1 GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING 18 January 2012 102 Kern ...

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minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, or a total score
of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT). The minimum
composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. International applicants are exempt from the
TOEFL/IELTS requirement who have received a baccalaureate or a graduate degree from
a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British
Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic
of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and
Wales.International students for whom English is not the primary language must
demonstrate competence in English, as reflected in a Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS scores. The minimum acceptable score for
the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 19 on the
speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT), and the minimum composite
score for the IELTS is 6.5, as designated by the Graduate SchoolCouncil.
7. Applicants to the master's program must hold a current Pennsylvania license to
practice professional nursing. Applicants to the doctoral program must be
licensed to practice professional nursing in at least one state or in a foreign
country.
8. Applicants to the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Option are required to have two years
of acute care hospital experience.
9. Applicants to the master's program are encouraged to discuss program options with
the faculty; however, an interview is not required. Doctoral applicants will be
contacted by the School of Nursing to schedule a required interview (either in
person or via telephone).
M.S. Degree Requirements
A core of courses including nursing issues, theory, and research is required of all
students. Candidates in the Base Program require a minimum of 30 credits (range 30-
39). The Clinical Nurse Specialist option must earn a minimum of 41-50 credits;, Family
Nurse Practitioner option, the requirement is a minimum of 45-48 credits;, and Adult
Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, is a minimum of 41-44 credits;, and Adult
Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, is a minimum of 43-46 credits. Students in
all programs may choose to do either a thesis for 6 credits or a scholarly paper for 3
credits. The scholarly paper option is designed to be as academically rigorous as the
thesis option. A scholarly paper demonstrates the application of theory and research to
a clinical problem based on review of literature and research utilization for that problem.
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