Admission Requirements

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.

  1. Submit transcripts from all professional/undergraduate programs of study.
  1. Be licensed to practice professional nursing in Pennsylvania.
  2. 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.
  1. Statement of Purpose or application essay.
  1. 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.
  1. International students for whom English is not the primary language: TOEFL scores

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.

  1. Transcripts from all professional/undergraduate programs of study.
  1. Be licensed to practice professional nursing in Pennsylvania (or in a
       foreign country).
  2. 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.
  1. Statement of Purpose or application essay
  1. GREs are required
  1. International students for whom English is not the primary language: TOEFL scores.
  1. Sample of scholarly writing (publication or student paper demonstrating your scholarship)
  1. Curriculum vitae

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.