Additional Requirements for Nursing

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Nursing Education, Nursing Administration, MSN/MBA 

Application for admission into the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program options (Education, Administration, MSN/MBA) should be made through the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies. 

Graduates from the Hunt School of Nursing Accelerated BSN, Traditional BSN, or Davis RN-BSN program options  will be seamlessly admitted into the MSN program within one year of graduation. Applicants will only be required to show proof of meeting criteria 2, 3, and 6 listed below. 

The following criteria for acceptance will be used:

1. A baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program, or a baccalaureate degree in another field from a regionally accredited institution.
2. Current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse in the United States
3. GPA of 2.70 on all undergraduate work, or GPA of 2.70 on last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate work.
4. Transcripts of all previous college studies.
5. Current, official, satisfactory Criminal Background Check results from the current state of residence and any other state lived in during the past ten years.
6. Completion of an undergraduate or graduate statistics course with a grade of “C” or better
   • A grade of “Pass” in a statistics course taken at GWU during the Spring 2020 semester will be reviewed for consideration on a case-by-case basis or an earned level 3 or better on an AP statistics exam for statistics).

Doctor of Nursing Practice- Post Master’s (DNP)

Application for admission into the DNP-Post Master’s program option should be made through the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies.

Graduates from the Hunt School of Nursing Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program will be considered for seamless admission into post-master’s DNP program within 2 years of graduation. Applicants will only be required to show proof of meeting criteria 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 listed below.

1. Current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States (verified online by Office of Graduate Admissions)
2. Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all previous graduate coursework as evidenced by official graduate transcripts. Applicants with transcripts that do not include quality points or explain grades/ performance may be accepted at a 3.0 with a degree or course marked proficient or comparable term. 
3. Master of Science (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program as evidenced by official graduate transcripts*.
4. Three completed professional references submitted on the Professional/Academic Reference form. References may be from past or current professors (not current GWU DNP team professors), supervisors, or professional colleagues (one must be a supervisor reference).  The references should attest to the applicant’s potential for success in the DNP Program, including preparation, initiative, aptitude, and commitment to the profession.  
5. Updated curriculum vitae/resume.
6. Completion of an interview with prompts provided by the HSON.
7. Current, official, satisfactory Criminal Background Check results from the current state of residence and any other state lived in during the past 10 years.

Applicant folders must be complete for consideration of admission.

*Applicants with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and a master’s degree in a related field will be considered for admission.  The BSN degree must be from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program and the master’s degree must be from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants with a master’s degree in a related field must provide proof of current employment in a nursing specialty area and provide a description of recent work experience. provide proof of current employment in a nursing specialty area and provide a description of recent work experience.  

Doctor of Nursing Practice- Post-baccalaureate- Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP)

Application for admission to the DNP-Family Nurse Practitioner program option should be made through the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies.

Graduates of the Hunt School of Nursing Accelerated BSN (ABSN), Traditional BSN (TBSN), and Davis RN-BSN  programs will be considered for seamless admission into the DNP-FNP or DNP-PMHNP program within 2 years of graduation. Applicants will only be required to show proof of meeting criteria 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 listed below.

1. Current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States (verified online by Office of Graduate Admissions).
2. GPA of 3.0 or higher on 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work or last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate work (applicants who show potential for graduate study but do not meet the 3.0 GPA criteria for full admission may be granted provisional acceptance for GPA of 2.6 or higher on 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work or last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate work; to meet the stipulations of provisional acceptance, students must earn a “B” or above on the first twelve hours of graduate work completed at Gardner-Webb. If the terms of the provisional acceptance are not successfully met, the student will be dismissed from the program). Applicants with transcripts that do not include quality points or explain grades/performance may be accepted at a 3.0 with a degree or course marked proficient or comparable term.
3. Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program as evidenced by official transcripts from all institutions attended.***  
4. Three completed professional references submitted on the Professional/Academic Reference form. References may be from past or current professors (not current GWU DNP team professors), supervisors, or professional colleagues (one must be a supervisor reference. The references should attest to the applicant’s potential for success in the DNP Program, including preparation, initiative, aptitude, and commitment to the profession.  
5. Updated curriculum vitae/resume.
6. Completion of an interview with prompts provided by the HSON.
7. Current, official, satisfactory Criminal Background Check results from the current state of residence and any other state lived in during the past 10 years.
8. Satisfactory completion of a graduate or undergraduate general statistics course, which included probability theory, inferential statistics, and descriptive statistics.  
9. Two years of active RN practice with a minimum of 1,100 hours per year.  Active RN experience must have taken place within the past three years as evidenced on the Hunt School of Nursing Verification of Active RN Practice form provided.  

