Investing in an online master's of nursing degree can cost anywhere from $35,000 to more than $60,000 in tuition and fees depending on the school and degree focus, according to information found on school websites, but may lead to a salary bump of only $10,000, according to nursing school officials.urse anesthesia programs are also fiercely competitive. Clarkson is one of slightly more than 100 schools that offers a nurse anesthesia program. Out of more than 100 applicants from across the United States, only 12 were admitted to Clarkson's nurse anesthesia program in 2011, Damewood says.