Doctor of Nursing Practice

Graduate School of Nursing

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USU's Graduate School of Nursing was established in 1993 with the Family Nurse Practitioner Program. Since then, it has grown in size and scope. Now, the GSN has four Master of Science in Nursing programs, three Doctor of Nursing Practice programs and a Doctor of Philosophy program.

Graduate School of Nursing

Doctor of Nursing Practice Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for all APRN Programs

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or Master’s Degree with a concentration in Nursing) from an accredited university.

Current curriculum vitae.

Current Basic Life Support Certification (BLS).

Current, active unrestricted nursing license

Current single page service-specific officer brief- (e.g. SURF, ORB, OSR)

Completed application

Competitive GRE scores

Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Please see individual specialty requirements for courses

Original transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.

Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:

  • Chief nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in the direct chain of command)
  • Immediate supervisor
  • APRN in the specialty for which applying

Evidence Based Writing Requirement (details in application)

Important note: University admissions are separate and distinct from the sponsoring agency (e.g. Air Force, Army, Navy, PHS). Admissions are competitive. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the university. Applicants must be accepted by both the university and the sponsoring agency to attend the university.

Program Specialty Requirements

AGCNS Admissions Requirements
  • Undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Combined science GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.)
  • Must have a minimum of two years’ experience as a perioperative, ICU, Critical Care, Trauma or ED nurse at the time of matriculation
  • Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty.
  • Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Current Certification in your specialty area; Operating Room Nurses (CNOR) or Acute/Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or Board Certified Emergency Nurse (BCEN)
  • Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology recommended, graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered
CRNA Admissions Requirements
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.)
  • Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a non-nursing Biochemistry, Physiology or Pathophysiology course from an accredited university within the past 5 years. Graduate level is preferred, undergraduate courses considered
  • Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a Statistics course from an accredited university. Graduate level is preferred, undergraduate level courses will be considered
  • At least one year of experience as a RN in a critical care setting in a military or civilian hospital. Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse is to have developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care areas may include but are not limited to: Surgical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Neonatal Intensive Care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology. For example a military nurse who worked in ICU at military hospital for 6 months and then deployed to Kandahar and worked critical care or trauma for 7 months may possess the necessary 1 year experience requirement to apply
  • Shadow a CRNA for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse/senior nurse executive for guidance and direction if needed
  • Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty
  • Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
FNP Admissions Requirements
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.)
  • Statistics course (not required, but highly desirable) preferably within the past 5 years from an accredited university
  • Recent direct patient care recommended
  • Shadow an FNP for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse/senior nurse executive for guidance and direction if needed
  • Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty
  • Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, or pathophysiology recommended, Graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered
PMHNP Admissions Requirements
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.)
  • Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology recommended, graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered
  • Statistics course (not required, but highly desirable) preferably within the past 5 years from an accredited university  
  • Applicants are required to complete an interview with the faculty
  • Shadow a PMH Nurse for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse or senior nurse executive for guidance and direction, if needed. Have your Shadow Nurse fill out the shadow questionnaire form and submit to gsn-admissions@usuhs.edu(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail) along with your LOR
WHNP Admissions Requirements
  • Undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Combined science GPA of 2.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.)
  • Recent direct patient care recommended
  • Shadow a WHNP for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse/senior nurse executive for guidance and direction if needed
  • Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty

Application Form and Supporting Documents

Complete the Application Checklist to ensure all necessary documentation is submitted with your application.

Mail completed documents to:

Office of the University Registrar/GSN Admissions
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
4301 Jones Bridge Road, Building 79, 1st Floor
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4712

or

Email the Office of University Registrar/GSN Admissions at gsn-admissions@usuhs.edu

The admissions process takes into consideration all application materials when evaluating an applicant. It also reserves the right to require additional materials. Students who do not meet the minimum recommended requirements in all areas may be considered on an individual basis.