*** RN applicants with a baccalaureate degree in another field may be accepted but must meet additional requirements prior to admission. The requirements include completion of an undergraduate or graduate statistics course, BSN-level nursing research course, and BSN-level communication skills in nursing course. A grade of “C” or higher must be earned in each course in order to meet requirements (a grade of “Pass” in a statistics course taken during the Spring 2020 semester will be reviewed for consideration on a case-by-case basis).

Doctor of Nursing Practice- Post-Baccalaureate – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (DNP-PMHNP)

Application for admission to the DNP-Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioner program option should be made through the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies.

Graduates of the Hunt School of Nursing Accelerated BSN (ABSN), Traditional BSN (TBSN), and Davis RN-BSN  programs will be considered for seamless admission into the DNP-FNP or DNP-PMHNP program within 2 years of graduation. Applicants will only be required to show proof of meeting criteria 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 listed below.

1. Current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States (verified online by Office of Graduate Admissions).
2. GPA of 3.0 or higher on 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work or last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate work (applicants who show potential for graduate study but do not meet the 3.0 GPA criteria for full admission may be granted provisional acceptance for GPA of 2.6 or higher on 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work or last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate work; to meet the stipulations of provisional acceptance, students must earn a “B” or above on the first twelve hours of graduate work completed at Gardner-Webb. If the terms of the provisional acceptance are not successfully met, the student will be dismissed from the program). Applicants with transcripts that do not include quality points or explain grades/performance may be accepted at a 3.0 with a degree or course marked proficient or comparable term.
3. Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program as evidenced by official transcripts from all institutions attended.***  
4. Three completed professional references submitted on the Professional/Academic Reference form. References may be from past or current professors (not current GWU DNP team professors), supervisors, or professional colleagues (one must be a supervisor reference. The references should attest to the applicant’s potential for success in the DNP Program, including preparation, initiative, aptitude, and commitment to the profession.  
5. Updated curriculum vitae/resume.
6. Completion of an interview with prompts provided by the HSON.
7. Current, official, satisfactory Criminal Background Check results from the current state of residence and any other state lived in during the past 10 years.
8. Satisfactory completion of a graduate or undergraduate general statistics course, which included probability theory, inferential statistics, and descriptive statistics.  
9. Two years of active RN practice with a minimum of 1,100 hours per year.  Active RN experience must have taken place within the past three years as evidenced on the Hunt School of Nursing Verification of Active RN Practice form provided.  

*** RN applicants with a baccalaureate degree in another field may be accepted but must meet additional requirements prior to admission. The requirements include completion of an undergraduate or graduate statistics course, BSN-level nursing research course, and BSN-level communication skills in nursing course. A grade of “C” or higher must be earned in each course in order to meet requirements (a grade of “Pass” in a statistics course taken during the Spring 2020 semester will be reviewed for consideration on a case-by-case basis).

Post-Doctoral – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certificate

Graduates from the Hunt School of Nursing DNP program will be considered for seamless admission into the post-doctoral certificate program within 2 years of graduation. Applicants will only be required to show proof of meeting criteria 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 listed below.

