Criteria and Requirements

High School Requirements

Admission Criteria - Who Can Apply

• Individuals with a baccalaureate (BA or BS) or graduate degree in another discipline

• Fourth-year baccalaureate students

Required Prerequisites

*Should have been completed within the past ten years
+Should have achieved a grade of "B-" or better

What are the admission requirements for the Honors Curriculum option?

For the Honors Curriculum option, first-year prospective students may apply to the David C. Frederick Honors College / Nursing Honors through the regular initial University of Pittsburgh application process. If you choose to apply, you will be asked to answer the one of the following essay prompts:

1. What is something you would like to see change in the world? Explain why.
2. If you had 10 minutes and the attention of a million people, what would your TED Talk be about?
3. What does it mean to be “educated”? Responses should be stated in 500 words or less. The deadline for prospective students to apply is December 1. Applicants will be notified of acceptance on or before March 1.

If you are an upper-division student in the BSN program and you are interested in the Honors Curriculum option, Pitt's David C. Frederick Honors College still admits a limited number of students into its Honors Degree program. Interested students must have a minimum GPA of 3.500 and completed a minimum of 2 semesters (24 credits). Students are required to complete one of the same essay prompts above and submit a letter of recommendation from an instructor or academic advisor. Applications for current students are reviewed once a year with an application deadline of May 31. Applications for upper-division students open in the spring for the following academic year.

Alternatively, students may consider earning an Honors Distinction rather than a BSN-H degree. The Honors Distinction offers a lighter credit load than the Honors Curriculum option. Students can declare their intention to pursue an Honors Distinction after completing at least one semester, but no later than beginning their last semester, at Pitt with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.000.

What are the admission requirements for the Honors Thesis option?

Students interested in the Honors Thesis option can apply for admission to Honors Thesis (BPhil) degree candidacy on a rolling basis after completing at least two semesters of coursework, but no later than beginning their last semester at Pitt, with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.500. Students are required to identify a thesis advisor and submit a brief research proposal (called a Thesis Prospectus) and plan of study to the David C. Frederick Honors College in collaboration with the advisor.

How competitive is the admission to the Nursing Honors program?

Our nursing students are top-notch, and with enough passion and dedication, any student could successfully complete an Honors Thesis (the highest undergraduate distinction). However, typically 2 to 5 nursing students complete an Honors Thesis every year. You will find a repository of recently completed undergraduate Honors Theses here.

The Nursing Honors Curriculum option is a newer pathway to earn a jointly conferred BSN-H degree. The Class of 2023 was the first cohort. Based on number and quality of applications, the David C. Frederick Honors College admits approximately 15 to 20 nursing students in this option annually.

Admission Criteria

Applications to the Master's Program in nursing are reviewed by the SON Admissions Committee. Applicants must meet the criteria listed below.

Qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era.

Applicants must have:

• Official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate work
  • ​A baccalaureate degree in nursing from an ACEN, NLN, or CCNE accredited program.
  • International applicants must provide evidence of a degree comparable to an American baccalaureate degree.
• Current RN license in U.S. State/Territory or location where student will complete clinical requirements
• GPA of 3.0 or higher from previous nursing degree
• Pre-admission interview (if the applicant resides at a great distance, a virtual interview may be conducted)
• Pre-requisite statistics course with a grade of B- or better
• Three letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant's capacity and potential for master's study from each of the following (to be uploaded into NursingCAS):
  • the director or a faculty member from the most recent academic program attended (if applicant has been a nursing student in the last 5 years);
  • a recent employer; and
  • a person who can speak to the applicant's professional work.
• Personal essay (limit to 2-3 pages, single-spaced) addressing the elements evaluated by the MSN holistic admissions essay writing rubric
• Completed applicant survey
• Current CV or resume
• Non-refundable application fee

Admission Criteria

Applicants to the Doctor of Nursing Practice should meet all of the following criteria:

• Current RN license in U.S. State/Territory or location where student will complete clinical requirements
  International applicants should see the section below on Admission of Students from Other Countries and Policy 201.
• GPA ≥ 3.0 in most recent degree from an ACEN, NLN, or CCNE accredited program
  • Applicants to the BSN-DNP Program must have a BSN or an entry-level MSN from ACEN, NLN, or CCNE accredited program.
  • Applicants to the MSN-DNP Program must have a MSN or a master’s degree in a related field. Applicants who do not have a MSN must have a BSN from ACEN, NLN, or CCNE accredited program.
• For students who have not taken an undergraduate statistics course or did not achieve a B- or better, they must complete a series of modules covering basic statistics concepts developed by the SON statistical faculty prior to enrolling in NUR 2011.
• Clinical experience for select focus areas** (required or preferred for selected majors and concentrations)
• Pre-admission interview (if the applicant resides at a great distance, a virtual interview may be conducted)
• Evidence of ability to communicate in writing through the required personal essay
• Specific Areas of Concentration/Majors may have additional eligibility criteria.

**Clinical Experience for Select Focus Areas

Health Systems Executive Leadership
Minimum of 2 years of leadership or management experience.

Nurse Anesthesia BSN to DNP
Minimum 1 year full-time ICU/critical care nursing experience (within last 5 years) by start of program (may apply if employed in ICU/critical care and will have required experience before admission term). Taking the GRE is optional but may be considered supplemental information in the holistic admission process.

