Program Accreditation

The MSN Program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates of the program will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) advanced examination for relevant specialties and/or other professional certification exams. The Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA) and graduates will be eligible to take the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist Certification exam.

Majors

• Nurse Anesthesia Major

  • Nursing Anesthesia Across the Lifespan, M.S.N.  

• Advanced Clinical Nursing Major

  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, M.S.N.  
  • Adult Psychiatric Mental Health, M.S.N.   (inactive; not currently being offered)
  • Family Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan, M.S.N  

• Systems/Population Nursing Major

  • Nurse Administrator, M.S.N.  
  • Community/Public Health Nursing, M.S.N.  
  • Nurse Educator, M.S.N.  

Additional Admission and Progression Requirements

In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the following are required for graduate study in Nursing (see additional requirements for specific major):

1. Current unrestricted licensure as a Registered Nurse. Current license in North Carolina or a compact state or the state identified by faculty for clinical practice before enrollment.
2. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited university.  If the degree is not in Nursing and courses in Research, Leadership/Management, Aging and Health and Community Health are lacking, they will be required as part of the program of study (option available only to Nurse Administration, Community/Public Health Nursing, and Nurse Educator majors).
3. Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination or the Miller Analogies Test or a previous Graduate degree with documentation of test scores.
4. One year of professional nursing practice is recommended.
5. An essay (statement of purpose) describing the applicant’s experience and objective in undertaking graduate study in the chosen specialty.
6. Overall GPA of at least 3.0 in the last degree earned. 
7. Completion of a statistics course with a grade of C or above.
8. See specialty track admission requirements for application dates that vary from those published by the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

The MSN degree requires completions of 36 to 67 graduate credit hours, depending on the specialty.  All specialties require a Capstone Project.  Specific requirements and prerequisites for each specialty are listed below.  Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Anesthesia are designed to accommodate full-time study.  Part-time study is available for some majors.  Many classes are held in the late afternoon or evening.

Up to a total of six graduate credit hours may be accepted from another accredited institution or from a post-baccalaureate program at UNC Charlotte.  All courses must be approved prior to transfer by the student’s advisor, the Associate Director of the Graduate Division, and the Dean of the Graduate School.  All coursework, including accepted transfer credits, must be completed within a six-year period prior to graduation.

Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available. Information is available in the School of Nursing, and from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Health and Human Services.

Additional Financial Aid

Scholarships from the North Carolina Nurse Scholars Program - Master’s Program (M-NSP) are available to part-time or full-time students admitted to the nursing program for up to two years of study. The M-NSP scholarships are competitive and preference will be given to full-time students. Awards are not based on financial need. The application deadline is early May. Further information and application forms are available on the School of Nursing webpage for Student Resources or in the College of Health and Human Services Advising Center.

A limited number of Professional Nurse Traineeships are available to full-time nurse practitioner students. The traineeship awards fund a portion of tuition and fees. Students in the nurse anesthesia major are eligible for Nurse Anesthesia Traineeships. Further information and application forms are available from the School of Nursing.

Early Entry Program

An Early Entry Program is available for well-qualified UNC Charlotte undergraduate students majoring in Nursing.  The Early Entry Program allows students in the RN-to-BSN degree program to begin work toward the MSN graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree.  For details, see the UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Catalog.