Admissions
To apply for graduate programs in Nursing, apply online.
Criteria for Admission to the PhD Program
- Completed application–Students are admitted once per year to the PhD nursing program for the following fall semester. Applications are accepted and reviewed throughout the year. Admission to the program is competitive and contingent upon available space in the program. Application deadline for August classes is June 15.
- Three professional and/or academic references.
- Official transcripts from each college or university attended.
- Current unrestricted registered nurse licensure or validated credentials by CGFNS for international applicants.
- Satisfactory TOEFL scores for international applicants
- A 300-word statement of research goals in PhD program related to promotion of optimal health for ethnic minorities, women, children, or older adults.
- Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited program.
- A 3.2 or greater GPA on a 4.0 scale on previous graduate work.
- An interview with Graduate Nursing Faculty for selected applicants.
- Health insurance is required for all students enrolling in six or more credits each semester. Students are responsible for all costs associated with their own health care.
Prior to enrollment in classes, PhD students are required to complete the UNCG health history form and Parts A and B of the immunization schedule (with the exception of the meningococcal vaccine) and forward these documents to Student Health Services.
Application Process
All application materials must be sent to the Graduate School. Once your application is complete, your materials will be sent to the School of Nursing for review. We will consider your entire portfolio, your writing skills, and whether there is a good match between your research interest and our faculty expertise. You will be interviewed by a panel of PhD faculty. You will receive a letter from the Graduate School indicating the decision regarding your application. The entire process usually takes 6-8 weeks.
A master’s degree in nursing from an accredited program is required for admission to the PhD program. If your master’s GPA is 3.2 or greater you do not need to take GRE. If your master’s GPA is lower than 3.2, please contact the Director to discuss.
References
It is recommended that 2 of your 3 references be from academic sources in the United States.
Statement of Research
The 300-word statement should address:
- Why you want to pursue a PhD in Nursing
- Why you have chosen UNCG
- Your career goals
- Areas of research interest
- UNCG PhD faculty with whom you would like to work (view Research Activities for assistance)
You should have a general idea of your area of research interest, as you want to make sure that there are faculty here to guide you. As you progress through the program, however, your ideas will evolve as you learn more about the research process and your area of research interest.
Transfer
It is possible to transfer courses, but this is dependent on a number of factors including level of course, type of course (nursing or non-nursing), grade achieved, and evaluation of the course content. The course must be completed within the 7-year time limit. All transfer courses must be reviewed by your Advisory Committee and the Director of the PhD in Nursing Program, and approved by the Graduate School.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for August admission is June 15. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Criteria for Admission to the DNP Program
Post-Baccalaureate DNP — Adult/Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner concentration
- Current unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse in one of the 50 states or validated credentials by CGFNS for international students. Residents of North Carolina must hold unrestricted North Carolina licensure as a registered nurse.
- Application deadline is July 15
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a program accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.
- Minimum of one year full time clinical nursing experience.
- A personal statement of 400 words or less that comments on applicant’s educational and professional goals, and how the DNP program will help you reach the goals.
- A resume or CV
- An interview with selected DNP faculty, after the application is completed.
- A statistics course and health assessment course at the undergraduate level are required prerequisite courses.
- A “holistic” admission process: To help ensure a diverse and equitable admission process, UNCG School of Nursing graduate programs utilizes an admission process that considers a number of factors for admission that may not be capture in a traditional admission process (such as prior experience as a nurse and involvement with professional and community organizations) NOTE: UNCG DNP Nurse Anesthesia concentration program does have additional admission requirements.
- Three professional nursing references (mix of educational and professional sources).
- Nonresidential international students are required to participate in a telephone interview.
Post-Baccalaureate DNP — Nurse Anesthesia concentration
- Current unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse in one of the 50 states or validated credentials by CGFNS for international students. Residents of North Carolina must hold unrestricted North Carolina licensure as a registered nurse.
- Application process closes in October.
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a program accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.
- Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller analogies Test (MAT) within five years of application.
