2027 Online Nursing Doctorate vs Master's Degree: Cost, Salary, Career Outcomes, and ROI
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing between an online nursing doctorate and a master's degree is a high-stakes financial and career decision. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a May 2024 median salary of $129,210 for nurse practitioners, but doctorate-level roles do not always pay enough more to offset extra tuition and time.
This guide is for registered nurses, MSN applicants, APRNs, educators, and nurse leaders comparing cost, salary potential, career access, opportunity cost, and ROI so they can choose the degree level that actually fits their goals.
Key Things You Should Know
- A master's degree is usually the faster and lower-cost route to advanced practice, education, informatics, and leadership roles, while a doctorate is most valuable when it is required or strongly preferred for nurse anesthesia, executive leadership, faculty advancement, research, or system-level practice improvement.
- BLS May 2024 median pay was $129,210 for nurse practitioners, $117,960 for medical and health services managers, and $223,210 for nurse anesthetists, so the best ROI often comes from aligning the credential with a high-value role.
- Opportunity cost can outweigh tuition differences; a doctorate may add one to four years beyond a master's, so nurses should compare total tuition, fees, clinical or project hours, reduced work income, interest on debt, employer funding, and the salary premium they realistically expect.
What Are the Key Differences Between an Online Nursing Doctorate and Master's Degree?
An online nursing master's degree, usually an MSN, prepares registered nurses for advanced clinical practice, nurse education, leadership, informatics, public health, or administration. An online nursing doctorate may be a practice-focused DNP, a research-focused PhD in Nursing, or a specialized professional doctorate such as a DNAP for nurse anesthesia.
The core difference is not simply "higher degree versus lower degree." It is whether your target role needs advanced practice preparation, doctoral-level practice leadership, original research training, or eligibility for a credential that now requires doctoral education.
For nurses still comparing pathway options before graduate study, lists of online nursing programs can help clarify the range of degree levels, formats, and tuition structures available before committing to a master's or doctorate.
The table below summarizes the practical differences that matter most for decision-making. Use it to check whether the doctorate adds career access you cannot get with a master's degree, or whether it mainly adds prestige without enough financial return for your goal.
| Comparison point | Online nursing master's degree | Online nursing doctorate |
| Common degree types | MSN, MS in Nursing, MSN-MBA, MSN in Nursing Education, MSN-FNP, MSN Leadership | DNP, PhD in Nursing, DNAP, EdD with nursing education focus in some cases |
| Primary purpose | Advanced clinical, education, leadership, administration, informatics, or population health preparation | Highest-level clinical practice, system leadership, evidence translation, research, faculty work, or specialty credential requirements |
| Typical applicant | BSN-prepared RN, associate-degree RN in RN-to-MSN tracks, or MSN applicant seeking APRN preparation | BSN-to-DNP student, MSN-to-DNP student, MSN-prepared APRN, nurse executive, educator, or research-focused nurse |
| Admissions emphasis | RN license, accredited nursing degree, GPA, prerequisite statistics or health assessment in some programs, professional references | RN or APRN license, prior graduate preparation for post-master's tracks, scholarly writing, leadership experience, research fit for PhD, clinical hours documentation for DNP |
| Best fit | Nurses who need an efficient credential for APRN, educator, manager, informatics, or public health roles | Nurses pursuing roles where doctoral preparation is required, preferred, or clearly tied to advancement |
| Main risk | Choosing a specialization that does not match state licensure, certification, or local employer demand | Paying for a doctorate that does not produce a meaningful salary premium or new career access |
A master's degree is not automatically "less than" a doctorate in labor-market value. In nursing, an MSN can be the required credential for many high-demand roles, while a doctorate can be financially powerful only when it connects to a specific outcome such as nurse anesthesia entry, executive promotion, tenure-track research, or advanced practice leadership.
How Much Does an Online Nursing Doctorate Cost Compared With a Master's Degree?
An online nursing doctorate usually costs more than a master's degree because it requires more credits, more project or dissertation work, and often more practicum or clinical hours. However, the total price varies widely by school type, residency requirements, transfer credits, employer tuition benefits, and whether the student enters with a BSN or an MSN.
The latest NCES graduate tuition tables released in 2024 show average annual graduate tuition and required fees of $12,596 at public institutions and $29,931 at private nonprofit institutions for the 2022-23 academic year.
