MSN Admissions

Berkeley College seeks to provide graduate applicants with an education that balances academic preparation, professional training, and hands-on experience. The College considers students for admission to the graduate programs based on future potential, motivation, past academic achievement, and work experience. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Office of Graduate Admissions to arrange for an appointment. Please allow a minimum of one hour for the visit to discuss educational objectives and career plans, and to receive a tour of the College. For further information, applicants may also call the College at 800-446-5400 or email BCGrad@BerkeleyCollege.edu.

The Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Program is designed for clinicians who have experience in direct patient care, defined as nursing care provided to individuals or families intended to achieve specific health goals or achieve selected health outcomes. Applicants must be employed as a registered nurse for a minimum of one year in an acute direct patient care setting at the time of application. Nurses who work in indirect patient care are not eligible for this specialization track. Indirect patient care refers to nursing decisions, actions, or interventions that are provided through or on behalf of individuals, families, or groups and while they may be responsible for nurses providing direct care, they do not provide direct care themselves, making them ineligible for the program.

Berkeley College’s Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Specialization program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This accreditation enables graduates to participate several national certification examinations, including American Nurses Credentialing Center Board Certification (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANP).

The admission requirements are used to identify those applications who are most likely to complete the program. Applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing must provide the following information for admission:

• Applicants must provide authorization for a criminal background check prior to being accepted into the program. In instances where a student’s criminal background check contains information related to past criminal activity, Berkeley College may not make an offer of Admission into the program or guarantee that it will find suitable clinical placement(s) since the decision to allow students to complete clinical rotations is at the sole discretion of the clinical affiliate. 
• Applicants must submit a recent resume listing all professional experience. Also, applicants must be employed as a registered nurse for a minimum of one year in an acute direct patient care setting at the time of application.
• A Bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Official BSN transcripts, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0* or higher on a 4.0 scale, including course work in statistics, research, and physical assessment.
• Verification of a current unencumbered, unrestricted license as a registered nurse (RN) in the state of residence or APRN certification in states where the APRN is an upgrade of the RN license resulting in only one license that is both an RN and an APRN license.
• A personal Goal Statement to reflect personal and professional career goals for graduate education (rationale and goals for the selected area of advanced practice must be included).
• Two letters of recommendation from professionals at the Master’s or Doctoral level, such as a registered nurse or physician, who can attest to the applicant’s ability to be successful in our program, aligning with program outcomes.
• A $50 nonrefundable application fee, required at the time of application, to cover transcript evaluation and other administrative costs.

Applications are considered for admission to the MSN program for the fall, winter, and spring semesters. The application deadline is one week before classes begin. All admissions documents must be submitted by that date. If there is insufficient enrollment for a particular semester, applicants will be informed of the cohort cancellation and will have an opportunity to defer their application to another semester.

Applications are accepted on a rolling admission for all options. An offer of admission will be valid for 12 months from the start date of the program. Applicants denied admission will be allowed to reapply after 180 days.    

Final acceptance into the program will be determined by the Graduate Nursing Program Admissions Committee composed of nursing and School of Health Studies faculty, nursing administrators, and the MSN Admission Director.

*Applicants not meeting GPA requirement of 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission with the following provision: Student will take six (6) credits of graduate courses at Berkeley College. Students will be required to demonstrate successful graduate work with a GPA of 3.0 at the end of the first semester in order to progress in the program. Students not achieving a 3.0 GPA at the end of the first semester will be dismissed from the program.

Core Performance Standards for Admission and Progression: Applicants and students enrolled in the graduate Nursing program must possess the necessary intellectual, physical, emotional, social and communication skills to provide nursing care that is safe for the client, themselves and other health care providers. They must be able to provide safe nursing care in a wide variety of settings with diverse clientele. Therefore, in addition to the MSN program’s admission requirements, Berkeley College’s MSN program has set forth its essential eligibility requirements for the graduate nursing program by citing the Core Performance Standards. Student must consistently meet the standards to qualify for and remain in the program.

Students must refer to the MSN Student Handbook Supplement for the list of the Core Performance Standards for the MSN program along with examples of these standards. Every nursing applicant and student is required to have the abilities listed in the Core Performance Standards in order to perform safe, effective professional nursing care.

