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 and PMHNP 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
• two or three professional references (see concentration-specific requirements)
• a personal or digitally recorded interview with the graduate faculty

The College of Nursing may allow nondegree graduate students to be enrolled in MSN core courses as space permits. A student with interest in taking nursing graduate courses prior to applying/acceptance into a graduate nursing program should apply to the ECU Graduate School as a nondegree student. Once accepted as a nondegree student, the student may request registration from the core concentration director. Acceptance as a nondegree student and completing core courses does not imply acceptance into any nursing graduate program.

Applicants for the nurse-midwifery concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have one year of hospital 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 September 15th. Applicants for the post master’s certificate in midwifery may apply in both the fall and spring. The application deadline for spring enrollment is September 15th and the application deadline for summer and 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 may be required to provide a third reference from a health care provider knowledgeable about the student’s nursing practice while practice experience is accrued.

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.

Applicants for the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner concentration, in addition to the general admission criteria, must have psychiatric nursing experience and one of the three references must be a nurse practitioner.

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.