Graduate Admission Requirements

Welcome to the Graduate Department of the College of Nursing!

Comprised of a community of nurses with varying backgrounds and experiences, Seton Hall University’s College of Nursing Graduate Department offers students a unique opportunity to advance in the nursing profession by expanding their nursing knowledge. Achieving your master’s degree from the College of Nursing provides students with the foundation and education to excel as advanced practice nurses, as doctoral prepared nurses, or as new nurses just entering the profession but still achieving their M.S.N.

The College of Nursing Graduate Department currently offers a variety of 100% online nurse practitioner programs and an online D.N.P. program, as well as an on-campus Ph.D. Each of these programs allows nurses to contribute to the profession on a new level.

I invite prospective and current students to explore our website which includes information related to admissions requirements, curriculum requirements, and program outcomes. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time!

Gabby Zengewald, M.A.
Director of Graduate Admissions and Compliance
Seton Hall University College of Nursing

A 25% tuition discount is available for employees of Atlantic Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Valley Hospital.

Who should apply?
Our nurse practitioner programs are for nurses with professional nursing experience or for new graduate nurses. These individuals should have a B.S.N. from an accredited college or university and be looking to advance their nursing careers. Our D.N.P. program is for anyone with a M.S.N. or B.S.N. who is interested in expanding their nursing knowledge through scholarship and clinical practice. Those with a B.S.N. would also need to meet the requirements of their chosen specialty. Lastly, our Ph.D. in Nursing is for master’s prepared nurses who have a passion for contributing to the nursing profession through research and individual scholarship.

We offer a holistic admissions process in which we review each individual applicant along with all of their materials. If you have any questions about your applications materials or the review process, please feel free to reach out to Gabby Zengewald, Director of Graduate Admissions, at any time.

Application deadlines
All programs review on a rolling. Deadlines for all programs for the Fall semester are August 15 and for the Spring semester are December 15. 

Criteria for Admission (NP programs):

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) from an N.L.N.A.C., A.C.E.N., or C.C.N.E. accredited program; 
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above (3.2 or above for Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, plus a "B" average in all nursing courses); 
• Statement of professional goals; 
• Registered professional nurse licensure in U.S. state of practice and in New Jersey if clinical performed in New Jersey; 
• Letters of reference (one professional, one academic; 2 professional letters may be used if applicant is out of school over 5 years); 
• TOEFL scores (minimum scores of 22 in reading, 22 in listening, 26 in speaking, and 24 in writing) and WES reports for all nurses educated outside of the United States and/or educated in a language other than English; 
• Academic transcripts from institutions outside of the United States or Canada must undergo a course-by-course evaluation conducted by an independent credentials evaluation agency, that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). SpanTran is our recommended international transcript evaluation service. A custom application has been created exclusively for Seton Hall University allowing our applicants to request their evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access the application here: SpanTran Application - Seton Hall University. Failure to submit a required credential evaluation from a NACES member will result in your application for admission being incomplete and, thus, unable to be reviewed.
• A $75 application fee;
• Official transcripts of all prior nursing and academic work – transcripts will be reviewed to determine if prerequisite courses have been met, additional courses may be required; and
• Selected students will be invited for a personal interview. 
• For recent BSN graduates, acceptance will be granted post NCLEX passing by August 15th of the year admitted to the program; proof of one year full-time (direct patient care) employment is required prior to the start of practicum courses (year2).
• For students applying to the adult-gerontology acute care program, 1 year of professional nursing experience in an acute care setting is required at the time of application.
•  Please note that there is a 3 and 4 year curriculum plan as well as a direct BSN-DNP for the nurse practitioner programs (see below).

Prior to enrollment in clinical courses, accepted students must complete Joint Commission and OSHA requirements for immunization, medical history, liability insurance, criminal background check and competencies including the American Heart Association Certification course for CPR (BLS for Healthcare Professionals). 

The College of Nursing Graduate Department  currently offers a variety of 100% online nurse practitioner programs and an online D.N.P. program, as well as a hybrid option an on-campus Ph.D. Each of these programs allows nurses to contribute to the profession on a new level.

Application deadlines
All programs review on a rolling basis with the exception of the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program.
Deadlines for all programs for the Fall semester are August 15 and for the Spring semester are December 15.

Test Waiver criteria
Any applicant whose first language is not English or who whose degree is from a non-English speaking international institution is required to complete the TOEFL exam. This requirement can be waived if a degree has been received from an accredited United States institution or the individual's international education was completed in English.

Application review
Completed applications will be reviewed by the Graduate Department Admissions Committee. Applications that meet the minimum criteria for admission will be invited to interview. Once the interview has been conducted a formal admissions decision will be rendered. Under no circumstances will an incomplete application be reviewed.

Academic Prerequisites (NP programs)
The following areas of undergraduate study must be completed prior to the first graduate course in nursing and are not credited toward the graduate degree: Statistics, Nursing Research and an Undergraduate Physical Assessment course. Nurse practitioner students must complete a basic physical assessment refresher course no more than three years prior to enrolling in Practicum I.

Test Waiver criteria
The only program that requires applicants to take the GRE is the Ph.D. in Nursing program. This requirement cannot be waived. Any applicant whose first language is not English or who whose degree is from a non-English speaking international institution is required to complete the TOEFL exam. This requirement can be waived if a degree has been received from an accredited United States institution or the individual's international education was completed in English.

Application review
Completed applications will be reviewed by the Graduate Department Admissions Committee. Applications that meet the minimum criteria for admission will be invited to interview. Once the interview has been conducted a formal admissions decision will be rendered. Under no circumstances will an incomplete application be reviewed.