Admission Requirements

Master of Science in Nursing
Graduate Certificate

Admission criteria for the Master of Science Programs in Nursing include:

 1.  Baccalaureate degree in nursing from an NLN or CCNE accredited program;
 2.  Undergraduate coursework in physical assessment;
 3.  Undergraduate courses in nursing research and statistics strongly 
      recommended;
 4.  Computer literacy with knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and 
      data base programs;
 5.  Transcripts of past education with GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale (1 official 
       copy of transcript from each institution attended);
 6.  Students with GPA less than 3.0 will be considered for provisional admission on
      an individual basis;
 7.  Graduate Record Exam (GRE) within the last five years for foreign students;
 8.  Minimum of one year clinical nursing experience (recommended);
 9.  Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG ACNP) applicants need 
      to meet additional requirements;
        a.  One year critical care experience (e.g., ICU, ER, ICU/CUU, unit providing 
             high acuity care with fast-paced decision making and complex procedures)
        b.  ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
        c.  ECG interpretation course required prior to beginning clinicals
10. Evidence of current unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse. Minnesota
       licensure required for all clinical courses. Other state licenses also required for 
       clinical experiences in those states;
11. Three professional and/or academic references from persons who can comment 
       competently on the applicant’s background and suitability for doctoral study; At 
       least one professional reference should be a person who occupies the student’s 
       chosen role focus (e.g. nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse 
       administrator/leader, nurse educator) (Graduate Certificate candidates submit 
       two references);
12. Statement of professional goals;
13. Background check (clinical requirements after admissions) (fee assessed);
14. Students requesting admission to the Graduate Programs in Nursing may be 
       required to have a personal interview with program faculty;
15. Satisfactory scores on the TOEFL-test for international or non-English 
       speaking students;
16. Differential tuition costs apply to Graduate Nursing Program  

Admission criteria for the Graduate Certificate Programs in Nursing include:

 1.  Graduate degree from a nationally accredited graduate program in nursing:
 2.  Computer literacy with knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and data
      base programs;
 3.  Transcripts of past education with GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale (1 official
      copy of transcript from each institution attended);
 4.  Students with GPA less than 3.0 will be considered for provisional admission on
      an individual basis;
 5.  Graduate Record Exam (GRE) within the last five years for foreign students;
 6.  Minimum of one year clinical nursing experience (recommended);
 7.  Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG ACNP) applicants 
      need to meet additional requirements:
        a.  One year critical care experience (e.g., ICU, ER, ICU/CUU, unit providing
             high acuity care with fast-paced decision making and complex procedures);
        b.  ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification
        c.  ECG interpretation course required prior to beginning clinical courses
 8.  Evidence of current unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse. Minnesota 
       licensure required for all clinical courses. Other state licenses also required 
       for clinical experiences in those states;
 9.  Two professional and/or academic references from persons who can 
       comment competently on the applicant's background and suitability for 
       graduate study; At least one professional reference should be a person 
       who occupies the student's chosen program (e.g., nurse practitioner, 
       clinical nurse specialist, nurse administrator/leader, nurse educator);
10. Statement of professional goals;
11. Background check (clinical requirement after admissions) (fee assessed);
12. Students requesting admission to the Graduate Programs in Nursing may 
       be required to have a personal interview with program faculty;
13. Satisfactory scores on the TOEFL-test for international or non-English 
       speaking students;
14. Applicants for all advanced practice programs (NP and CNS) and the nurse 
       educator (NE) programs must have evidence of completion of advanced 
       pathophysiology, advanced health assessment (60 hours faculty supervised 
       and includes diagnostic reasoning), advanced health promotion and 
       advanced pharmacology (within last three years required in some states 
       for credentialing);
15. Differential tuition costs apply to all Graduate Certificate Nursing Programs. 

APPLICATIONS MAY BE OBTAINED FROM:

Applications are also available online, please visit Graduate Programs in Nursing.

International students must also contact the International Services office at:  507.457.5303.