Admission Requirements

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School and College, applicants to the Nurse Anesthesia Across the Lifespan program must have:

1. Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited nursing program.
2. A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work after high school
3. A grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all basic undergraduate science courses (Chemistry, Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Microbiology).
4. Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE); a score of 293 on the revised GRE or 950 on the old GRE is preferred (MAT scores are not accepted).
5. A minimum of 18 months of current full time critical care experience with adult clients prior to matriculation.
   1. Acceptable experience includes: Intensive Care Unit, Coronary Care Unit, Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Cardio-vascular Intensive Care Unit.
   2. Experiences not acceptable include: Flight Team, Emergency Room, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Post Anesthesia Care Unit. 
6. Current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Life Support with documentation provided only to Carolinas Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Clinical Program.
7. Statement of Purpose describing the applicant’s experience and objective in undertaking certificate study.  Limited to a single page.
8. Applicants who meet the academic admission requirements will be eligible to be invited for an interview with the Clinical Program Admissions Committee.
   1. Interviews are conducted twice a year: November and February.
   2. All application materials must be submitted to the Graduate School and the Nurse Anesthesia program no later than six weeks prior to the interviews. For November interviews, the deadline is September 15; for February interviews, the deadline is January 15.

Application Process

The application process requires two applications - one to UNC Charlotte and one to Carolinas Medical Center.  Only after a successful interview will the applicant be admitted.

1. The UNC Charlotte application is completed online and information can be obtained from:

Graduate Admissions
UNC Charlotte
210 Cato Hall
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
704-687-5503 (phone)
704-687-7254 (fax)
graduateschool.uncc.edu

2. The Carolinas Medical Center application forms and materials can be obtained from:

Carolinas Medical Center
Nurse Anesthesia Program
P.O. Box 32861
Charlotte, NC 28232-2861
704-355-2375 (Phone)
704-355-7263 (Fax)
atriumhealth.org/education/graduate-medical-education/school-of-nurse-anesthesia

Degree Requirements

The program requires completion of 67 credit hours in approved courses as listed below and a capstone which is met with residency IV. 

Degree Total = 67 Credit Hours