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School of Nursing Specific Admission Requirements

The Catholic University School of Nursing employs a "whole person" philosophy for evaluation of applicants for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in nursing program. In addition to the University Admission requirements, applicants must meet the following admission criteria:

  1. Possess a baccalaureate degree and a master's degree in nursing from an accredited college or university offering a program in nursing accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. (Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for B.S.N. prepared applicants with a non-nursing master's degree; exceptions may also be made for international students or those educated in other countries).
  2. Graduates of programs not accredited by the NLNAC or CCNE must have transcripts evaluated and comparability to American degrees established. Evaluation may be conducted by the World Education Services.
  3. Present transcripts of undergraduate and graduate study that provide evidence of academic ability to complete the program and do original research. A GPA of 3.2 or higher is desired.
  4. Three letters of reference (at least one from a former dean, former faculty member or academic adviser and at least one from a current or former supervisor preferably in a clinical practice/research/academic setting).
  5. A written statement of career goals and proposed area of research. The research topic does not have to be fully developed, but applicants should provide a general idea of the area of interest.
  6. A copy of a recent scholarly paper, research report or publication to demonstrate writing and critical thinking ability.
  7. International students must meet all University requirements, including TOEFL scores to be considered. See School of Nursing Website for additional admissions information. International students with TOEFL scores below 600 or ITLES below 7 will be enrolled in Intensive English courses beginning the spring semester prior to beginning PhD courses the following fall semester. Individual waivers of language requirements will be considered.

N.B. Applicants who do not meet the requirements for regular admission as degree-seeking candidates may be eligible for provisional admission if required documents are missing or for conditional admission if there are questions about academic performance or English language proficiency.

Coursework

A minimum of 52 semester hours in coursework during doctoral study at the Catholic University of America beyond baccalaureate study are required for the Ph.D. degree.    Full- and part-time study is available.