Nursing — Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (across the lifespan)

Because the MS in Nursing program includes supervised clinical experiences and the desire to maintain a high-quality program, the nursing faculty reserves the right to limit enrollments. The number of students accepted varies by program (Family Nurse, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) and is based on clinical cohorts. Admission to the program is highly selective. The graduate program in nursing seeks candidates whose baccalaureate preparation, scholastic achievement, professional experience, interest, motivation, and references are predictive of successful graduate study.

Each student’s application for admission will be evaluated based on a composite of the following recommended standards.

• A baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from a degree program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the National League for Nursing.
• Minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or a B average.
• An undergraduate course in Microbiology with a grade of B- or better.
• An undergraduate course in introductory Statistics that includes descriptive and inferential statistics completed with a grade of B- or better.
• An undergraduate course in total health assessment.
• Proof of RN licensure in Maine before the start of the graduate program. Students that do no hold this at the time of application can be considered for conditional admission
• Students with a GPA less than 3.0 may submit GRE or MAT scores to be considered.

A personal interview with graduate faculty of the School of Nursing may be requested following a preliminary review of all required admission materials.

Admissions pathway for current University of Southern Maine (USM) BS in Nursing students

Current USM students in the Nursing program may apply through a reduced application process to the Masters of Nursing program. The concentrations students can apply to via this pathway are: Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Applications will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

Students applying in this pathway will be considered for entry in the Fall semester following their graduation from the BSN. Eligible students will maintain a GPA of 3.3 or better throughout the undergraduate nursing program and be a current BSN student at USM at the time of application. Admission to the MS program is conditional upon passing the NCLEX exam. Conditionally admitted students may take 6 credits of graduate courses prior to matriculation.

Students will still follow the admissions and application process but will have the following requirements changed:

• No letters of recommendation required.
• No GRE or MAT required.