Self-Assessment According to Core Performance Standards: The Core Performance Standards are intended to constitute an objective measure of:

• A qualified applicant’s or student’s ability with or without accommodations to meet the program performance requirements, and
• Accommodations required by a matriculated student who seeks accommodations under the ADA.

All students admitted into the Nursing program shall self-assess their physical and mental capability to perform the essential functions of the program (outlined in the Core Performance Standards for Nursing program). Each student must determine his/her own ability to achieve the standards of the Nursing Program. After self-evaluation, any student requiring special accommodations to fulfill the Nursing program’s requirements should contact the Office of Accessibility Services to determine whether requested accommodations are reasonable.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided to those individuals with disabilities, where possible, to enable them to meet these standards and ensure that students are not denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in this program. A reasonable accommodation is one that does not require a fundamental alteration in the program or lower academic and/or clinical standards. The Program shall abide by the requirements of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974 while maintaining standards that ensure the protection of students and patients. Students who consistently do not meet these standards with reasonable accommodation will be unable to be admitted and/or progress in the nursing program and will be dismissed from the nursing program.

All students who require special accommodations own the responsibility to notify the College’s Office of Accessibility Services. Early notification is essential in order to provide ample documentation for the accommodations and so that course faculty are informed of each student’s needs. Students requesting accommodations under section 504 of the Rehabilitative Act of 1973/or the Americans with Disabilities Act must provide the Office of Accessibility Services the required documentation. The Office of Accessibility Services will determine the type of accommodations students are eligible for and notify the instructor(s) of those accommodations via written communication. The instructor has no obligation to provide an accommodation to the student without written documentation from the Office of Accessibility Services.

MSN Program Transfer Policies: At the time of enrollment in the MSN program, courses from other accredited colleges and universities can be evaluated for transfer credit. A maximum of nine units (9) of graduate credit taken at Berkeley College or other approved colleges or universities may be transferred and credited toward the program if they are applicable to the requirements and are approved by the MSN Program Director and/or the Director’s designee.

Transfer units are transferable only if the student has received a grade of at least B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent). Courses for transfer must have been completed within the past five years at a regionally accredited institution with a grade of B or higher. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis will not be transferred. The Direct Care Core courses which include Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology*, and Advanced Health Assessment must have been completed within three years prior to admission.

The MSN Program Director, or a faculty designee, must approve all requests for transfer credit. Transfer credits must be requested at the beginning of the student’s program of study. No transfer credits will be accepted once the student has matriculated into the MSN program. A student wishing to transfer course work must make a written request by filling the Request for Transfer of Graduate Credits form and must provide a transcript and a syllabus or other description of the course he/she wishes to have considered for transfer credit.

*Note: MSN-FNP graduates must complete a minimum of 45 contact hours of Advanced Pharmacology education within three years immediately preceding the application to the Board of Nursing (BON) post-graduation for prescribing and dispensing authority as a practicing nurse practitioner.

Military and Veteran Applicants: Berkeley College is dedicated to helping veterans, members of the National Guard, active-duty military members, and their families earn college degrees. Veterans and/or dependents planning to receive educational assistance benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should obtain VA approval prior to enrollment. Veterans may apply for their GI Bill® benefits at the VONAPP website, located at www.va.gov. Veterans are required to submit copies of their Certificate of Eligibility and DD214 Member 4 or Service 2 copy during the admissions process in order for their benefits to be processed most effectively. Students must request certification for their benefits at BerkeleyCollege.edu/Admissions/Military-Veterans. In addition, Berkeley College participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon Program and in all active-duty Federal Tuition Assistance programs.

The Berkeley College Office of Military and Veterans Affairs is dedicated to supporting all veterans, military personnel, and their dependents. More information is available at the Online Veterans Resource Center located at BerkeleyCollege.libguides.com/veterans. Students should call the College at 800-446-5400 ext. VET, email VeteransAffairs@BerkeleyCollege.edu, or contact any member of the staff of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs for further information.

Degree Program Applicants: All new students enrolled in degree programs must meet the College's immunization requirements prior to registering for classes.