Mission & Program Philosophy

Admission Requirements

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Frequently Asked Questions

Courses

Admission Requirements

• Official transcripts from any college or university attended

• Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

• BSN undergraduate degree

• Health & Physical Assessment course taken in an undergraduate nursing program

• Personal statement of education and career goals

• Graduate Record Exam with writing assessment (information available online)

• Photocopy of current RN licensure

• Three letters of reference: one letter should be from a nurse with an MSN

• Curriculum vita

• Interview (if requested)

• Criminal background check upon admission to program

• Completed SAU Medical History (Please submit with application packet)

• Membership in ANA, IONL, or AONE (provide photocopy of membership card)

• Under Graduate Statistics class taken within 5 years of entering the MSN program.  The statistics class must be completed prior to taking the Research Utilization course.

• TOEFL if English is not first language

• Complete and submit the University graduate application form.
   

International Students

Visa holders are subject to federal nonimmigrant laws that vary based on visa type.  Contact the International Student Services office at global@sau.edu for more information on admission requirements and academic guidelines for your specific visa type.  Nurses educated outside the United States should contact the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) at http://www.cgfns.org.

 

Policies

Conditional admission may be granted when the student's file is complete except for the GRE scores.  The Department of Nursing Graduate Office must receive the GRE scores before the student registers for more than 6 credit hours.  If these conditions are not met, the student may be dismissed from the program.

Probationary admission occurs when a student has not met all of the admission requirements.  These applications are reviewed for probationary status on a case-by-case basis by the MSN Admissions committee.  Admission decisions will take into consideration the student's personal motivation to succeed.  Students GPA will be reviewed by the MSN Admissions Committee after the first two courses are completed, and student must have at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale to continue.

**According to the State of Iowa Board of Nursing, a person may not take a nursing course with a clinical component:

1. Who has been denied licensure by the State Board of Nursing.

2. Whose license is currently suspended, surrendered or revoked in any U.S. jurisdiction.

3. Whose license/registration is currently suspended, surrendered or revoked in another country due to disciplinary action.
    

Retention Policy
MSN students are required to maintain a 3.0 (B) grade point average or above.  At any point in the process of completing the MSN program where a student falls below a 3.0 grade point average, he/she is placed on academic probation.  Students must remove themselves from academic probation within their next two semesters.  For each C grade earned, there must be an offsetting A grade.  Only two C grades are permitted in the MSN program.  A third C grade or an F grade will result in academic dismissal from the program.  A course may be retaken only once in order to improve a grade and a maximum of three classes may be repeated for grade improvement purposes.  A student dismissed from the program due to academic deficiency may reapply for admission after a minimum of one year.

A student is permitted only one outstanding incomplete (I) at any given time during their studies in the program.  Evidence of when the "I" will be completed must be presented to the program director by the end of the first week of the session following the session in which the "I" was received.  A student is not permitted to enroll in subsequent courses until the "I" is removed.  Requests to waive this restriction due to extenuating circumstances must be reviewed by the program director.

Transfer Credits
Students may transfer up to nine graduate credits from an accredited college or university provided the credits carry a "B" or better, the course(s) are determined to be equivalent to the MSN courses, and were completed in the past seven years.

Student Organization
Nurse Administration majors are encouraged to be active in the SAU Graduate Student Government Association.