For nursing students, this means the public-versus-private choice can matter as much as the master's-versus-doctorate choice, especially when doctoral programs require additional years.
The table below compares the main cost categories rather than pretending every school charges the same price. It can help you spot where a lower advertised tuition rate may still lead to a higher total cost.
| Cost factor | Master's degree impact | Doctorate impact | What to verify before enrolling |
| Credits required | Usually fewer credits than a doctorate, especially for non-APRN tracks | Usually more credits, especially BSN-to-DNP and PhD programs | Total credits after transfer review, not just per-credit tuition |
| Clinical, practicum, project, or dissertation costs | Clinical placement fees may apply in APRN tracks | DNP projects, PhD dissertation expenses, statistics software, travel, and committee-related costs may add to total cost | Whether the school arranges placements and whether travel or campus intensives are required |
| Online fees | May include technology, distance learning, simulation, or proctoring fees | May include the same fees for a longer period | Program-level fee schedule, not just university-wide tuition |
| Lost work time | Often easier to complete while working, though APRN clinical hours can reduce work capacity | More likely to require reduced hours during clinical, research, dissertation, or capstone phases | Whether part-time enrollment is allowed and how clinical hours are scheduled |
| Funding availability | Employer tuition assistance may cover part of the cost | PhD programs may offer assistantships; many DNP programs are self-funded | Net cost after scholarships, assistantships, tuition remission, and employer reimbursement |
If you are specifically comparing doctoral options, reviewing the cheapest online nursing PhD programs can be useful, but price should be weighed alongside accreditation, faculty research fit, completion support, and whether the program is realistic for working nurses.
To estimate your real cost, calculate the full degree price before applying. A practical cost comparison should include these steps:
- Multiply tuition per credit by the number of credits you personally must complete after transfer or prior graduate credit review.
- Add mandatory fees, clinical placement fees, technology fees, background checks, immunizations, travel, residencies, software, books, and certification exam preparation if applicable.
- Subtract employer reimbursement, scholarships, assistantships, tuition remission, military benefits, and grants that do not need to be repaid.
- Add interest costs if you will borrow, especially if you expect to use graduate federal loans or private loans.
- Compare the net cost with the salary increase or promotion access you can reasonably expect in your target role.
The biggest mistake is comparing only advertised tuition. A doctorate with generous funding may cost less than an expensive private MSN, while a self-funded doctorate can be financially weak if the same career outcome is available with a master's degree.
How Long Does a Nursing Doctorate Take Compared With a Master's Degree?
A nursing master's degree is generally shorter than a doctorate, but the timeline depends on entry point, specialization, clinical-hour requirements, and whether the student studies full time or part time. Online format improves flexibility, but it does not eliminate supervised clinical, practicum, capstone, dissertation, or residency requirements.
The table below shows typical timeline patterns. Use it to compare how soon each degree could help you qualify for a new role or salary level.
| Pathway | Typical time commitment | Best for | Timeline risk |
| BSN-to-MSN | Often about two to three years, depending on specialty and enrollment pace | RNs moving into APRN, educator, leadership, informatics, or public health roles | Clinical placement delays can extend completion in APRN tracks |
| RN-to-MSN | Often longer than BSN-to-MSN because bridge coursework may be required | Associate-degree RNs seeking graduate-level advancement without completing a separate BSN first | Bridge requirements and state authorization can affect pace |
| MSN-to-DNP | Often shorter than BSN-to-DNP because prior graduate credits and clinical hours may apply | MSN-prepared nurses seeking practice leadership, APRN advancement, or executive roles | Capstone or scholarly project scope can delay graduation |
| BSN-to-DNP | Usually longer because it combines advanced practice preparation with doctoral work | Students who know they need doctoral-level preparation for a defined role | More credits and clinical hours can increase both tuition and lost work time |
| PhD in Nursing | Often multi-year and research-intensive, especially if dissertation work is extensive | Nurses pursuing research, tenure-track faculty roles, grants, or health systems science | Dissertation topic, data access, and faculty fit can strongly affect completion |
Time matters because ROI starts only when the degree produces a benefit: a new license, promotion, specialty certification, faculty appointment, consulting work, or higher-paying role.
