Nursing, MSN

Admission

Admission to the master of science in nursing degree program requires the student to meet the minimum admission requirements for graduate study as established by the university and the following requirements established by the College of Nursing.

• a baccalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited program
• a minimum GPA of 2.7 in undergraduate studies and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in nursing major
• acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) within the past five years (GRE score required for nurse anesthesia and nurse midwifery concentration applicants.)
• currently hold a nonrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse (RN) in North Carolina or a NCSBN compact state (The out-of-state student must procure a North Carolina RN license before enrolling in clinical courses.)
• a statement describing the applicant’s interest in graduate study, career goals, and the MSN degree’s relationship to those goals
• three professional references
• a personal interview with a member of the graduate faculty

Due to the high demand of courses by our enrolled MSN students, the College of Nursing will not enroll nondegree graduate students at this time. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for full admission as soon as possible in order to be eligible for all College of Nursing course offerings.

Applicants for the nurse midwifery concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have one year RN experience (labor and delivery preferred), demonstrate a commitment to practice with under-served populations, and one of the references should be from a health care provider knowledgeable about the applicant’s nursing practice. Midwifery applications for the MSN degree are only accepted in the fall for spring enrollment. The deadline for applications is October 15th. Applicants for the post masters certificate in midwifery may apply in both the fall and spring. The application deadline for spring enrollment is October 15th and the application deadline for fall enrollment is March 15th.

Applicants for the nurse anesthesia concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have one-year adult critical care experience, completion of a supplemental nurse anesthesia admissions packet, a total of five professional references (two on forms provided in nurse anesthesia admissions packet), and an interview with the Nurse Anesthesia Admissions Committee. The application deadline for the nurse anesthesia concentration is May 31.

Applicants for the adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have one year of current practice experience and provide one of the three references from a health care provider knowledgeable about the applicant’s nursing practice.

Completed applications for the adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist concentration will be considered for fall and spring admission.

Applications for the neonatal clinical nurse specialist concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have two years of current practice experience and provide one of the three references from a health care provider knowledgeable about the applicant’s nursing practice.

Applicants for the neonatal nurse practitioner concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have the equivalent of 2 years of full-time clinical practice experience (within the last 5 years) as a registered nurse (RN) in the care of critically ill neonates or infants in critical care inpatient settings is required before a student begins clinical courses. Students may enroll in preclinical courses while obtaining the necessary practice experience and provide a third reference from a health care provider knowledgeable about the applicant’s nursing practice.

Applicants may take core courses while gaining the required RN experience for admission into selected concentrations.

Completed applications will be considered as they are received, with the exception of adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist, neonatal nurse practitioner, nurse anesthesia, and nurse-midwifery.

Applicants for the nursing education, nursing leadership, and adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist concentrations must have a minimum of one year RN experience prior to enrolling in specialty courses.

Applicants for the nursing leadership concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must provide a third reference from a health care provider knowledgeable about the applicant’s nursing practice.

Program Prerequisites

A course in statistics with a grade of C or higher and basic computer skills with both applications software and the Internet are prerequisites for all concentrations. A course in basic accounting is a prerequisite for the nursing leadership concentration.

Graduate Student Progression Procedure

Students are required to earn a grade of “B” or above in the courses listed below. A student earning a grade below a “B” in any of these courses will have his/her program of study terminated.

Degree Requirements

Depending upon the concentration area chosen within the degree program, the master of science in nursing requires 37-69 s.h. as follows. Concentrations are clustered as administrative, clinical, and education.