Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission into the Master of Science in Nursing program are evaluated by the Graduate Student Affairs Committee on the basis of scholarship, writing ability, potential for success, professionalism and references. Admission is a competitive selective process and space availability is limited. Students are admitted into a specified specialty track within the MSN program. Admission decisions made by the GSAC are confidential and may not be discussed with applicants. Applicants must submit all college transcripts and a complete application packet in order to be considered for admission and must meet the following criteria:

1. Graduation from a baccalaureate-nursing program that has been accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved nursing accrediting agency.
2. For students with foreign transcripts, a CGFNS evaluation is required with GPA equivalency and TOEFL score.
3. Current license to practice as a registered nurse in the U.S.A. and its territories.
4. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in both of the following areas:
   1. The last 60 hours of graded undergraduate coursework.
   2. All graded undergraduate nursing courses.
5. The following undergraduate courses must have been taken and a grade of 2.0 (C) must have been achieved in each one:
   1. Health Assessment
   2. Sciences (e.g., Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Microbiology)
   3. Pathophysiology
   4. Pharmacology
6. An undergraduate statistics course must have been taken and a minimum grade of 2.0 (C) must have been achieved
7. A minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in any graduate nursing courses taken.

Graceland alumni applicants with comparable qualifications will be given preference over other applicants. Graduate level nursing courses completed at another nationally accredited Master of Science program may be considered for transfer on a course-by-course basis. Graduate courses that were applied toward a baccalaureate degree may not be transferred. The maximum number of credits that may be transferred is 10. A Pharmacotherapuetic course will be considered for transfer only if completed within one year prior to admission. Advanced Pathophysiology and Advanced Health Assessment courses must have been completed within three years of admission to be considered for transfer credit. All other courses must have been completed within the past 7 years to be considered for transfer credit.

Conditional admission status may be assigned when there is concern regarding potential for success in the program.

Applications for admission are considered three times per year as shown below. Applicants who are qualified to be considered for admission but whose materials were received and/or are incomplete may be considered in the next admission cycle.