Master's of Science in Nursing Admissions
MSN Application Deadlines
- Spring Admission – Application and Transcript Deadlines
Deadline by 4:59 p.m. CST - November 1st - Summer Admission – Application and Transcript Deadlines
Deadline by 4:59 p.m. CST – February 1st - Fall Admission – Application and Transcript Deadlines
Deadline by 4:59 p.m. CST – March 1st
Post-Graduate Certificate Application Deadlines
- Spring Admission – Application and Transcript Deadlines
Deadline by 4:59 p.m. CST - November 1st - Summer Admission – Application and Transcript Deadlines
Deadline by 4:59 p.m. CST – February 1st
Please do not submit a Supplemental Application until you have a verified Primary Application in NursingCAS.
Prospective students should apply for financial aid as soon as possible. For any questions regarding the financial aid application process, please contact the USA Office of Financial Aid for more information.
Communication
The primary method of communication by the University of South Alabama (USA) College of Nursing (CON) throughout the application cycle is email. It allows us to easily make contact with you throughout the day and you are able to contact us at a time that is convenient for you. Please ensure that the email address you put on your application is an email address you check several times weekly and that you add congradapp@southalabama.edu to the address book of your email account. This will ensure that email from us will not be sent to your SPAM/JUNK folder.
Applicants who have previously graduated from the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, should email the appropriate graduate academic advisor to discuss the application procedures before starting the Primary Application in NursingCAS.
State Board of Nursing Authorizations
Each State Board of Nursing has requirements for online programs. Due to these requirements, we are not accepting applications from South Dakota and New York at this time.
Admission Requirements for the Master's of Science in Nursing Programs
To be considered for admission to the Master's of Science in Nursing programs, the applicant must meet the following requirements:
- Citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States of America.
- Current registered nurse licensure with no restrictions. Nurses with any restrictions on their license, including participation in a voluntary disciplinary alternative program, cannot be admitted.
- Completion of Primary and Supplemental Applications.
- Two years of RN nursing experience in an area appropriate to designated specialty
track prior to enrolling in nurse practitioner clinical courses.
- Applicant must be in good standing with all academic institutions/nursing programs that they have attended in order to be admitted to any Master's of Science in Nursing program.
- Previous degree must be from a regionally accredited institution.
- All transcripts from USA and Canada must be sent directly from the institution to NursingCAS.
- All other foreign transcripts must be evaluated by Educational Credential Evaluators. The transcript evaluation should be sent directly to NursingCAS in lieu of foreign transcripts.
- Admission is contingent upon the college's ability to secure an approved clinical site by the end of the first semester of program enrollment. Students are encouraged to secure their own clinical placement within an acceptable geographical area if desired. Submission of a formal letter of commitment will be required to verify guaranteed placement for future clinical rotations. If a student is unable to secure an acceptable site within their own geographical area, the college will work to identify an appropriate clinical placement which must be accepted by the student.
- Initial course registration is contingent upon the student's acceptable completion and results of the following requirements: Acceptance Packet, Drug and Background Screen, and Required Documents and Attestations within the Medical Documents Manager. If a student is unable to meet the initial registration requirements, they may transfer their first semester of enrollment to a future semester.
Applicants should refer to the specific program for which they are applying for additional admission requirements. Admission for non-degree students in selective courses may not be available due to class size or required prerequisite.
- RN to MSN for RN’s with Non-Nursing Bachelor Degree is available to registered nurses who have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a discipline other than nursing.
- BSN to MSN is available to Registered Nurses who hold a bachelor of science in nursing degree from an accredited institution.
- Post-Graduate Certificate is available for Registered Nurses with a graduate degree in nursing who seek academic preparation in a new specialty or subspecialty area of advanced practice nursing.
Admission Timeline
Decision Letters will be sent to all applicants at least eight (8) weeks following the application deadline.
Mandatory Clinical Skills Intensives for NP tracks – Students are required to come to the Main Campus to complete a Mandatory Clinical Skills Intensive before they begin the clinical specialty courses. Students will be notified, in advance, of the scheduled dates. Please refer to the specific track’s web page for details on orientations.
If you have questions about the application process, please contact the college of nursing at congradapp@southalabama.edu or (251) 445-9400.
Please go to MSN Application Page for additional information on how to apply to our Master's of Science in Nursing program.
The APRN accreditation standards and certifying bodies require students to have three separate courses that include: Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Physical Assessment.
The University of South Alabama College of Nursing requires students to complete the following courses for completion of their MSN degree or Postgraduate Certificate at the University of South Alabama:
NU 545 Physio-Pathological Basis of Advanced Nursing
NU 578 Pharmacology Advanced Practice Nurses
NU 518 Advanced Nursing Assessment
For each of the 3Ps courses to be approved for transfer credit, evidence must be provided to show that the courses completed were three (3) separate courses of at least three (3) semester credit hours or five (5) quarter hours each. For applicants that are unable to demonstrate completion of three separate courses for a minimum of three (3) credit hours each or five (5) quarter hours each, the courses will be added to the applicant’s curriculum plan for completion at the USA in order to receive a graduate degree or Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC). Courses taken in a Generalist Entry-to-Practice BSN or MSN program will not be approved for graduate transfer credit.
All students who are admitted to the USA College of Nursing are personally responsible for understanding the requirements set forth by their individual state board of nursing for licensure or certifying body as an advanced practice nurse. Some states and certifying bodies require, and only accept, pathophysiology, pharmacology, or physical assessment courses taken within a certain timeframe. Applicants are responsible for checking with the state board of nursing for the state in which future practice is intended and the specialty certifying body to make sure that any courses transferred into a USA CON program meets the state’s requirements for licensure, or the certifying body’s requirements for certification.
If a state board of nursing or a certifying body will not approve courses transferred into the USA CON after graduation or receipt of a PGC, based on the date completed or content contained therein, the graduate will be offered to register and complete these courses after graduation at the graduate’s expense. Courses may also be added to a current student’s curriculum plan upon written request to an advisor and subsequent approval by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
International Students must reside in the United States and have a current U.S. registered nurse licensure with no restrictions. Nurses with any restrictions on their license, including participation in a voluntary disciplinary alternative program, cannot be admitted. Students are required to complete clinicals in the U.S.
Any applicant who has attended a college or university outside of the United States or Canada, must have their official foreign transcripts translated and evaluated by Educational Credential Evaluators. The course-by-course transcript evaluation should be sent directly to the College of Nursing in lieu of foreign transcripts. Please have them mailed to 5721 USA North Drive-HAHN 3068, Mobile, AL 36688-0002.
International students should contact the Office of International Services by email at InternationalServices@southalabama.edu or by telephone at (251) 460-6050. Deadlines for applications and supporting documents for new international students are usually one month earlier than the deadlines for U. S. citizens. International students are required to complete the internet based TOEFL (minimum acceptable score of 25 on each subsection), or a bachelor’s or graduate degree earned at an accredited United States Institution of higher learning and are required to demonstrate proficiency on the English Language Proficiency Examination administered by the University.
Students accepted into the graduate nursing programs in the College of Nursing are required to complete all requirements under Medical Documents Manager as listed on the Health Requirements Webpage at http://www.southalabama. edu/colleges/con/clinical/healthrequirements.html prior to registering for their first semester. Students are not required to order a Castle Branch account until they have been accepted into the graduate program.
Contact Information
For all inquiries related to the admissions process: congradapp@southalabama.edu
For all current and continuing students: congrad@southalabama.edu