Nurses are increasingly called upon to be real leaders in health care delivery, research and education. Not surprisingly, therefore, there are a wealth of options for graduate study in nursing. There are master's degree programs for students with bachelor's degrees in areas other than nursing; master's programs designed to build on an undergraduate nursing education; programs that allow associate's degree-holders to earn a master's degree; doctoral and post-RN programs. Graduate nursing departments may also have accelerated master's to PhD programs as well as specialized diplomas. Most graduate nursing programs require you to take a core set of courses and then choose from a number of possible specializations like public health nursing, nursing administration, nursing and health systems management. In many cases, you train specifically for a credential leading to a particular position, like adult nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, clinical nurse leader, family nurse practitioner, neonatal nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, pediatric nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist, women's health nurse practitioner and nurse educator. With a master's or doctoral degree, you will have what it takes in terms of knowledge and skills to undertake individual research, develop collaborative cross-disciplinary research projects, and promote the delivery of quality health care.