Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Nurse Practitioner (NP)

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MSN/NP Academic Calendar

The Healthcare Simulation Center is a state-of-the-art training facility where students gain hands-on experience with life-like manikins, standardized patients, and advanced medical equipment. It’s designed to help you build clinical skills and confidence before entering real healthcare settings.

Learn more about the Healthcare Simulation Center.

All MSN and Post-Graduate Certificate program tracks require evidence of the equivalent of 12 months of full-time nursing practice. Additional nursing practice experience is required for certain tracks:

• For the AGACNP: Minimum of one year RN experience prior to starting clinicals in an adult acute care/ICU specialty area (i.e. medical/surgical ICU, trauma ICU, neuro/neurosurgical ICU, cardiac ICU, open heart unit, burn unit, intermediate care unit, emergency department, etc.). You will be required to continue to work as an Acute Care/ICU registered nurse to fulfill the one year of nursing practice experience required to progress to the specialty clinical courses. 
• For the FNP: Minimum of one year RN experience prior to starting clinicals. If you are a currently practicing nurse who has only had pediatric, labor and delivery, or post-partum experience, you will be required to obtain employment as an RN in the care of the adult while completing the program part-time. You will be required to continue to work as a registered nurse to fulfill the one year of nursing practice experience required to progress to the specialty clinical courses. 
• For the PMHNP: Minimum of one year RN experience prior to starting clinicals as a psychiatric nurse. You will be required to continue to work as a psychiatric nurse to fulfill the one year of nursing practice experience required to progress to the specialty clinical courses.

*All other MSN tracks: If you have less than one year of full-time nursing practice, you will be required to continue working as a registered nurse to fulfill the one year of nursing practice experience required to progress to the specialty clinical courses.

*DeSales can provisionally accept students who are in their senior BSN year. These students receive full acceptance once they confer their degree and pass their boards.

To be eligible for any MSN program track, a BSN is required. DeSales University offers three pre-licensure options for obtaining a BSN, including a second-degree Accelerated BSN for applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing.

DeSales University accepts students from most states, however, applicants outside of Pennsylvania should check with the School of Nursing to confirm eligibility.

DeSales University cannot admit students from the following states at this time: Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming. In addition, residents of New York may be admitted, however, they may not complete clinical preceptorships in the state of New York.

Prospective students should contact the licensing board of their specific state of residence to determine if the program meets state requirements for NP licensure.

Yes! The MSN program will generally accept up to six transfer credits or two courses into the declared MSN track based on the following criteria:

• The coursework must have been completed within five years before admission to the MSN program.
• The courses transferred must be similar in credits, scope and subject matter to those offered in the MSN program. Upon acceptance, you must provide a course syllabus and topical outline for any courses requested for transfer for evaluation by the Chair of Graduate Programs.
• Only courses from an ACEN or CCNE-accredited college or university will be accepted for transfer.
• Your grades for transfer courses must be a B or higher.

No! DeSales University employs a full-time Graduate Clinical Liaison who is responsible for obtaining clinical placements. Clinical preceptors must pass a review of credentials before working with our students. A faculty member visits each clinical site at least once per semester.

Please note: the vast majority of advanced practice program clinical sites are located in Eastern Pennsylvania, with some in New Jersey and surrounding states. Students in any online MSN program at DeSales will be expected to help facilitate obtaining preceptors in their respective states. The Graduate Clinical Liaison works closely with students to assure that the preceptor they have found will be able to provide all clinical experiences necessary.

DeSales MSN tracks and certificates accept applicants year-round, so you can apply at any time and start at your convenience, full or part-time. You can choose from four different start times per year: Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall.

MSN degree applicants are admitted on a rolling basis up until the following deadlines:

• The deadline is June 1 for a July (Summer semester) start
• The deadline is July 1 for an August (Fall semester) start
• The deadline is December 1 for a January (Winter semester) start
• The deadline is March 1 for an April (Spring semester) start

Technical support, library access, and other support services are critical to a quality education at the graduate level.

DeSales University provides extensive library, instructional technology, computing, and information technology resources and services, both on campus and remotely. The University Center for Educational Resources and Technology (CERT) offers a variety of supportive resources for students in online courses.

DeSales University boasts a 99% pass rate for all nurse practitioner programs since 1999.

Simulation is widely recognized as a means to reduce future errors, foster interdisciplinary practice, and contribute to a quality education. DeSales University has the premier health care simulation facilities in the region, using both hi-fidelity human patient simulators and standardized patients, as well as the only human anatomy (cadaver) lab in the region.

DeSales University advanced practice faculty are all credentialed and certified in their advanced practice specialty, and 90% possess the doctoral degree.

Our advanced practice faculty are clinically active in outpatient, community, clinic, skilled nursing facilities and hospital sites.

For applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0, completion of the GRE or MAT will be required to be considered for admission to the program.

• You can register for a GRE test date by visiting gre.org.
• You can register for an MAT test date by visiting pearsonassessments.com.

Since we believe that verbal and written communication is a vital part of taking care of patients, we require the TOEFL test for any applicant, regardless of citizenship, for whom English is a second language. MSN applicants must have a total score of 104, with a minimum of 26 in all subscales on the internet-based test. Exams must have been taken within two years of application to a DeSales program.

International applicants must contact Leslie Bartholomew, Designated School Official, at 610-282-1100, ext. 1859 or Leslie.Bartholomew@desales.edu to inquire about international admission requirements

DeSales University's School Code: 002021

Application documents can be uploaded via your application portal. A link to your page will be emailed upon submission of your application form. Official transcripts and foreign evaluations can be sent to the below.

Electronic transcripts can be sent to gradadmissions@desales.edu

• Paper transcripts can be mailed to:
  DeSales University Admissions Office
  ATTN: Graduate Programs
  2755 Station Ave.,
  Center Valley, PA 18034
• All transcripts from any degree-granting institution outside the United States must be evaluated by a NACES approved evaluation service, such as World Education Services, Inc., with the resulting report submitted directly to the address above. Please visit naces.org for additional information. DeSales University's institutional reporting code is 002021.

Of course! Any questions regarding the MSN program may be directed to the Graduate Nursing Admissions Office at gradadmissions@desales.edu.