- Basic Life Support (BLS); Advanced Cardiac Life support (ACLS) & pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification
- CCRN certification — Applicants will not be considered for interview without current CCRN certification
- Minimum of one year continuous full time critical care clinical nursing experience.
- Minimum of 2 shadowing experiences with a CRNA
- A personal statement of 400 words or less that comments on applicant’s educational and professional goals, and how the DNP program will help you reach the goals.
- A resume or CV
- An interview with selected DNP faculty, after the application is completed
- A statistics course, a chemistry course, and health assessment course at the undergraduate level are required prerequisite courses.
- A minimum of 3.2 GPA is required from the undergraduate nursing program.
- Three professional nursing references (mix of educational and professional sources).
- Nonresidential international students are required to participate in a telephone interview.
Post-Master’s DNP Concentration
- Current unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse in one of the 50 states or validated credentials by CGFNS for international students. Residents of North Carolina must hold unrestricted North Carolina licensure as a registered nurse. Approved by the Board of Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner on active status in the appropriate specialty.
- Application deadline is July 15 with rolling admissions.
- Master’s degree in nursing specific for and certification as: nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or CRNA from program accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Admitted after review of program by DNP Program Director.
- Master’s degree in nursing specific for nursing administration, nursing leadership, nursing clinical leader. Admitted after review of program by DNP Program Director.
- Employed in a Master’s nursing specialty appropriate for the DNP Program objectives, as approved for admission by the DNP Program Director.
- A personal statement of 400 words or less that discusses the applicant’s educational and professional goals, and how the DNP program will facilitate reaching the goals, and a short discussion of the clinical topic that the applicant would like to pursue for the DNP project.
- A resume or CV
- An interview may be required.
- A statistics course is a required prerequisite.
- A minimum of 3.2 GPA is required from the graduate nursing program. If GPA is below 3.2, a GRE or MAT is required.
- Three professional nursing references (mix of educational and professional sources).
- Nonresidential international students are required to participate in a telephone interview.
Criteria for Admission to the MSN Programs and Certificates:
- A baccalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited program and have a minimum 3.2 GPA.
- For the MSN degree, a satisfactory score must be achieved on the Graduate Record Exam or Miller Analogies Test taken within 5 years, if the BSN GPA is less than 3.2.
- One year of full-time experience as a registered nurse is preferred.
- Application deadline is July 1.
- An undergraduate statistics course and basic health assessment course are required prerequisites.
- Evidence of current unrestricted North Carolina licensure as a registered nurse or RN licensure in a state covered by the multi-state Nurse Licensure Compact.
- Evidence of current Basic Life Support certification.
- A criminal background check.
- Evidence of all immunizations identified on Parts A and B of the UNCG Health History and Immunization Form excluding the Meningococcal vaccine.
- Health insurance is required for all students enrolling in six or more credits each semester.
- Personal statement of 500 words or less that addresses the following:
- Future professional goals in nursing and match with the program
- Factors that would support your success in graduate school (academic and clinical strengths)
- Factors that may interfere with your studies and strategies for overcoming them and maintaining work/life balance while in graduate school.
- Provide three (3) professional nursing references (preferred references include (1) current or past nursing supervisors, (2) academic faculty and/or advisors, and (3) other nursing/healthcare leaders. References from peers, co-workers, or family members should not be submitted.).
- Current resume or CV
Prerequisites for Admission include:
- An undergraduate statistics course and basic health assessment course
- Evidence of current unrestricted North Carolina licensure as a registered nurse or RN licensure in a state covered by the multi-state Nurse Licensure Compact.
- A criminal background check and Basic Life Support certification required prior to enrollment.
- Evidence of all immunizations identified on Parts A and B of the UNCG Health History and Immunization Form excluding the Meningococcal vaccine.
Evidence of current health insurance (Required for all students enrolling in at least 3 credit hours. Students are eligible to purchase health insurance through the University Student Health Service.).
MSN FNP Admission Criteria
This option is available for qualified students who have previously earned a baccalaureate degree in nursing science, or higher, and are interested in pursuing an MSN degree. This is a 5-semester concentration that begins annually in the fall.
