Admission Requirements
In This Section:
Master's Program
Applicants to the master's program are required to hold a baccalaureate degree from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program and must be licensed to practice professional nursing in Pennsylvania. In order to be considered for admission, applications must be submitted to the Graduate School at Penn State and to the School of Nursing.
The School of Nursing application compiles evidence of the applicant's potential for success in graduate studies.
Each component of the application is carefully reviewed by a faculty committee in order to evaluate your potential to succeed in our program. General expectations are listed in the requirements below. These are benchmarks, not rules—please do not hesitate to discuss your application with the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research or the Chair of the Admissions Committee.
- Submit transcripts from all professional/undergraduate programs of study.
- Expectation: GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Be licensed to practice professional nursing in Pennsylvania.
- It is recommended that you obtain letters from academic & professional perspectives. If you attended college level courses over the last 5 years, an academic reference is required. Other references should be from a supervisor preferably with a degree higher than yours. Two letters are required for the Master's program.
- Expectation: Strong references without identification of significant threats to potential success.
- Statement of Purpose or application essay.
- Expectation: Coherent writing style with no grammatical errors; description of relevant work experience; clearly articulated reasons for applying to the selected option and specialization; long-term goals or career aspirations.
- If you already took the GREs and submitted the scores to Penn State, they will be reviewed as part of your application. GRE's are not required for master's applicants.
- International students for whom English is not the primary language: TOEFL scores
- Expectation: a score of 550 or above on paper-based test, 213 or above on the computer-based test, or a total of 80 or above with a 19 on the speaking section for the internet-based test are the minimum TOEFL requirements designated by the PSU graduate school.
Ph.D. Program
Applicants to the doctoral program are required to hold a baccalaureate and master's degree from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program. Academically superior students with a B.S. degree in nursing and those holding a B.S. degree in nursing with an M.S. degree in a related discipline (e.g., Public Health) will be evaluated individually. Doctoral applicants must be licensed to practice professional nursing in at least one state (or foreign country). In order to be considered for admission, applications must be submitted to the Graduate School at Penn State and to the School of Nursing.
- Transcripts from all professional/undergraduate programs of study.
- Expectation: M.S. program of study-cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale; and BS program of study-cumulative of 3.5 in all undergraduate nursing programs of study completed to date.
- Be licensed to practice professional nursing in Pennsylvania (or in a
foreign country). - It is recommended that you obtain letters from academic and professional perspectives. If you attended college level courses over the last five years, an academic reference is required. Other references should be from a supervisor preferably with a degree higher than yours. Three letters are required for the Ph.D. program.
- Expectation: Strong references without identification of significant threats to potential success.
- Statement of Purpose or application essay
- Expectation: Coherent writing style with no grammatical errors; description of relevant work experience; clearly articulated reasons for applying to the doctoral program; research interests and fit with faculty interests; and long-term goals or career aspirations.
- GREs are required
- Expectation: Fiftieth percentile in each component of the exam.
- International students for whom English is not the primary language: TOEFL scores.
- Expectation: a score of 550 or above on paper-based test (or 213 or above with a 19 on the speaking section on an internet-based test) is the minimum TOEFL iBT designated by the PSU graduate school.
- Sample of scholarly writing (publication or student paper demonstrating your scholarship)
- Expectation: Publication is not required; however, written work should reflect abiltiy for disseminating scholarly work.
- Curriculum vitae
- Expectation: There is no required format. Selected format should provide an accurate presentation of relevant professional experiences.
More Information
For more information on graduate study in nursing at Penn State, send an e-mail to nursgrad@psu.edu or call or write:
The Pennsylvania State University
School of Nursing Graduate Programs
210 Health and Human Development East
University Park, PA 16802
Telephone: 1-814-863-2211
Application Request
To apply to the School of Nursing, you have several options. Please go to the Application Procedure page for more information.