Frequently Asked Questions about the Graduate Entry Program

What is the Graduate Entry Program?

• The Graduate Entry Program is designed for individuals who hold at least a BA/BS in a non-nursing major and whose career and educational goals include nursing practice at the advanced specialty level.

• The program has three stages. Applicants are admitted for all three stages (see table).

• Pre-licensure

• Advanced specialty

• Practice doctorate 

• Students are encouraged to complete all phases of the program. However, they may choose to exit (temporarily or permanently) after each phase.

*Upon successful completion of program.

If I am not a nurse and my career goal is to become an Advanced Practice Nurse, can I start directly at the MSN level of the program?

• No, in order to study advanced practice nursing, the student must be a licensed registered nurse.

• Similarly, the DNP degree is a post-MSN degree. Students must hold an MSN in order to earn the DNP degree.

What is the difference between the DNP and PhD degrees?

• Both the DNP and PhD are terminal degrees in nursing.

• The DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice degree) is a practice doctorate. It is designed for nurses whose educational and career interests include advanced clinical practice, nursing education and/or administration.

• The PhD (Doctor of Philosophy degree) is a research doctorate. It is designed for nurses whose educational and careers interests include nursing research and building the science of nursing. Their practice may also include the role of advanced practice or nursing education.

How many times a year do you start a new class? When is orientation?

• The Graduate Entry Program enrolls one class of students each year, in the fall semester.

• A mandatory orientation is held on Thursday and Friday of the week before the start of classes.

• Classes begin according to the CWRU calendar (typically Monday of last week of August).

Is there a rolling admission process or are all applications reviewed at one time?

• Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. Our goal is to have a decision to the applicant within 4 weeks  following the interview).

• The deadline for applications to be complete for Fall enrollment decision is May 1 of that year.

Can I be admitted to the program before I have completed all the courses required for admission?

• Yes, applicants can be admitted to the program before they have completed the required pre-requisite courses or degree.

• The offer of admission letter will state the requirements to be met prior to enrollment.

• Pre-requisite course requirements must be completed with a grade in the course before the student enrolls in the first semester of the program. As the pre-requisite courses provide a foundation for the study of nursing, they may not be completed while the student is enrolled in the program.

• An updated official transcript should be sent to the FPB Registrar’s office documenting the required course/s have been completed.

What is the MAT? Why is the GRE preferred over the MAT?

• MAT stands for the Miller Analogy Test. It is similar to the GRE in that it assesses quantitative and verbal skills and reasoning. It is different in that there is one score, all of the questions are analogy format, and it does not have a separate analytical writing section.

• The Admission Committee prefers the GRE because:

• It provides scores reflecting three different aspects of students’ abilities (verbal, quantitative, analytical).

• The GRE is required for most applications to the CWRU School of Graduate Studies (PhD in nursing and dual degree MSN majors (MA in Bioethics, MA in Anthropology, MPH). Note: the GMAT is required for the MSN/MBA program.

• GRE scores will enhance an application to the CRNA program.

Do you accept other graduate admission tests?

• Yes, we are willing to review scores for the MCAT. The applicant must provide the scores and percentile rankings as we cannot receive them directly.

What if I took the graduate admission test more than 5 years ago?

• If you have your copy of the test scores or can acquire them on an official document (such as a transcript or letterhead), we will use those scores in review of the application.

How do I know if I have a competitive application?

• Our guidelines for admission are stated on our website.

• We look at each applicant individually by reviewing all parts of the application file.

What if I have questions about the pre-requisite course requirements?

• We are willing to review your transcripts to give an unofficial appraisal of which pre-requisite courses you have taken or need to take. The official evaluation is done at the time the application is reviewed for an admission decision.

• We are also willing to review course descriptions to determine if a course you plan to take meets our pre-requisite course requirements.

• Contact the program director if you have questions about the 5 year limit for some courses.

Credit Transfer

• Admitted applicants or enrolled students who have taken a course they believe is equivalent to a course required in our curriculum may apply for credit transfer.

• Instructions may be found on the FPB Registrar’s website.

Declaring an MSN Advanced Specialty Major

• We believe students should transition into the nursing role before committing to an advanced specialty. Therefore, we do not require our students commit to a specific MSN specialty until they enroll in the MSN clinical courses (or, for certain specialties, submit a separate application for the specialty).

• We strongly recommend students learn about MSN specialty areas through activities such as interviewing, shadowing, reading or having received care by an advanced practice nurse.

• In order to assess whether an applicant’s educational/career goals fit with our program, we do ask applicants about their specialty interest (application form, essay and interview).

• During the pre-licensure phase students have opportunities to learn more about our MSN majors.

• We inquire again about the student’s MSN specialty interest during the last semester of the pre-licensure phase of the program. At that time, we assign the student to an academic advisor for that specialty. The student can still change their specialty at a future date.