Requirements
1. To help ensure a diverse and equitable admission process UNCG school of nursing utilizes a “Holistic admission” process that considers a number of factors for admission that may not be captured in a traditional admission process (such as prior experience as a nurse and involvement with professional and community organizations). Application Deadline for Fall (August) admission is July 15
2. Completion of a bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing science from a U.S. college or university accredited by an institutional accrediting association or completion of a bachelor’s that is equivalent to a U.S. degree from an international college or university recognized and approved by the Ministry of Education or Commission responsible for higher education in the country where the degree is earned.
3. Current unrestricted RN license. If not NC RN, license or compact state license, applicants would need to acquire NC RN license prior to start of the program.
4. Current/Updated Resume/CV
5. Three professional recommendations that attest to applicant’s academic ability, readiness for graduate school, professional competency, and character with at least one reference from a healthcare provider (RN, DO, MD, NP, PA).
6. Transcripts from each institution where applicant earned (or will earn) a degree, studied for 1 semester or more, earned 12 or more credit hours, or took classes related to graduate study interests
7. Any applicant who has never studied at a U.S. institution must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Scores must not be more than 2 years old. UNCG SoN will consider IELTS score of 7.0 or a minimum TOEFL score of 100 (Internet-based test) with minimum sub-scores of 22 in Reading, 22 in Listening, 26 in Spelling and 24 in Writing.
8. Successful completion of the Application Process (below).
Application Process
1. Apply online to UNCG Graduate School and pay an application fee, currently $65.00.
2. Applicants must submit a brief statement addressing their career goals.
3. Complete applicant materials will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
4. Acknowledgement of acceptance from applicants will be required within two weeks of receipt of acceptance.
Other Information
1. All applicants must meet the technical standards required of all nursing students as stated in the Catalog.
2. Students must have reliable internet access and other resources that support online learning, such as a laptop and basic computer literacy. Examples of software applications that will be used include Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The courses will be delivered with a Learning Management System, such as Canvas.
3. This intensive concentration has both full time and part time options. Flexibility is needed for clinical rotations which may be held during days, nights, and/or weekends.
4. Must have current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider Basic Life Support (AHA BLS) certification, immunizations, and other clinical requirements by the deadlines provided in the admission documents.
Certification & LICENSURE
1. Graduates of the FNP-MSN concentration are eligible to apply for certification as a NP. After graduating, students will take either the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification exam for Family Nurse Practitioner.
2. Graduates can apply for state licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse. See the website for the NC Board of Nursing (www.ncbon.com/) for requirements for licensure.
Clinical Information
1. Students may be required to travel an extended distance to a variety of clinicals sites depending on the location of their clinicals. Students must have reliable transportation.
Progression Requirements: Criteria for Progression in the Major
Failure to earn a grade of B (3.0) or better will result in repeating the course and development of a remediation plan from the School of Nursing.
Students in the MSN FNP concentration who interrupt their studies for personal or academic reasons and are inactivated must reapply for admission to the concentration.
Grading in Practicum and Laboratory: A grade of unsatisfactory in lab or clinical practicum in nursing courses will result in a course grade of F.
GPA Requirements
Students must earn a grade of 3.0 or better in all required graduate nursing courses to progress and graduate.
A grade of unsatisfactory in lab or clinical practicum in nursing courses will result in a course grade of F.
Research, Graduate, and Teaching Assistantships
The School of Nursing offers several graduate assistantships. Students assist faculty with research, student success and programmatic activities, and teaching generally for ten to twenty hours per week. Stipends vary depending on the number of hours worked. Applications may be obtained from the School of Nursing Research office and applications in UNCG JobSearch employment website. In return, Student Assistants may receive tuition support. The completed application should be received no later than April 1st in order for students to receive priority consideration for assistantships for the following academic year.
For more information on Assistantship opportunities, please contact:
Dr. Debra Wallace Associate Dean for Research & Scientific Advancement
Phone: 336-256-0572
Email: dcwallac@uncg.edu
Ms. Caroline Kernahan, Administrative Assistant
Phone: 336-256-0571
Email: cekernah@uncg.edu