During the fall 2025 semester, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences launched the first Registered Nurse-Master of Science in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner program in Colorado for registered nurses looking to advance their careers.
The online program provides students with a flexible, shorter and more affordable opportunity to become nurse practitioners.
“There is a shortage of nurse practitioners in Colorado Springs, and this program will fast-track these professionals’ careers,” said Department Chair of Nursing and assistant professor Katie Busby.
According to Busby, the program was launched after only a year and a half of organizing and has grown quickly from one to 11 students in the spring 2026 semester. It’s accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, similar to UCCS’ other nursing programs.
The program accounts for experience, allowing practicing RNs to become NPs in about 18 to 24 months, rather than six years, but the program is ultimately self-paced according to Busby.
Traditionally, those with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) would need to earn a bachelor’s degree before studying for an additional two years to earn their master’s in nursing and becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP), but the Registered Nurse-Master of Science in Nursing (RN-MSN) program doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree.
The program mimics the traditional MSN path. Students are expected to complete the MSN core courses and one of three specialty tracks which are primary care adult-gerontology NP, primary care family NP and psychiatric-mental health NP.
Students must complete a minimum of 47 graduate-level credit hours and finish all courses with at least a B (84 percent) to graduate. Courses include, but are not limited to, philosophical foundations of advanced nursing practice, research and knowledge translation in nursing, clinical pharmacotherapeutics and more.
The RN to MSN Pathway at the Graduate Nursing Department operates on a monthly rolling admissions cycle and applications will be accepted and reviewed as they arrive within the monthly deadline.
Admission requirements include, but are not limited to, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, a copy of your RN license from eligible states, 5,000 hours of professional RN practice and the completion of the six-credit RN (ADN) to MSN bridge course. A comprehensive list of requirements and further information can be found here.
To learn more about the program and application process, students can contact Debbie Schultze, the academic services senior professional staff of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, at [email protected].
Students practice nursing. Photo by the UCCS Photography Database.
2026-02-02