College of Nursing and Health Sciences • Orange Beach, AL • Online • $359/Credit
Columbia Southern University offers 2 Nursing Informatics programs:
- MSN
- RN-to-MSN
Program Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Nursing Informatics | $10.8K | About 1.75 years (10 nine-week terms) | 30 |
| RN to M.S. Nursing Informatics | $17.7K–$34.4K | About 3 years (17 nine-week terms) | 142 |
At $359 per credit with textbooks included, CSU posts a sticker price well under South Alabama’s $609 flat rate. The trade-off is credential standing: the nursing degrees hold only NLN CNEA pre-accreditation, and the school publishes no practicum hours.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS in Nursing Informatics (BSN entry); RN to MS dual degree (BSN and MS) |
| Format | Online; asynchronous 9-week courses on Blackboard |
| Practicum Hours | Not clearly stated; two 3-credit informatics capstone courses |
| Practicum Placement | Not clearly stated; experiential learning must occur in a licensed, authorized state |
| RN License Required | Yes, active and unencumbered, maintained throughout |
| Who It’s For | Cost-sensitive RNs whose employer accepts a pre-accredited nursing degree |
| Distinctive Coursework | Health information system development, data science, epidemiology, advanced physical assessment |
| Certification Pathway | ANCC 200-hour practicum pathway unconfirmed; coursework pathway plausible with 1,000 practice hours |
| Tuition | $359/graduate credit, $278/undergraduate credit; textbooks included; $45 tech fee per graduate course |
| Accreditation | SACSCOC institutional; NLN CNEA pre-accreditation for nursing master’s |
| Enrollment Restrictions | No admission for residents of DC, Utah, Washington, or Wisconsin |
| Start Terms | 11 starts per year across two term tracks |
M.S. Nursing Informatics
The estimated tuition for the M.S. Nursing Informatics at Columbia Southern University is approximately $10,770 (30 credits at $359/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 1.75 years.
Duration is derived, not published: 10 three-credit courses taken one per 9-week term, at up to six terms a year on one track.
MSN Curriculum
The program page’s curriculum widget did not render, and the standalone MS course list (catalog page 90) could not be retrieved. The graduate courses below come from the catalog’s RN-to-MS Nursing Informatics sequence, which carries the same degree title. The technical core is narrow: three informatics courses plus a two-part capstone.
- NUR 5306 Health Information Management: An Applied Approach to Decision Support (3)
- NUR 5307 Data Science Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom (3)
- NUR 5308 Health Information System Development (3)
- NUR 5309 Evidence-Based Practice and Research (3)
- NUR 5310 Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Aspects for Population Health (3)
- PUH 5303 Concepts of Epidemiology (3)
- NUR 5403 Advanced Holistic Physical Assessment in Nursing Practice (4)
- NUR 6322 Nursing Informatics Capstone I and NUR 6323 Nursing Informatics Capstone II (3 each)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- ⚠️ Credit total conflicts. The program page lists 30 credits. CSU’s own MSN comparison table on the same page lists 36. The RN-to-MS sequence above holds 40 graduate credits. This profile uses the program page’s 30; at 36 credits, tuition rises to $12,924.
- The program page allows up to 18 transfer credits. Capstone courses must be taken at CSU.
MSN Practicum and Capstone
- Capstone: NUR 6322 and NUR 6323, 6 credits total, both required at CSU.
- Practicum hours: not clearly stated on the program page or in the catalog sections retrieved.
- Placement model: not clearly stated.
- Site rule: all experiential learning must occur in a state where the student holds an RN license and CSU holds authorization.
ANCC’s graduate-program pathway requires at least 200 faculty-supervised practicum hours. With no published hours, a graduate cannot assume this degree meets it. The coursework pathway looks more reachable: it needs 12 semester hours of graduate informatics coursework plus 1,000 informatics practice hours in three years, and the five informatics-titled courses total 15 credits.
You Should Know
- CSU states its nursing programs are post-licensure and do not lead to licensure or certification. Certification eligibility rests on ANCC’s own criteria.
MSN Admissions
Admission is document-based, with no GPA floor, GRE, or experience minimum stated.
- BSN from an approved or programmatically accredited program
- Active, unencumbered RN license, maintained for the whole program
- Residence and licensure in a state where CSU’s nursing programs are authorized; DC, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin residents cannot currently enroll
- Students may start under conditional status and complete up to 6 graduate credits before official transcripts arrive
- Foreign nursing transcripts require CGFNS evaluation
- No application fee
RN to M.S. Nursing Informatics
The estimated tuition for the RN to M.S. Nursing Informatics at Columbia Southern University is approximately $17,696 (12 undergraduate credits at $278/credit and 40 graduate credits at $359/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 3 years.
