Admissions Requirements
Master of Nursing (MN) Requirements
Requirements for Master of Nursing (MN) admission include:
- Bachelor's degree or higher in a discipline other than nursing from an accredited college or university
- Scholastic GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university is recommended.
Application Criteria
- $50 Application Fee
All applicants are holistically reviewed based on the following factors:
- Statement of Purpose – should reflect your understanding of the role of the registered nurse and your interest in nursing
- Response to the essay questions
- Three letters of academic and/or professional recommendation
- Required that one recommender holds a master's degree or higher
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- Send your electronic transcript (preferred) to CDM@vanderbilt.edu
- Paper transcripts may be mailed by the college/university to the Center for Data Management/Vanderbilt University/PMB 407833/2301 Vanderbilt Place/Nashville, TN 37240-7833
Information for applicants with international education
TOEFL or IELTS if English is not your native language
Prerequisites
All applicants must complete certain prerequisite courses from an accredited college/university with a grade C or better. Prerequisites do not need to be completed at the time of application. Online courses taken at accredited colleges/universities are accepted.
- Bachelor's degree or higher in a discipline other than nursing
- Microbiology
- Human Anatomy or Anatomy and Physiology I*
- Human Physiology or Anatomy and Physiology II*
- 11 hours of Natural Science
- Statistics
- Nutrition
- Developmental Psycholog
Human Anatomy, Human Physiology and Microbiology courses must have been taken within 5 years of application. *Should include a lab component.
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Master's Certificate (PMC)
Requirements for MSN or PMC admission include:
- Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university
- Registered nurse applicants must have graduated (or will graduate prior to enrolling) from an ACEN or CCNE accredited school by July 1 and hold an unencumbered RN license in the state where they will complete their clinical practice and/or preceptorship prior to registering for fall courses.
- Scholastic GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university is recommended.
Application Criteria
- $50 Application Fee
All applicants are holistically reviewed based on the following factors:
- Statement of Purpose – include addressing the three topics and your understanding of the advanced practice nurse role in your selected specialty
- Respond to the essay questions (these will become available on the application).
- Three letters of academic and/or professional recommendation
- Required that one recommender holds a master's degree or higher
- Applicants to the neonatal nurse practitioner specialty must submit recommendations from a neonatologist and a neonatal nurse practitioner who can evaluate your clinical practice.
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- Send your electronic transcript (preferred) to CDM@vanderbilt.edu
- Paper transcripts may be mailed by the college/university to the Center for Data Management/Vanderbilt University/PMB 407833/2301 Vanderbilt Place/Nashville, TN 37240-7833
- If you are admitted, then send in official transcripts
- Applicants to programs that have clinical placements both in the Middle Tennessee area (MTA) and outside of Middle Tennessee area (OMTA) will need to indicate whether they are requesting an MTA or OMTA specialty clinical placement site.
Information for applicants with international education
TOEFL or IELTS if English is not your native language
Prerequisites
All applicants must complete certain prerequisite courses from an accredited college/university with a grade C or better. Prerequisites do not need to be completed at the time of application. Online courses taken at accredited colleges/universities are accepted.
- BSN applicants – Statistics (3-semester or 4-quarter hours)
- Bachelor's degree or higher in a discipline other than nursing
- Microbiology*
- Human Anatomy or Anatomy and Physiology I*
- Human Physiology or Anatomy and Physiology II*
- 11 hours of Natural Science
- Statistics
- Nutrition
- Developmental Psychology
Human Anatomy and Human Physiology must have been taken within 5 years.
*Should include a lab component.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Requirements for DNP admission include:
-
Advanced Clinical Practice Track:
- At least a master of nursing with an advanced practice certification
- Scholastic GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university is recommended.
-
Advanced Systems Practice Track:
- At least a master's degree in health care leadership or nursing informatics
- Or BSN and a master's degree in a non-nursing, health-related field (MBA, MPH, MHA, MMHC, etc.)
- Or MSN or MN in nursing education with systems practice experience
- Scholastic GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university is recommended.
-
Nurse Executive Track:
- APRN or at least a master's degree in health care leadership or nursing informatics
- Or BSN and a master's degree in a non-nursing, health-related field (MBA, MPH, MHA, MMHC, etc.)
- Or MSN or MN in nursing education with systems/executive leadership practice experience
- Scholastic GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university is recommended.
-
BSN to DNP Track: AGACNP or ENP specialty
- Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university
- RN applicants must have graduated (or will graduate prior to enrolling) from an ACEN or CCNE accredited school by July 1 and hold an unencumbered RN license in the state where they will be completing their clinical practice and/or preceptorship prior to registering for fall courses
- Scholastic GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university is recommended.
Note: Applicants with a master's degree in nursing education or similar non-APRN focus must apply to the DNP plus Post-Master's Certificate program (except health care leaders applying to Advanced Systems or Executive Leadership Track). Vanderbilt also offers post-master's entry for advanced practice nurses who hold an MSN and wish to add an additional specialty certification as part of their DNP program of studies.
Application Criteria
- $50 Application Fee
All applicants are holistically reviewed based on the following factors:
- Statement of Purpose
- Response to the essay questions
- Resume or CV
- Three letters of academic and/or professional recommendation
- All recommenders must hold doctoral degrees
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- Send your electronic transcript (preferred) to CDM@vanderbilt.edu
- Paper transcripts may be mailed by the college/university to the Center for Data Management/Vanderbilt University/PMB 407833/2301 Vanderbilt Place/Nashville, TN 37240-7833
Information for applicants with international education
TOEFL or IELTS if English is not your native language
