Admission to Master’s Program
Students may gain admission to the MS in Nursing program through the traditional master’s program or through the Accelerated Bachelor of Science program at Cal State LA. The admission requirements for these programs are specified below.
Students who have completed the Accelerated Bachelor of Science program at Cal State LA and are pursuing admission to the MS in Nursing program will be conditionally admitted for a period of up to 2 years from completion of the degree.
Acceptance to the graduate program in Nursing occurs once each year in the Fall Semester. Students first apply to the university and then separately, complete the school of Nursing MSN application. A personal interview and/or onsite written assignment or the Analytic writing section of the GRE if taken within five years may also be required as components of the application process.
Applicants must fulfill the following prerequisites and criteria:
- Equivalent of requirements for Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from an NLN or CCNE accredited program in effect at the time of admission as a graduate;
- Minimum B (3.0) grade point average in upper division nursing courses;
- 3.0 grade point average in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter units attempted;
- Completion of an admission application to the University and a second and separate application to the School of Nursing includes 3 references and a personal essay;
- Completion of a 3 semester unit (4 quarter units) statistics course that includes inferential statistics content;
- NURS 4900 or equivalent undergraduate nursing research course;
- For NP students: Completion of a recent (5 yrs.) basic physical assessment course; Current licensure to practice nursing as an RN in California and cleared background check.
Potential, applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully assess any personal criminal background before applying to the School of Nursing. Nursing students must have a cleared background check that is acceptable to clinical agencies after acceptance to the School of Nursing. Prior to entering the first clinical lab, students must have university liability insurance, current American Heart Association CPR card, a satisfactory annual physical examination, proof of immunity to specified infectious diseases, an initial 2 step Mantoux skin test and a chest x-ray if there is evidence of a positive TB skin test. Drug screening may be requested depending on agency requirements.
School Regulations
Per university policy MSN students are required to maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0. In addition, in the School of Nursing, students who on their graduate program of study receive, a C- or lower in the same course for the second time or receive a C- or lower in two separate courses will not be allowed to continue in the MSN program.
Requirements for the Master’s Degree (30-52 units)
A total of 30-47 units are required with at least half of the units in 5000-level courses. Additional units may be required if the student chooses to do a project or thesis. The options consist of a required common core, an advanced practice courses, required option courses and electives.
