Admission Criteria

POLICY: The Admissions Committee shall review all completed applications to the nursing program. The committee will determine whether an applicant may be admitted unconditionally, admitted with provisions, or not admitted, based on established criteria. This committee will include the following individuals: the Division Chair of Health Professions, all CMU nursing program and clinical coordinators, one full time MSN faculty member, and one adjunct MSN faculty member.

Students who have graduated from any of Central Methodist University’s baccalaureate nursing programs in 2012 or later, have passed the NCLEX, and have an unencumbered nursing license are eligible for direct admission to the MSN program. Please contact Caryn Jackson, cjackson@centralmethodist.edu, 660-248-6677 for any further questions.

All other applicants must meet the following requirements:

  1. Eligible for admission to Central Methodist University's Graduate School
  2. Current Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree from a college or university accredited by CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA.
  3. Current, undisciplined RN license from a U.S. state or territory
  4. Cumulative GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from the completed BSN program
  5. Nursing Research course with a C grade or better
  6. Statistics course with a C grade or better.
  7. Submission of an Application for Admission
  8. Resume and cover letter (one page each) detailing why you are pursuing a graduate degree and how you will use this degree to improve your current practice. Submit to cges@centralmethodist.edu.
  9. Submission of a formal written paper to cges@centralmethodist.edu. A maximum of four pages, demonstrating skills in grammar, spelling, and composition supported by at least two (2) sources from current literature (APA formatting mandatory) that addresses one of the two following prompts:
    1. What is the role of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) in shaping the future of healthcare delivery? or
    2. What is the role of the Nurse Educator in shaping the future of healthcare delivery?
  10. Two letters of recommendation, one must be from a previous instructor or supervisor. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly from the author to cges@centralmethodist.edu.

    Student submitted transcripts or letters of recommendation are not accepted. Please direct your transcript request and recommendation authors to send the documents directly to cges@centralmethodist.edu.

Requirements for Continuation in Program

Students who earn less than a "B" in a course may not continue in their cohort. Any one course where the student earns less than a "B" must be repeated and completed with a grade of "B" or higher, and then the student will join the subsequent cohort. Any second instance when a student earns less than a "B"- whether it is a repeated course or one taken for the first time - results in the student's dismissal from the program.