Admission Requirements

POLICY: Within the School of Nursing, applications to the MSN and Post-MSN Programs are reviewed and acted upon by the Graduate Student Affairs Committee (GSAC). Decisions by the GSAC are final and confidential. Applications for admission to the MSN and Post-MSN Programs are evaluated on the basis of scholarship, writing ability, potential for success, professionalism and references. Qualified students are admitted into a specified specialty track within the MSN and Post-MSN Programs on a space available basis. Only complete applications from qualified students will be reviewed and considered by the GSAC. Qualified applicants must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission.

RN-MSN Admission Requirements:

1. Qualified applicants will be granted provisional offers of admission to the MSN program pending successful completion of all undergraduate BSN courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
2. Current license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S.A. & its territories.
3. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the last 60 hours of graded undergraduate coursework.
4. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all graded undergraduate nursing courses.
5. A grade of C or better in each of the following undergraduate support courses:
   1. Anatomy and Physiology I and II
   2. Introduction to General, Organic and BioChemistry
   3. Introduction to Microbiology
   4. Nutrition
   5. Introduction to Psychology
   6. Developmental Psychology
6. Unimpeded matriculation into the MSN program upon completion of required undergraduate coursework requires:
   1. maintenance of a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all undergraduate nursing courses, and
   2. a grade of C or better or satisfactory completion of a standardized competency examination in the following undergraduate courses:

   Health Assessment

   Pathophysiology

   Pharmacology

   Statistics

   Research or Evidence-Based Practice

7. Satisfactory criminal background check.

MSN (Post-BSN) Admission Requirements:

1. Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program. For students with foreign transcripts, a CGFNS evaluation is required with GPA equivalency and TOEFL score.
2. Current license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S.A. and its territories.
3. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the last 60 hours of graded undergraduate coursework.
4. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all graded undergraduate nursing courses.
5. A grade of C or better or satisfactory completion of a standardized competency examination in the following graduate support courses:
   1. Health Assessment
   2. Pathophysiology
   3. Pharmacology
   4. Statistics
   5. Research or Evidence-Based Practice
6. A grade of B or better in any prior graduate nursing coursework.
7. Satisfactory Criminal Background check.

Post-MSN Certificate Admission Requirements:

1. Master of Science degree in nursing (MSN) from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program. For students with foreign transcripts, a CGFNS evaluation is required with GPA equivalency and TOEFL score.
2. Current license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S.A. and its territories.
3. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher in MSN Program.
4. A grade of B or better in any graduate nursing course.
5. Satisfactory criminal background check.

• Completed GU-SON online application form.
• Application fee.
• Official transcripts in a sealed envelope from each college or school of nursing attended.
• A CGFNS evaluation with TOEFL score of 550 or higher and GPA equivalency (applicants who received their undergraduate degree from a country other than the United States of Canada).
• Completed Petition for Transfer Credit for previously completed graduate level nursing courses, that meet the guidelines, completed at another NLNAC or CCNE accredited Master of Science in Nursing program.
• Completed criminal background checks.
• Notarized copy of current Registered Nurse Licensure in the United States.
• Three completed reference forms in sealed envelopes that include the following:
  
  Nursing instructor (required for applicants who have taken a nursing course within the past five years)
  Current/previous supervisor
  One to two professional colleague(s) who have worked with the applicant for a minimum of one year
• Writing sample for evaluation. Guidelines for the writing sample are posted with the online application.

Completed application packets of qualified applicants will be considered and acted upon by the GSAC according to the following schedule: