MSN is accredited by ACEN, while Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee State University, and Vanderbilt hold CCNE accreditation for their master's programs. Vanderbilt's most recent CCNE review took place in January 2026.

One caution: older program directories and outdated school pages still reference NLNAC, the former name of ACEN. If a listing cites NLNAC accreditation, treat it as stale information and verify current status directly with the school or the accreditor before you rely on it. Tennessee Tech's earlier statewide online MSN offering, for example, carried ACEN accreditation only through Fall 2019 before the program's accreditation picture changed.

Why Board Approval Sits Alongside Accreditation

Accreditation alone is not the whole picture. Each of these programs also carries approval from the Tennessee Board of Nursing: Tennessee State and Vanderbilt hold full approval, Tennessee Tech reports full approval without deficiencies, and MTSU's programs are Board-approved. That combination is what national certification boards look for when they verify your eligibility to sit for an NP exam, and it is typically what employers require before they will release tuition reimbursement funds. A program missing either piece can quietly cost you both.

Deadlines and Pacing

Tennessee State publishes term-based MSN deadlines: February 15 for summer, June 15 for fall, and October 15 for spring. Its online Family Nurse Practitioner track runs on its own calendar, with August 1 for fall and December 1 for spring entry, and can be completed in six semesters full-time or seven to eight part-time, both including a summer term.

Application deadlines and part-time pacing for Tennessee Tech, MTSU, and Vanderbilt are not published in the sources reviewed here, so contact those admissions offices directly. Multiple annual entry points, where offered, reduce the cost of missing any single deadline.

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