A master's degree may deliver a faster return if it gets you into the target role sooner, while a doctorate may be worth the longer timeline if the role requires it or if the doctoral credential creates a durable promotion advantage.
Before choosing, ask each program these timeline questions:
- How many credits will I need after an official transcript review?
- Can I enroll part time without losing financial aid eligibility or delaying clinical placement?
- Does the school place students in clinical or practicum sites, or must students secure sites themselves?
- Are campus visits, immersions, dissertation defenses, or project presentations required?
- What is the typical completion pattern for working nurses in my exact track?
A common red flag is a program that advertises a short timeline but does not clearly explain clinical placement, project requirements, or dissertation milestones. In nursing, those details often determine the real completion time.
Nursing salary differences depend less on the degree name and more on the role, specialty, location, certification, employer type, and leadership responsibility. A doctorate can improve competitiveness for some roles, but it does not automatically move a nurse into a higher salary band if the job itself pays at the master's level.
The table below uses BLS May 2024 median wage data for major U.S. roles that commonly intersect with graduate nursing education. These medians are not guarantees; they are national benchmarks to help you compare likely salary ceilings and degree requirements.
| Role or career category | BLS May 2024 median salary | Common minimum graduate pathway | How the doctorate may affect value |
| Nurse practitioner | $129,210 | MSN or DNP, depending on program path and employer preference | May strengthen leadership or academic prospects, but many NP roles remain accessible with an MSN where state and employer rules allow |
| Nurse anesthetist | $223,210 | Doctoral preparation for new entry-level nurse anesthesia programs under current accreditation standards | Often essential for entry because the specialty has moved to doctoral-level preparation |
| Medical and health services manager | $117,960 | MSN, healthcare administration graduate degree, or related graduate preparation | May help with executive credibility, complex systems leadership, or chief nursing officer competition |
| Postsecondary nursing instructor or teacher | $86,530 | MSN for many teaching roles; doctorate often preferred or required for tenure-track or research universities | Can be important for tenure-track faculty, research roles, and academic leadership |
| Registered nurse benchmark | $93,600 | ADN or BSN for RN licensure, depending on employer expectations | Useful baseline for estimating the wage premium needed to justify graduate study |
The main salary lesson is that the doctorate produces the strongest financial case when it unlocks a higher-paying occupation or a promotion that the master's degree cannot reach. Nurse anesthesia is the clearest example because the occupation has a much higher national median than many other nursing roles and doctoral entry standards now shape new training pathways.
For nurse practitioners, educators, and administrators, the decision is more nuanced. An MSN may be enough to enter the role, while a DNP or PhD may improve long-term mobility, leadership credibility, teaching eligibility, or research access.
The best salary comparison is therefore not "MSN salary versus doctorate salary" in the abstract; it is "salary in my target role with the minimum credential versus salary and advancement options with the higher credential."
A master's degree can unlock many advanced nursing roles, while a doctorate tends to expand access to the highest levels of practice leadership, specialty preparation, academic advancement, research, and organizational influence. The right choice depends on whether you want to enter a new role quickly or build toward roles that expect doctoral-level expertise.
The table below maps common career outcomes by degree level. It is meant to show access, not guaranteed employment, because employers may set different requirements based on specialty, market, state rules, and institutional policy.
| Career outcome | Usually accessible with a nursing master's | Where a doctorate can add value |
| Advanced practice nursing | Family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology NP, psychiatric-mental health NP, nurse midwifery, clinical nurse specialist, depending on program and state rules | DNP may support practice leadership, policy work, quality improvement, and employer preference in competitive markets |
| Nurse anesthesia | Historically master's routes existed, but new entry-level preparation has shifted to doctoral standards | Doctoral nurse anesthesia education is now central for new entrants under current accreditation expectations |
| Nursing education | Clinical instructor, adjunct faculty, staff development, simulation educator, academic program support | PhD or DNP may be preferred for full-time faculty, graduate teaching, academic leadership, or tenure-track roles |
| Nursing leadership | Unit leadership, director roles, quality management, care coordination, nursing administration | DNP may strengthen candidacy for system-level leadership, chief nursing roles, and enterprise-wide quality initiatives |
| Research and scholarship | Evidence-based practice, quality projects, research coordination, data-informed clinical work | PhD is the stronger pathway for original research, grants, publications, and tenure-track research faculty roles |
| Informatics and technology-enabled care | Nursing informatics, clinical systems training, workflow analysis, EHR optimization | Doctoral work may support executive informatics strategy, implementation science, AI governance, or large-scale clinical transformation |
Current workforce trends make the comparison more complex. Health systems are expanding telehealth, data analytics, care management, quality measurement, and AI-supported documentation workflows, which can reward nurses who combine clinical expertise with informatics, leadership, and evidence translation.