1. Current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States (verified online by Office of Graduate Admissions).
2. Doctoral degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program as evidenced by official graduate level transcripts from all institutions attended.  
3. Three completed professional references submitted the Professional/Academic Reference form.  References may be from past or current professors (not current GWU DNP team professors), supervisors, or professional colleagues (one must be a supervisor reference).  The references should attest to the applicant’s potential for success in the DNP Program, including preparation, initiative, aptitude, and commitment to the profession.  
4. Updated curriculum vitae/resume.
5. Completion of an interview with prompts provided by the HSON.
6. Current, official, satisfactory Criminal Background Check results from the current state of residence and any other state lived in during the past 10 years.
7. Two years of active RN practice with a minimum of 1,100 hours per year.  Active RN experience must have taken place within the past three years as evidenced on the Hunt School of Nursing Verification of Active RN Practice form provided.  
   • FNP certificate applicants must have completed three separate graduate-level courses in Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, and Advanced Pathophysiology. A grade of “B” or higher must be earned in each course in order to meet requirements when transferring in course credit from another institution. Applicants who have not completed these courses prior to admission may integrate them into their course rotation during the first year of enrollment. The requirements include NURS 752 Pathophysiology, NURS 754 Pharmacology, and NURS 756 Health Assessment. 
   • PMHNP certificate applicants must have completed four separate graduate-level courses in Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Psychopharmacology. A grade of “B” or higher must be earned in each course in order to meet requirements when transferring in course credit from another institution. Applicants who have not completed these courses prior to admission may integrate them into their course rotation during the first year of enrollment. The requirements include NURS 752 Pathophysiology, NURS 754 Pharmacology, NURS 756 Health Assessment, and NURS 780 Psychopharmacology. 

Post-Doctoral – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate

Graduates from the Hunt School of Nursing DNP program will be considered for seamless admission into the post-doctoral certificate program within 2 years of graduation. Applicants will only be required to show proof of meeting criteria 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 listed below.

1. Current, unrestricted licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States (verified online by Office of Graduate Admissions).
2. Doctoral degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited nursing program as evidenced by official graduate level transcripts from all institutions attended.  
3. Three completed professional references submitted the Professional/Academic Reference form.  References may be from past or current professors (not current GWU DNP team professors), supervisors, or professional colleagues (one must be a supervisor reference).  The references should attest to the applicant’s potential for success in the DNP Program, including preparation, initiative, aptitude, and commitment to the profession.  
4. Updated curriculum vitae/resume.
5. Completion of an interview with prompts provided by the HSON.
6. Current, official, satisfactory Criminal Background Check results from the current state of residence and any other state lived in during the past 10 years.
7. Two years of active RN practice with a minimum of 1,100 hours per year.  Active RN experience must have taken place within the past three years as evidenced on the Hunt School of Nursing Verification of Active RN Practice form provided.  
   • FNP certificate applicants must have completed three separate graduate-level courses in Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, and Advanced Pathophysiology. A grade of “B” or higher must be earned in each course in order to meet requirements when transferring in course credit from another institution. Applicants who have not completed these courses prior to admission may integrate them into their course rotation during the first year of enrollment. The requirements include NURS 752 Pathophysiology, NURS 754 Pharmacology, and NURS 756 Health Assessment. 
   • PMHNP certificate applicants must have completed four separate graduate-level courses in Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Psychopharmacology. A grade of “B” or higher must be earned in each course in order to meet requirements when transferring in course credit from another institution. Applicants who have not completed these courses prior to admission may integrate them into their course rotation during the first year of enrollment. The requirements include NURS 752 Pathophysiology, NURS 754 Pharmacology, NURS 756 Health Assessment, and NURS 780 Psychopharmacology. 

Out-of-state FNP/PMHNP Applicants

Students enrolled in the Hunt School of Nursing (HSON) Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse Practitioner and/or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs (DNP-FNP, DNP-PMHNP) whose primary residence is outside of North Carolina, are responsible for securing their own practicum site in collaboration with the HSON.  Students may be required to attend a practicum site in a state other than their state of primary residence depending on the individual state regulations and availability of appropriate sites.  In the event a student is unable to secure a practicum site in their primary state of residency, the student will be required to return to North Carolina to complete practicum hours to fulfill graduation requirements.