Both figures assume all 60 general education credits transfer in. Taking them at CSU adds $16,680 and about 20 more terms. Duration is derived: 17 major and elective courses, one per 9-week term.
RN-to-MSN Curriculum
This is an accelerated dual degree: associate-prepared RNs earn a BSN and an MS, both conferred at completion. The 142 credits break down as 60 general education, 30 granted for NCLEX-RN completion, 49 major, and 3 graduate elective.
- NUR 4303 Professional Nursing Leadership and Management (3)
- NUR 4304 Community and Public Health Nursing (3)
- NUR 4320 Nursing Capstone I and NUR 4321 Nursing Capstone II (3 each)
- ENG 5305 Effective Writing and Communication for Health Care Professionals (3)
- NUR 5301 Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Nursing (3)
- NUR 5302 Knowledge for Nursing Discipline: Scholarship and Innovation (3)
- The graduate informatics core listed under the MSN, including NUR 6322 and NUR 6323
- One graduate elective (3), any graduate course not used elsewhere
More curriculum details are available here.
RN-to-MSN Practicum and Capstone
- Four capstone courses: two undergraduate (NUR 4320, NUR 4321) and two informatics (NUR 6322, NUR 6323), 12 credits total
- Practicum hours and placement model: not clearly stated
- Same licensed-and-authorized-state rule for experiential learning
The certification picture matches the MSN: the 200-hour ANCC practicum pathway is unconfirmed, while the coursework-plus-practice pathway remains open after graduation.
RN-to-MSN Admissions
Entry requires only an associate degree or diploma in nursing, not a BSN.
- ADN or nursing diploma from an approved or programmatically accredited program
- Active, unencumbered RN license
- Same state authorization limits as the MSN
Tuition
CSU charges $359 per graduate credit and $278 per undergraduate credit, the same rate for all U.S. students. The catalog and tuition page agree on both rates.
| Item | MSN (30 credits) | RN-to-MSN (52 CSU credits) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $10,770 | $17,696 |
| Technology fee ($45 grad / $35 undergrad per course) | $450 | $725 |
| Petition to graduate | $100 | $100 |
| Estimated total | $11,320 | $18,521 |
Confirmed costs:
- Textbooks, eTextbooks, and integrated learning resources included in tuition
- CSU Learning Partner rate: $323.10 per graduate credit
- Active-duty military using Tuition Assistance: $250 per credit, technology fee waived
- No application fee
Be aware that:
- At 36 credits (CSU’s comparison-table figure), MSN tuition is $12,924 and the estimated total $13,564.
- RN-to-MSN costs assume full general education transfer. With all 60 gen ed credits at CSU, tuition reaches about $34.4K before fees.
- Dropping after the 7-day drop period triggers a one-time 20% registration fee, capped at $200 per program.
- Card payments carry a 2.75% fee; ACH and checks do not.
For a BSN-prepared RN, the all-in MSN cost sits near $11,300. That is the figure to weigh against accreditation risk and unpublished practicum hours. See CSU’s tuition overview.
Why Choose This Nursing Informatics Program?
Built for RNs who need the lowest out-of-pocket informatics master’s and whose employer will accept it as is.
Where it delivers. One 9-week asynchronous course at a time, 11 start dates a year, textbooks included, and a single published rate. An associate-prepared RN can reach a BSN and MS for under $19K if general education transfers in.
What it costs you in standing. The nursing master’s holds NLN CNEA pre-accreditation, not full accreditation, and pre-accreditation does not guarantee it. Doctoral programs, tuition reimbursement plans, and some employers screen for CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA accreditation. Check those requirements before enrolling.
What it costs you in certification timing. With no published practicum hours, plan on reaching ANCC eligibility through work experience after graduation rather than through the degree itself.
Accreditation
CSU’s bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs hold pre-accreditation status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA). Pre-accreditation is a candidacy stage. CSU states that it does not guarantee initial accreditation. The programs are not CCNE or ACEN accredited.
Columbia Southern University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), granted in December 2022. CSU participates in NC-SARA, but its nursing programs separately require board of nursing authorization by state.
ANCC Informatics Nursing certification requires an RN license, a nursing bachelor’s or higher, two years of full-time RN practice, 30 informatics CE hours, and one practice-hour option. The graduate-program option needs 200 faculty-supervised practicum hours, which CSU does not publish.
Explore More Nursing Informatics Schools
See every profiled program on the Nursing Informatics Schools page, or review credentials and certification on the nursing informatics overview.