The U.S. has long been experiencing a shortage of nursing college graduates, and demand for them is only expected to grow. In 2004, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that demand for nurses would jump nearly 30% by 2014. This is mainly due to the aging baby boomer generation, increasing life expectancies, and federal guidelines that mandate certain nurse/patient ratios. An online nursing college can prepare students to work in ambulances, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, private homes, schools, and other places health care is needed.

The most expedient route to becoming a nurse in the United States involves earning a two-year professional RN (Registered Nurse) degree. Registered nurses can continue their undergraduate education by completing an online nursing college’s “RN to BSN” program. Nurses can also simultaneously earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) through one program.

The list below includes accredited online nursing colleges with many options for RNs, BSNs, and MSNs.

• Arizona State University has a one-year online Master of Healthcare Innovation program for students in nursing and other fields.

• Indiana State University has a variety of bachelor’s in nursing completion programs and master’s program in nursing online.
• Indiana Wesleyan offers training for the post-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing online. The school also has online master’s programs in nursing administration and nursing education.
• Northern Kentucky University awards an online Master of Science in Nursing.
• Oklahoma Wesleyan University has an online RN to BSN program. It that can be completed without clinical rotations or chemistry courses.
• Penn State Online offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (R.N. to B.S.N.) through the online Penn State School of Nursing.
• Seton Hall University has an online Master of Science in Nursing program that includes the same courses taken by on-campus students.
• The University of Delaware offers its Health Services Administration degrees, one with a nursing focus, entirely online. Several similar programs can be completed through blended learning formats.
• The University of Illinois-Chicago offers training for a variety of online nursing certificates, including one in school nursing. UIC also has an online RN-to-BSN program and an online Master of Science degree program in nursing.
• The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has a wide selection of online certificates, bachelor’s programs, master’s, and doctoral programs in nursing as well as certificates in autism therapy, gerontology, and other areas of health.
• The University of North Alabama offers 100%-online bachelor completion programs and MSN degree programs.
• Vanderbilt University features an award-winning Master of Science in Nursing – Health Systems Management program online.