Academics & Admissions

Application Deadline

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Fall deadline

March 1
for fall admission

Program Eligibility

a. Post-BSN to PhD pathway

For this pathway, students complete accelerated coursework for the MSN – Nursing Leadership program in the first year and progress into the PhD program in the second year. This requires a two-step application process, in which an initial application is submitted to the MSN – Nursing Leadership program followed by an application to the PhD program submitted during the Spring semester of the first year.

  • A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited nursing program.
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale from an accredited Bachelor of Science Nursing Program
  • The ability to demonstrate professional interests and future contributions to nursing science through the completion of three essays focused on your background, qualifications for the program, and research interests.
  • Proof of English language proficiency if your native language is not English.
  • Meeting the admission criteria for the Nursing Leadership MSN program.
  • In-person or virtual interview
  • The GRE is not required for admission to our PhD program
  • A previous statistics course in the past five years is desired but not required

For this pathway, applicants must submit: 1) an Interest Declaration Form AND 2) an application to the MSN – Nursing Leadership program.

b. For the Post-MS/DNP to PhD pathway

  • A Bachelor of Science in Nursing and one of the following: DNP, Master of Science in Nursing, Masters in a related field
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale from all previous post-secondary academic programs
  • The ability to demonstrate professional interests and future contributions to nursing science through the completion of three essays focused on your background/qualifications, PhD program interest and goals, and research interests.
  • Proof of English language proficiency if your native language is not English.
  • Current RN license
  • In-person or virtual interview
  • The GRE is not required for admission to our program
  • A previous statistics course in the past five years is desired but not required

Application Requirements

  • Completed online application
  • Non-refundable application fee
  • Official transcripts from all previous post-secondary academic programs and coursework
  • Completion of three essays
  • CV/resume
  • Three letters of reference, preferably two of which are from PhD-prepared individuals
  • Official TOEFL scores if English is not your native language
  • Proof of RN licensure

If you are an international student, learn more about your application process here.

Supporting Documents

Mail your official transcripts to:

Graduate and Professional Admissions
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Proctor Hall, Suite 308
65 Davidson Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
They can also be sent electronically (by the institution) to:
e-transcripts@gradadm.rutgers.edu

General Questions: grad_help@gradadm.rutgers.edu
or call (848) 932-7711

Tuition and Fees

The Tuition and Fees are posted on the Student Accounting web page (Under Graduate-Nursing)

Explore the PhD Program