Graduate Degrees

Admission requirements for graduate degree programs are different from undergraduate programs. To enroll in one of our master’s degree programs, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

Applicants will be evaluated through a competitive admission process by the graduate nursing faculty, which will include CRNP–prepared faculty. Applicants must meet the following minimum entrance requirements:

Master of Science in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner Tracks)

• Hold an unencumbered RN licensure in the state where clinical practice will occur.
• Hold a BSN degree from a regionally accredited institution. If student does not possess a BSN, refer to RN to MSN Bridge requirements.
• Hold a preferred undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale.
• Complete an undergraduate course in statistics from an accredited institution with a minimum passing grade of “C”.
• Complete an undergraduate health assessment course from an accredited institution with a minimum passing grade of “C”.
• Must have a minimum of two (2) years and 3,000 hours of clinical experience prior to starting clinical courses NUR 721, NUR 731, or NUR 741.
• Submit a curriculum vitae or resume highlighting relevant nursing accomplishments and experience.
• Provide a written statement clearly identifying the applicant’s career goals and how admission to the program will facilitate professional goals.
• Provide two letters of recommendation: at least one from an NP/MD/DO/MSN/ doctorally-prepared nurse who can attest to the applicant’s clinical knowledge, and one from a nursing leader with an MSN or doctoral degree (nursing supervisor/manager/ nursing professor).
• One official transcript from every college or university attended.

The applicant is responsible for assuring that the University receives all the necessary materials by the application deadline.

Saint Joseph's in Lancaster does not currently admit students who reside outside of Pennsylvania for the MSN-NP program. The program is in the process of determining if the NP curriculum meets requirements for licensure outside of Pennsylvania.

Explore MSN-NP

Applicants to the Master of Healthcare Administration program must:

• Hold a Bachelor degree from an accredited institution
• Have an undergraduate GPA of 2.8 or above
• Have completed an undergraduate course in statistics with a grade of “C” or better. (If you don’t have college credits in statistics, you will be able to enroll in a statistics course at Saint Joseph's.)
• Provide two letters of recommendation and a professional goals statement of no more than 500 words

View MHA Program

An RN who holds a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing may be granted conditional acceptance into a graduate program. This RN must be a graduate from a regionally accredited pre-licensure program.

In order to fulfill admissions requirements, the applicant must complete the following three required courses:

• IPC 401 Research in Health Care
• NUR420 Nursing Leadership and Management
• NUR430 Nursing in a Global Society.

The applicant must complete the three required courses with a grade of “B” or higher within 12 months of conditional acceptance. Upon satisfactory completion of these courses, the applicant’s status will be changed from conditional to full acceptance, and the applicant will be permitted to begin graduate coursework.

• If a student does not achieve a minimum grade of “B” for a course, the student may repeat the course one time. If the student is unsuccessful on the second attempt, the student will lose conditional acceptance to the MSN program.
• Applicants may appeal to the appropriate Program Director or designee for additional time to complete the required courses.
• Applicants may be exempted from one or more of these required courses upon submission of a transcript that verifies satisfactory (“B” or higher) completion of an equivalent course at a regionally accredited institution.
• After successfully completing all requirements and admission to the MSN program, the student may progress directly into graduate-level courses.
• The BSN is not awarded in the RN to MSN Bridge Program.

Learn More About RN to BSN