MSN to PhD Admission Criteria

Admission to the Ph.D. program will be for the fall and spring semesters each year. Applications must be submitted to the University's Graduate College before completing the application to the College of Nursing. Evidence of the following information is required in the admissions process:

a)       Master's degree with a Major in Nursing from a university or college of nursing program accredited by the National League for Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Official copies of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions of education should be sent directly to the University's Graduate College. The University will not be able to accept applications without an official unopened transcript from each institution attended since high school.

b)      Minimum cumulative 3.5 GPA in a nursing master's program.

c)       Curriculum vitae; required format available on the website.

d)      Two letters of recommendation from academic and professional references, one from a master's program professor holding a doctorate (see "Guidelines Regarding Letters of Reference" on the College of Nursing's website).

e)      An example of work that depicts a culminating scholarly product from the master's program. Examples: thesis, project, manuscript for evidenced-based research course, paper/manuscript for inquiry practicum.

f)        A typed statement of the applicant's goals for the doctoral degree (12-point font, double-spaced, no more than 500 words).

g)       Evidence of grade of "B" or better in a graduate statistics course that provides the student with a broad knowledge of statistical concepts and techniques necessary for critical consumption of research. A copy of the syllabus or official catalog course description will be required if the course was not taken at FAU.

h)      Satisfactory background check (a background check is required after conditional acceptance to the program).

i)        Applicants will be required to have an interview with members of the doctoral admissions committee. Upon review of all the information about the applicant by the doctoral program committee, a decision for admission will be made and the applicant will be notified. Part-time study for the Ph.D. may be an option at the faculty's discretion.