1 GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING 9 May 2012 102 Kern Graduate ...

1. For admission to the Nursing program, an applicant must hold either (1) a
bachelor's degree in Nursing from a U.S. regionally accredited institution or (2) a
postsecondary degree in Nursing that is equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate degree
earned from an officially recognized degree-granting international institution.
Students entering the doctoral program via the traditional post-master’s route
must have earned a master’s degree with a major in nursing from a program
accredited by a national accrediting agency for nursing. Well-qualified doctoral
applicants with a baccalaureate degree in nursing and master’s degree in a related
discipline (e.g., public health) will be evaluated individually to assess the need for
prerequisite master’s-level course work in nursing for doctoral program
admission.
2. Strong letters of reference and a well-crafted statement of purpose.
3. Applicants must submit transcripts of all previous course work from institutions of
higher learning. For M.S. applicants, a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 (on a
4.0 scale) for junior/senior baccalaureate degree is expected with a B or better in
all science and nursing courses. College chemistry and statistics are also required.
For doctoral applicants, a cumulative grade-point average 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) for
master's and subsequent course work is expected.
4. Two letters of reference are required for the master's program and three letters of
reference are required for the doctoral program. The letters should be solicited
from professional colleagues who can attest to the applicant's ability.
5. All applicants must submit a statement of purpose. In addition, doctoral applicants
must also submit a published or unpublished scientific paper, thesis, or other
scholarly writing sample and a complete curriculum vitae.
6. The language of instruction at Penn State is English. All international applicants
must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign
Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the
exceptions noted below. 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). 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.
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 Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Option are required
to have two years of acute care hospital experience.
9. Applicants to the master's degree 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
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