School of Nursing
Nursing Student Handbook
Admission Standards
RN MSN Program
The RN MSN Program is available for registered nurses who are graduates of associate degree or diploma nursing programs. Clayton State participates in the Georgia Statewide Articulation Model.
The program can be completed full time in six semesters. Students taking classes on a part time basis must complete the undergraduate portion of the program within five years and the graduate curriculum within an additional five years. Students will be admitted to the program after they have completed all of their core requirements. If they have an ASN degree from a Georgia school, they will receive 31 block credits for their nursing courses, per articulation agreement. If they have a baccalaureate degree in a field other than nursing, they may receive 60 credits in transfer for their core requirements. CSU requires 120 credits for graduation with a BS degree and an additional 36 credits for a Master’s degree.
The RN MSN program is an accelerated curriculum which uses BSN courses to bridge into the MSN program. If students do not qualify for admission to the graduate school, they will transfer into the RN-BSN program for an additional nine semester hours to obtain the BSN degree. Upon graduation, students completion the RN MSN curriculum will earn both the BSN and MSN degree.
Eligibility Requirements
Admission requirements for the RN MSN program shall include but not be limited to the following:
- Candidates must hold valid unrestricted licensure as a Registered Nurse in the State of Georgia and must have evidence of current professional nursing practice.
- Candidates must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale on all college level work attempted and have completed a minimum of 48 of the 60 required semester credit hours of core curriculum Areas A-F and the transition course Pathophysiology with a grade of 'C' or better in all natural and behavioral science and math courses at the time of application.
- Candidates must pass both sections of the Regents Test as prerequisite to entry into the BSN program. Those candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree are exempt from this requirement but must demonstrate writing competency in another assessment format.
- Candidates must satisfy the Legislative Requirement of the University System of Georgia as prerequisite to entry into the BSN program. This requirement is normally met by taking POLS 1101 and HIST 2111 or 2112 in Area E of the core curriculum. Alternative methods to meet this requirement include passing CITZ 1001 Citizenship at Clayton State University. Refer to Clayton State University Catalog for complete details on the Georgia and U.S. Constitution and History Requirement.
- Candidates who are international graduates, registered nurses who have been professionally inactive for four or more years, and graduates of non-accredited programs may be required to validate nursing knowledge prior to acceptance and enrollment in nursing coursework. The Admission and Progression Committee reviews all international students on an individual basis to determine program eligibility.
- Candidates to the RN MSN program are expected to meet the Performance Standards for Baccalaureate Degree Nursing and may be required to submit evidence of overall health status consistent with these standards.
Admissions Requirements
Candidates to the RN MSN program must meet the admission requirements of Clayton State University; however, admission to Clayton State University does not constitute admission to the School of Nursing. The admission requirements shall include a completed nursing program application, official TOEFL score if applicable, health records, and transcripts of previous academic work. These are to be submitted to the School of Nursing. During the second semester of BSN program, students are required to submit official GRE score.
Admission requirements:
- Admission to Clayton State University is prerequisite to admission to the RN MSN program. Transfer students must meet the admission requirements of Clayton State University and provide official transcripts from all previously attended institutions including prior nursing education, requested immunization records and other supporting documentation as requested. After acceptance into the university, applicants are to schedule an appointment with the departmental program advisor.
- When ready to enter the major, submit the RN MSN program application and $25 non-refundable application fee.
- Specific programmatic admission requirements:
- Evidence of graduation from a state board-approved associate degree or diploma nursing program must be documented with official transcripts.
- Candidates requesting admission under the advanced placement option must show evidence of award of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution at the time of application. Candidates under this category are exempt from areas A-E of the University System of Georgia core curriculum. Prior to application, these candidates must satisfy area F requirements and the transition course Pathophysiology.
- Evidence of current unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse in Georgia. If the license is limited or restricted, the potential applicant must disclose the terms of the consent order and any restriction on practice as a condition of admission.
- Completion of all lower division core requirements, Area F and Pathophysiology.
- Successful completion of the Regents Test and legislative requirements.
- Overall GPA of 3.00 on a scale of 4.00 or greater.
- Evidence of satisfactory health status, AHA CPR certification, malpractice insurance, health insurance, and immunizations.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Statement of purpose for seeking a Master of Science in Nursing degree.
- Students will be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in the second semester of the program and apply for admission to the graduate school. A minimum total score of 950 (verbal and quantitative) with a minimum of 500 verbal score and a minimum 3.5 (analytic writing) on the General Test GRE are required. The GRE requirement is waived for applicants who have earned an advanced degree. GRE results should have been within the past 5 years
- TOEFL scores for international applicants whose native language is not English. International applicants whose native language is not English must have earned a minimum score of 550 on the written Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or 213 on the computer based TOEFL test. The TOEFL may be waived for any applicant who has graduated from a college or university in the United States accredited in a manner accepted by Clayton State University or who is a U.S. citizen.
RN MSN Program Specific Progression requirements:
- Students may not register for any nursing courses except (NURS 3201/3202 and NURS 3110) until they have been formally admitted into the RN MSN program.
- RN MSN students with a one-year or greater break in the completion of their program of study must request in writing to return to the program. They will also be required to complete the Clayton State University short application form. The Admission and Progression Committee will review the request.
- Consistent with university requirements, RN MSN students must adhere to the laptop policies. Any online courses require students to bring a laptop computer to orientation.