A doctorate can help in these areas when the curriculum includes systems thinking and measurable practice improvement, but a focused MSN in informatics or leadership may be the more efficient route for many nurses.
Choose the master's degree if your goal is near-term entry into a role that clearly accepts the MSN. Choose the doctorate if your target role requires it, if your employer uses doctoral preparation for promotion, or if you want to lead research, policy, large-scale practice change, or doctoral-level specialty practice.
The better ROI is the degree that produces the strongest career benefit after accounting for tuition, fees, debt, time, lost earnings, and risk. For many nurses, the master's degree has better near-term ROI because it costs less and can lead to advanced roles sooner.
The doctorate has better ROI when it is required for the target occupation, funded by an employer or university, or tied to a promotion or salary band that a master's degree cannot access.
Use this simple ROI framework before deciding. It helps separate emotional reasons for pursuing the highest credential from measurable financial and career value.
- Identify the exact job title you want, not just the degree you want.
- Confirm the minimum credential for that role through state licensing rules, certification bodies, employer postings, and program outcomes.
- Estimate total net program cost after grants, scholarships, tuition remission, employer benefits, and expected borrowing.
- Estimate income change using role-specific salary benchmarks and realistic local employer data.
- Estimate opportunity cost from reduced work hours, delayed promotion, unpaid clinical time, and longer time in school.
- Calculate how many years of additional after-tax income it may take to recover the extra cost of the doctorate over the master's.
- Include nonfinancial benefits only after the financial comparison is clear, such as leadership satisfaction, research identity, autonomy, or mission fit.
The table below gives a decision-oriented ROI comparison. It does not replace a personalized calculation, but it shows when each degree level tends to make financial sense.
| Scenario | Likely better ROI | Why |
| You want to become an NP in a state and employer market where MSN-prepared NPs are commonly hired | Master's degree | The MSN may provide the needed entry credential faster, while the doctorate may add cost without immediate salary lift |
| You want to enter nurse anesthesia under current new-entry program standards | Doctorate | The doctoral pathway aligns with specialty entry expectations and a high national salary benchmark |
| You want a tenure-track research career | Doctorate | A PhD is commonly expected for independent research, grants, and research faculty appointments |
| You want a nurse manager or director role and already have strong experience | Depends | An MSN in leadership may be enough, while a DNP may help for executive roles if your employer values it |
| Your employer will fund most of the doctorate | Doctorate may improve | Reducing tuition and debt lowers the break-even point and makes long-term leadership benefits more valuable |
| You would need heavy borrowing for a doctorate with no clear salary premium | Master's degree | Debt, interest, and delayed earnings can weaken the doctorate's financial return |
A common mistake is assuming the highest credential has the highest ROI. In nursing, the degree with the best ROI is often the one that gets you to the right role with the least unnecessary cost and delay.
Opportunity cost is the income, experience, seniority, retirement contributions, and promotion time you may give up while completing a degree. It matters more for doctorate-versus-master's decisions because doctoral study can extend the timeline, reduce work hours, or delay entry into a higher-paying role.
The BLS May 2024 median salary for registered nurses was $93,600. That figure is a useful baseline: if a program forces you to cut back substantially on paid work, the lost income can become one of the largest costs of the degree, even when tuition looks manageable.
Opportunity cost usually appears in several forms. Consider each one before deciding whether the doctorate's added value is worth it.
- Reduced work hours during clinical rotations, intensives, dissertation research, or DNP project implementation.
- Delayed transition into an APRN, educator, administrator, or specialty role that could have started after a shorter master's program.
- Loss of employer retirement match, shift differentials, overtime, or bonuses if you move to part-time work.
- Slower accumulation of leadership experience if school demands replace workplace advancement opportunities.
- Added stress, childcare costs, travel, and scheduling limits that may affect persistence and completion.
