Requirements

Students need to have successfully completed the following pre-requisite courses with a minimum grade of “C” prior to starting the LPN to RN Advanced Placement Module:

• Anatomy & Physiology I
• Anatomy & Physiology II
• General Psychology
• English Composition
• Clinical Math (typically taken at PA College)
• CSS 101*

* For AY23/24, CSS 101 is a preferred pre-requisite, but may be a co-requisite.
For AY24/25, CSS 101 is the preferred pre-requisite, but it can be a co-requisite if BIO175 is transferred/Student must have 7 general education credits completed or transferred prior to start of clinical courses.

Note: A student can be accepted into the LPN Bridge Program without these pre-requisite courses, but is unable to start the module until they are completed.

Admission requirements for the LPN to RN module include a 3.0 GPA preferred (2.5 minimum), the successful completion (a grade C or higher) of Algebra II or College Algebra, and a science class (preferably Biology) with a lab. Students will need to have all high school and college transcripts sent to PA College. Applicants need to have a minimum of 1,000 working LPN hours completed prior to LPN Module.

Applicants must have graduated from a regionally accredited program with a 2.0 minimum GPA.

Students must obtain their RN license within one year of starting the RN to BSN program and maintain an active RN license throughout the program.

Students must secure employment or be volunteering in a health care setting for eight hours weekly by the beginning of the second semester in the RN to BSN program which must be continued throughout the program.

Because of the rigor of the accelerated BSN curriculum, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must have graduated from an approved secondary school, met the requirements for the GED or received a diploma from an accredited home school association.
• High school-level courses must include a minimum of 16 units, with:
  • 4 units of English
  • 3 units of social studies
  • 3 units of mathematics (2 algebra)
  • 2 units of science with a related lab (1 biology and 1 chemistry)
  • 2 units of a foreign language.

*Post-secondary college-level equivalents will be considered to fulfill high school requirements.

• If more than two years have elapsed since either graduation or earning a GED, prospective students will be required to demonstrate academic success in a college-level math or science course with a lab.
• Preferred applicants will have:
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.4 or greater in secondary education

• Additional factors considered in the competitive admission process include:
  • Class rank
  • Personal interview
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Community service
  • Health care-related service
  • Satisfactory achievement on the SAT or the ACT

• Transcripts of students who have earned post-secondary credits will be reviewed to determine which courses may be transferred into PA College to meet the requirements of the program.

Applicants should complete an associate degree from an accredited allied health program with a minimum of 33 credits related to the allied health field, an accredited paramedic program, or an accredited practical nurse or vocational nurse program. Applicants who graduate from a hospital-based program or from a program lacking accreditation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Applicants should complete eight (8) credits of anatomy and physiology (with a lab) beyond the 33 course credits related to the allied health field.

The following courses (based on secondary school record or post-secondary college transcript, whichever is most recent) must be completed with a grade of “C” (74%) or higher:

1. Highest level applied math course (Algebra 2 is minimum requirement)
2. Highest level English Composition course

Applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing Education program must:

• Hold a RN license
• Hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited institution
• Have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above
• Have completed an undergraduate Health Assessment course
• Have completed an undergraduate course in statistics with a grade of “C” or better. (If you don’t have college credits in statistics, you will be able to enroll in a statistics course at PA College.)
• Have appropriate health care licensure and certificates
• Provide two letters of recommendation and a professional goals statement of no more than 500 words

Interested candidates who have an RN plus a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field may apply provisionally and complete the RN to MSN bridge, a three-course sequence offered through the PA College BSN program.

After successfully completing all requirements and admission to the MSN program, the student will progress directly into graduate-level courses.

The BSN is not awarded in the RN to MSN bridge program.

Applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing Administration program must:

• Hold a RN license
• Hold a BSN from an accredited institution
• Have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above
• Have completed an undergraduate course in statistics with a grade of “C” or better (If you don’t have college credits in statistics, you will be able to enroll in a statistics course at PA College)
• Have appropriate health care licensure and certificates
• Provide two letters of recommendation and a professional goals statement of no more than 500 words

Interested candidates who have an RN plus a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field may apply provisionally and complete the RN to MSN bridge, a three-course sequence offered through the PA College BSN program.

After successfully completing all requirements and admission to the MSN program, the student will progress directly into graduate-level courses.

The BSN is not awarded in the RN to MSN bridge program.