Provisional Admission

Applicants may be admitted provisionally based upon the evidence obtained from the review of the application materials regarding experiences, attributes, and the identified metrics for admission. If the applicant’s admission score indicates provisional admit, the student must meet with the academic advisor to determine courses to take, resources to use, and/or services to access to promote successful progression in the program.

The student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above for the first 12 credits of the program. At completion of 12 credits, Student Affairs transfers the student from Provisional to Full Graduate Status and communicates the change to the student and Program Director/Coordinator (Policy 206). The advisor will develop strategies for academic success for the student to reach Full Graduate Status.

Admission Criteria

Applicants to the MSN to PhD track must have an appropriate master's degree. Some advanced nursing preparation is required. Additional coursework may be required when the degree is in a field other than nursing. When the master's degree is in nursing, the student must have earned it from an ACEN (NLN), or CCNE-accredited program in nursing.

Applicants to the BSN to PhD track must have a baccalaureate degree in nursing from an ACEN (NLN), or CCNE-accredited program of nursing. These applicants may have modifications to the criteria listed below and will be evaluated individually by PhD Council.

All applicants must have:

• A baccalaureate or a master’s degree in nursing is preferred. Applicants who do not have a baccalaureate degree in nursing or a master’s degree in nursing as the first professional degree will be considered individually.
• Evidence of competence in scholarly research and the ability to communicate in writing as assessed by accomplishments, recommendations, and the personal statement of the applicant addressing the reasons for selecting the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing; one’s long-term professional goals and how the PhD program will facilitate goal achievement; one’s area of research interest; faculty who might be an appropriate match and why; and any professional experiences that have helped prepare the applicant for doctoral study.
• Evidence of capacity and professional motivation for doctoral study as assessed by the personal statement, recommendations, and interviews with appropriate faculty
• Three letters of reference attesting to the applicant's capacity and potential for doctoral study. A minimum of two references should be from academic sources.
• Evidence of a license to practice professional nursing if the student plans to be a TA/TF in a clinical course or if their planned area of research is based in a clinical area.
• For applicants whose native language is not English, successful achievement on the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo (see Policy 365, Verification of English Language Proficiency for Students Classified as Foreign Students).
• For admission to Full Graduate Status, in addition to meeting the above criteria, an applicant must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.

For individuals who do not fully meet the admission criteria, Provisional Graduate status may be recommended.

• Valid registered nurse license in US State/Territory or location where clinical experiences are performed

• Minimum of one year nursing experience recommended

• BSN required

• Previous MS, MSN, or DNP as a NP or CNS (from ACEN, NLN, or CCNE accredited program)

• GPA ≥ 3.0 in the MS, MSN, or DNP degree

• Pre-admission interview

• Complete online application

• International applicants: see https://www.nursing.pitt.edu/admissions/international-applicants and www.ois.pitt.edu

Admission of International Applicants

Applications from international students are reviewed according to the admission criteria stated above, and admissions deadlines for all programs are available online. The online application must be completed in English. See the School of Nursing International Applicants page for specific admission requirements.

Academic Transcript Requirements

Official transcripts of all original language academic records for all post-secondary educational endeavors are required. If original documents are issued in a language other than English, certified English translations must also be submitted. Applicants who have completed the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree or higher at an institution outside of the United States are required to provide official third-party course-by-course evaluations of those academic credentials, verifying Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. These evaluations must be completed by an accredited organization.

For your convenience, here are a few of the organizations which provide official course-by-course evaluations:

• International Education Research
• World Education Services, Inc.
• Educational Credential Evaluators
• CGFNS International -- must include computed equivalent grades [course-by-course] and computation of GPA

Language Verification Requirements

International students must possess proficiency in English at a level to enable them to succeed in graduate-level studies. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Duolingo English Test (DET) must be taken if the applicant’s native language is not English. Results must be sent directly from TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo to the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Copies are not acceptable. The institution code for the University is 2927 and the department code for the School of Nursing is 43. Your application will not be considered until you have achieved at least the minimum score.

• Exemptions to TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo requirements
• TOEFL - minimum composite score of 100, with sub-scores of 21 or higher.
• IELTS – minimum overall band score of 7.0, with a speaking band score of 7.0 or higher and other band scores of 6.0 or higher.
• DET – minimum score of 125.

Licensure

Upon admission to the MSN or DNP program, students are expected to have a valid nursing license in Pennsylvania or in the state in which they will be completing clinical/practicum requirements. To be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in Pennsylvania, the applicant must obtain the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) certification.

Upon admission to the PhD program, the student is expected to submit a valid nursing license from their home country. Even though not required, PhD students are recommended to obtain a nursing Licensure in Pennsylvania in the event that the license is required for teaching and/or research assignments.

Other

Conditional admission is not available. International applicants must apply for admission, meet the criteria for admission, and be offered admission.

• If prerequisite courses are required, they may be taken only at an accredited college or university in the United States. Courses from international institutions are not eligible to fulfill the prerequisite courses.

Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) / Teaching Assistant (TA) / Teaching Fellowship (TF) Opportunities

Applicants interested in being considered for a Graduate Student Assistant, Teaching Assistant, or Teaching Fellowship opportunity should apply no later than February 15. Positions are not guaranteed. Decisions will be communicated in late April/early May.

Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) or Teaching Fellowship (TF) Positions

Applicants interested in a guaranteed Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) or Teaching Fellowship (TF) opportunity should apply no later than February 15.

Decisions will be communicated in late April/early May.