Program of Study for the Master of Science in Nursing

Admission Requirements: Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; complete application to the Graduate School ; official general GRE exam scores or Millers Analogies Test (MAT) scores, unless waived.

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet or exceed the criteria for admission to the Graduate School . Meeting this condition does not guarantee admission.

Additional Admission Requirements: A bachelor of science in Nursing (BSN) from an acccredited (NLNAC or CCNE) college or university or a baccalaureate degree in another field with graduation from an accredited associate degree nursing program or with a diploma nursing program; one year of nursing experience before beginning the program; an undergraduate statistics course (descriptive and inferential statistics) with a grade of C or higher; an undergraduate research course with a grade of C or higher; and a current, unrestricted RN license in North Carolina or a state participating in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) with North Carolina.

Standardized Exam Waiver Eligibility: The standardized exam (GRE or MAT) requirement may be waived for applicants who hold an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Location: Online

Additional Standardized Exam Waiver Eligibility Information

Standardized exam (GRE, GMAT, MAT) waiver eligibility for graduate degree programs at Appalachian State varies by program, but requires that applicants hold a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher in their last earned bachelor’s degree or 3.3 or higher in an earned graduate degree. No exam waiver is automatic but will require review and approval by the program and by the Graduate School upon submission of a complete application. An approved waiver request does not guarantee acceptance into the program. A denied waiver request does not mean that a candidate is denied admission to the program, only that a standardized exam score is needed to more fully evaluate the application.  More complete information about standardized exam waivers can be found in the Admissions Requirements section of this Bulletin .

Course Requirements for the Master of Science in Nursing

Other Requirements for the MS

• Thesis: Option of completing thesis or research project
• Proficiency: Not required
• Candidacy: Required for the thesis option; program director can provide specific timeline and requirements for admission to candidacy.
• Comprehensive: Required; oral defense of thesis or presentation of research project fulfills the comprehensive requirement.
• Product of Learning: Not required