Applicants will be evaluated through a competitive admission process by the graduate nursing faculty, which will include CRNP–prepared faculty. Applicants must meet the following minimum entrance requirements:

Master of Science in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner Tracks)

• Hold an unencumbered RN licensure in the state where clinical practice will occur.
• Hold a BSN degree from a regionally accredited institution. If student does not possess a BSN, refer to RN to MSN Bridge requirements.
• Hold a preferred undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale.
• Complete an undergraduate course in statistics from an accredited institution with a minimum passing grade of “C”.
• Complete an undergraduate health assessment course from an accredited institution with a minimum passing grade of “C”.
• Must have a minimum of two (2) years and 3,000 hours of clinical experience prior to starting clinical courses NUR 721, NUR 731, or NUR 741.
• Submit a curriculum vitae or resume highlighting relevant nursing accomplishments and experience.
• Provide a written statement clearly identifying the applicant’s career goals and how admission to the program will facilitate professional goals.
• Provide two letters of recommendation: at least one from an NP/MD/DO/MSN/ doctorally-prepared nurse who can attest to the applicant’s clinical knowledge, and one from a nursing leader with an MSN or doctoral degree (nursing supervisor/manager/ nursing professor).
• One official transcript from every college or university attended.

The applicant is responsible for assuring that PA College receives all the necessary materials by the application deadline.

PA College does not currently admit students who reside outside of Pennsylvania for the MSN-NP program. The program is in the process of determining if the NP curriculum meets requirements for licensure outside of Pennsylvania.

Applicants to the Master of Healthcare Administration program must:

• • Hold a Bachelor degree from an accredited institution

Have an undergraduate GPA of 2.8 or above

Have completed an undergraduate course in statistics with a grade of “C” or better. (If you don’t have college credits in statistics, you will be able to enroll in a statistics course at PA College.)

Provide two letters of recommendation and a professional goals statement of no more than 500 words

An RN who holds a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing may be granted conditional acceptance into a graduate program. This RN must be a graduate from a regionally accredited pre-licensure program.

In order to fulfill admissions requirements, the applicant must complete the following three required courses:

• IPC 401 Research in Health Care
• NUR420 Nursing Leadership and Management
• NUR430 Nursing in a Global Society.

The applicant must complete the three required courses with a grade of “B” or higher within 12 months of conditional acceptance. Upon satisfactory completion of these courses, the applicant’s status will be changed from conditional to full acceptance, and the applicant will be permitted to begin graduate coursework.

• If a student does not achieve a minimum grade of “B” for a course, the student may repeat the course one time. If the student is unsuccessful on the second attempt, the student will lose conditional acceptance to the MSN program.
• Applicants may appeal to the appropriate Program Director or designee for additional time to complete the required courses.
• Applicants may be exempted from one or more of these required courses upon submission of a transcript that verifies satisfactory (“B” or higher) completion of an equivalent course at a regionally accredited institution.
• After successfully completing all requirements and admission to the MSN program, the student may progress directly into graduate-level courses.
• The BSN is not awarded in the RN to MSN Bridge Program.

DNP applicants must meet the following requirements.

• Hold a current RN unencumbered license in the state where clinical practice will occur.
• Hold a master’s degree in nursing from a regionally accredited school of nursing.
• Hold a preferred graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale.
• Complete a college-level statistics course from an accredited institution with a minimum passing grade of “C”.
• Complete a graduate course in research from an accredited institution with a minimum passing grade of “B”.
• Submit verification of prior clinical hours from Master’s program.
• Submit two (2) letters of recommendation from individuals with a graduate degree, preferably one (1) from a doctorally-prepared professional who can attest to the applicant’s ability to complete a doctoral program.
• Submit a curriculum vitae or resume highlighting relevant nursing accomplishments and experience.
• Submit a written statement clearly identifying the applicant’s career goals and how admission to the program will facilitate professional objectives.
• Achieve a successful interview with the DNP Program Director or designee and members of the Graduate Nursing faculty.

Applicants must meet the following requirements.

• Hold a master’s degree in nursing from an accredited nursing school.
• Hold a preferred graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale.
• Hold a current RN licensure in the state where clinical practice will occur.

Applicants must meet the following requirements.

• Hold a master’s degree in nursing from an accredited school of nursing.
• Hold a preferred graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale.
• Achieve a successful interview with the Nurse Practitioner Track Coordinator or designee and members of the Nurse Practitioner faculty.
• Accomplish two (2) years of relevant clinical experience in nursing.
• Submit a curriculum vitae or resume highlighting relevant nursing accomplishments and experience.