The opportunity-cost comparison often favors the master's degree when the MSN is sufficient for the target role. It can favor the doctorate when the nurse can keep working, receives funding, already has the master's, or needs the doctorate for a role with a materially better long-term payoff.
A practical way to avoid underestimating opportunity cost is to build two timelines: one for the master's route and one for the doctorate route. Mark the semester when you expect to qualify for the new role, the semester when you expect income to change, and the point when additional doctoral earnings or promotions could reasonably offset the longer path.
Financial aid and debt can completely change the ROI comparison. A funded doctorate may be a better investment than a high-cost master's, while a self-funded doctorate financed mostly with loans can be risky if the expected salary premium is small.
Federal graduate loan rates illustrate why borrowing deserves close attention. For 2025-26 federal loans, the fixed interest rate is 7.94% for Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate and professional students and 8.94% for Direct PLUS Loans. At those rates, a longer and more expensive doctorate can become substantially more costly if interest accrues while the student is still in school.
Funding sources differ by degree type and school. Before choosing, compare the quality and certainty of each option, not just whether aid is advertised.
- Employer tuition reimbursement can make either degree more affordable, but nurses should confirm annual caps, grade requirements, repayment obligations, and whether the benefit covers doctoral coursework.
- PhD assistantships may include stipends, tuition remission, research work, or teaching duties, but they may also limit outside employment.
- DNP scholarships and grants can reduce cost, but many practice doctorates are primarily self-funded.
- Loan forgiveness may be available for some public service or faculty pathways, but eligibility depends on employer type, loan type, repayment plan, and federal rules.
- Military, VA, hospital system, union, and state workforce programs may support nurses in shortage specialties or underserved areas.
Earlier-stage students who are still working through admissions requirements may also compare nursing programs that don't require TEAS test policies, but graduate-level applicants should remember that MSN and doctoral nursing programs usually focus more on RN licensure, prior degree accreditation, GPA, clinical experience, and professional readiness than entry-level entrance exams.
When comparing financial aid offers, ask schools for a written breakdown of tuition, mandatory fees, estimated living or travel costs, loan eligibility, scholarship renewal conditions, assistantship duties, and average debt for graduates in the specific nursing track. If a school cannot provide clear program-level cost information, treat that as a red flag.
Not all nursing doctorates serve the same purpose. A professional doctorate is designed to apply evidence in practice, leadership, and systems improvement, while a research doctorate is designed to generate new knowledge. Comparing both with a master's degree helps you avoid choosing the wrong advanced credential.
The table below explains the difference among the main graduate nursing degree types. This distinction is essential because a DNP, PhD, and MSN can lead to different kinds of work even when they all sit within nursing education.
| Degree type | Main focus | Common final project | Best fit | How it compares with a master's |
| MSN | Advanced practice, education, leadership, informatics, public health, or administration | Capstone, practicum, clinical hours, or specialty project depending on track | Nurses who want a faster route to an advanced role | Usually more efficient when the desired job accepts a master's credential |
| DNP | Advanced clinical practice, evidence translation, quality improvement, systems leadership, policy, and population outcomes | DNP scholarly project focused on practice improvement | APRNs, nurse leaders, and practice-focused nurses seeking top-level applied expertise | Adds value when doctoral practice leadership is required or rewarded |
| PhD in Nursing | Original research, theory, methods, grants, scholarship, and academic research careers | Dissertation based on original research | Nurses who want to become researchers, scientists, or tenure-track faculty | Less direct for clinical promotion, stronger for research identity and academic scholarship |
| DNAP or nurse anesthesia doctorate | Nurse anesthesia practice, advanced physiology, pharmacology, anesthesia care, and specialty clinical preparation | Doctoral project or specialty-focused scholarly work depending on program | RNs pursuing nurse anesthesia under current doctoral-entry expectations | More role-specific than a general MSN and often necessary for new nurse anesthesia entrants |
The professional-versus-research distinction matters for ROI. A DNP may pay off through promotion, leadership authority, APRN advancement, or specialty practice.
A PhD may pay off through faculty roles, research grants, publications, policy influence, or academic leadership, but it may not immediately increase clinical salary. A master's degree may be the better option if your priority is faster role entry rather than doctoral scholarship or system-level practice leadership.
