Graduate Nursing Program Admission
Getting a graduate degree is a great opportunity to advance your nursing career. To gain admission, you want to make sure you have a strong application.
Before you can be considered for admission into the Graduate Nursing Department, you must first apply for admission to the School of Graduate Studies at WSU.
In your application, note which Graduate Nursing program you want to enroll in.
If you’d like to start taking courses before being formally accepted to WSU Graduate Studies, you can apply as a Non-Degree Seeking Student.
If you were previously enrolled in graduate courses at WSU, you may be able to use the re-enrollment process to continue your degree program.
Once you are accepted into Graduate Studies, then you will apply to the Graduate Nursing program.
For all Graduate Nursing degree programs—including the RN-Graduate Pathway—you must meet the following requirements:
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale
- Minimum of one-year clinical nursing experience
- Current, unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse (Minnesota licensure is typically required for all clinical courses. Other state licenses may also be required for clinical experiences in those respective states according to state statute.)
If you’re an applicant whose first language isn’t English, you may need to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to qualify for admission.
Review the international student admissions requirements.
Provisional Admission
Applicants who have a GPA less than 3.0 but are otherwise competitive in the applicant pool will be considered for provisional admission on an individual basis.
Students accepted provisionally must maintain a 3.0 graduate GPA for their first 12 semester credits, during which time they must take at least one of the following courses:
- NURS 600 – Scientific and Ethical Foundations
- NURS 606 – Nursing Information Management and Decision Making
- STATS 601 – Statistical Methods
Degree-Specific Criteria
There are additional admissions requirements depending on the type of degree you are pursuing.
All Master’s degree and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree applicants must have:
- Bachelor’s degree from a nationally-accredited program in nursing
- Undergraduate courses in nursing research and statistics
- Undergraduate coursework in physical assessment
There are additional admissions requirements depending on the degree program you are pursuing.
Program-Specific Criteria
Applicants for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) DNP degree must also:
- Be Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified through the American Heart Association.
- Complete an electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation course at their hospital workplace prior to beginning WSU clinical courses
- Have one year of clinical practice experience in units that provide high acuity care with fast-paced decision making and complex procedures, like ER, ICU, and CUU
All Post-Master’s DNP degree applicants must have:
- Graduate degree from a nationally-accredited graduate program in nursing
- Master’s courses in nursing research and statistics
A minimum of 1 year clinical nursing experience in a functional master’s level role is recommended.
There are additional admissions requirements depending on the degree program you are pursuing.
Program-Specific Criteria
Applicants for advanced practice roles must show evidence that they have completed the following advanced courses or will have to take theses course during their program:
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
- Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGCNS)
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
Applicants for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) DNP degree must also:
- Be Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified through the American Heart Association.
- Complete an electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation course at their hospital workplace prior to beginning WSU clinical courses
- Have one year of clinical practice experience in units that provide high acuity care with fast-paced decision making and complex procedures, like ER, ICU, and CUU
For all post-graduate certificate applicants, you must have a graduate degree from a nationally accredited graduate program in nursing.
There are additional admissions requirements depending on the degree program you are pursuing.
Program-Specific Criteria
Applicants for advanced practice roles must show evidence that they have completed the following advanced courses or will have to take theses course during their program:
- Pathophysiology
- Health assessment (60 hours must be faculty supervised and include diagnostic reasoning)
- Health promotion
- Pharmacology (must have been within the last three years in some states for credentialing)
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) post-graduate certificate applicants must also:
- Be Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified through the American Heart Association.
- Complete an electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation course at their hospital workplace prior to beginning WSU clinical courses
- Have one year of clinical practice experience in units that provide high acuity care with fast-paced decision making and complex procedures, like ER, ICU, and CUU
Apply for a Graduate Program
After being admitted to WSU’s Graduate School, apply for admission to the Department of Graduate Nursing.
The online application opens Aug.15 – Oct. 15. The application materials include:
- NursingCAS application form
- Official transcripts from each institution you have attended – ask early to ensure enough time for processing
- 2 professional references – ask early to ensure your references have enough time
- Professional resume
- Personal statement
Contact gradnursing@winona.edu with any questions about the application process.
Your two references should be from people who can comment competently on your background and suitability for nursing graduate study.
At least one professional reference should be from someone who occupies the student’s chosen advanced practice nursing role, such as:
- nurse practitioner
- clinical nurse specialist
- nurse educator
- nurse administrator or leader
Follow our guidelines when putting together your resume (PDF) to ensure your application is done correctly.
Follow our guidelines when putting together statement of professional and personal goals (PDF) to ensure your application is done correctly.
DNP Degree Applicants
As part of your personal statement, you must also provide a clinical practice question (PDF) that you’re most interested in studying during your clinical scholarship courses.
Be prepared to explain why your clinical question is important for graduate nursing students to answer and offer ideas for the best clinical setting within which your question can be answered.
Interview
Students who advance in the admission process will be asked to have a personal interview with Graduate Nursing faculty.
Be ready to talk about what makes you a great candidate for your desired program.
Apply as a Graduate Non-Degree Seeking Student
You can apply to be a Degree Seeking Student if you’ve earned your bachelor’s degree in nursing but you don’t intend to pursue a master’s degree,
To get a jumpstart on your degree, you may seek Graduate Non-Degree Seeking Student status.
This allows you to take undergraduate or graduate level courses —or a combination of both— on the Winona and Rochester campuses before you apply and are formally accepted to a graduate nursing program.
A maximum of 12 graduate credits can be earned as a Degree Seeking Student. These credits can be applied toward graduation requirements once you are accepted into the Graduate Nursing program.
Admission as a graduate non-degree seeking student does not mean guaranteed admission to a graduate degree program. You must still meet all admission requirements and formally apply to WSU Graduate Studies and the Graduate Nursing program.
Courses for Degree Seeking Students
Courses within our program that are open for you to take as a Degree Seeking Student include:
- NURS 604 – Health Policy and Quality Health Care Delivery
- NURS 606 – Nursing Information Management & Decision Making
- NURS 608 – Organizational and Systems Leadership
- NURS 616 – Molecular, Genetic, and Immune Mechanisms in Disease
- NURS 618 – Advanced Pathophysiology
- NURS 705 – Leadership in Nursing & Healthcare Innovations
- STATS 601 – Statistical Methods for Health Care Research
Visit the graduate catalog for course descriptions as well as pre-requisite and co-requisite information.
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