If admissions competitiveness is a concern earlier in your nursing education pathway, resources on the easiest nursing schools to get into may help with entry-level planning, but graduate nursing applicants should prioritize accreditation, clinical placement quality, certification pass outcomes, and fit with their desired role.
When Is a Nursing Doctorate Worth It Instead of a Master's Degree?
A nursing doctorate is worth it instead of a master's degree when it changes your career options in a way the master's degree cannot. It is less likely to be worth it when it adds cost, debt, and time without a clear role requirement, salary premium, funding source, or advancement pathway.
Use the following decision rules to make a practical choice. They are especially helpful if you are comparing a shorter MSN with a longer DNP, PhD, or nurse anesthesia doctorate.
- Choose the master's degree if your target role accepts an MSN, you want to advance quickly, you need to limit debt, or you are still testing whether advanced practice, leadership, education, or informatics is the right direction.
- Choose the doctorate if your target role requires it, your employer strongly rewards it, you want to compete for executive or faculty leadership, you need doctoral nurse anesthesia preparation, or you want a research career that requires PhD-level training.
- Pause before choosing either degree if you have not verified accreditation, state authorization, clinical placement support, certification eligibility, total net cost, and realistic salary outcomes in your region.
The strongest doctorate candidates usually have a defined goal, a credible funding plan, and a clear explanation of how doctoral preparation will change their work. The strongest master's candidates often have a near-term career target where an MSN is the recognized entry credential and the added doctorate would not change compensation enough to justify the cost.
Before applying, ask yourself these questions:
- Does my desired role require a doctorate, prefer a doctorate, or simply respect it?
- Would a master's degree let me enter the same role sooner and at lower cost?
- What salary difference can I reasonably expect in my state, specialty, and employer market?
- How much income might I lose while completing the longer degree?
- How much of the program will be funded without loans?
- Will the online format provide enough clinical, faculty, advising, and project support for me to finish?
- Am I choosing the degree because it fits my career plan, or because it sounds more prestigious?
The best choice is the one that connects the credential to a specific career outcome. For many nurses, that will be the master's degree. For others, especially future nurse anesthetists, researchers, senior executives, and practice-change leaders, the doctorate can be the more strategic long-term investment.
Other Things You Should Know About Nursing Programs
Often, yes, especially in post-master's DNP and some PhD formats designed for working nurses. However, online does not mean fully flexible; clinical hours, scholarly projects, residencies, intensives, dissertation work, or synchronous sessions may still require protected time.
Employers generally focus on accreditation, licensure eligibility, certification readiness, clinical preparation, and the reputation of the nursing program rather than whether lectures were online. The safest choice is an accredited program that is authorized in your state and transparent about clinical placement support.
Sometimes. MSN-to-DNP programs often review prior graduate credits and clinical hours, but transfer limits vary by school. PhD programs may accept some prior coursework, but research-methods sequences and dissertation requirements are usually completed through the doctoral institution.
Neither is universally better. A DNP is usually better for practice leadership, clinical systems improvement, and applied healthcare change. A PhD is usually better for original research, grants, scholarship, and tenure-track academic careers.
- All News https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/all-news
- Average Cost of a Master's Degree: 2025 Analysis https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-a-masters-degree
- Master’s in Nursing Costs: What You’ll Pay and How to Get the Best Return https://www.onlineu.com/resources/financial-planning/masters-in-nursing-roi
- Nursing ROI Calculator — Is Nursing School Worth It? https://mynursingschools.com/nursing-roi-calculator
- An MSN Degree Can Boost Your Knowledge and Earnings https://www.allnursingschools.com/msn/salary/
- What Does It Cost to Earn a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice)? https://www.doctorofnursingpracticednp.org/what-does-it-cost-to-earn-a-dnp-doctor-of-nursing-practice/
- Is Grad School Worth It? A Comprehensive Return on Investment Analysis - FREOPP https://freopp.org/whitepapers/is-grad-school-worth-it-a-comprehensive-return-on-investment-analysis/
- What Can You do With a Masters in Nursing in 2026? 11 Best Jobs https://www.neit.edu/blog/what-can-you-do-with-masters-in-nursing
- Five ways a doctoral degree in nursing can transform your career https://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/blog/five-ways-a-doctoral-degree-in-nursing-can-transform-your-career
