DNP Program Application Information and Requirements

• Master of Science Degree in Nursing from a program with national nursing accreditation (e.g. CCNE
  or NLN) within a regionally accredited institution (e.g. WASC).
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0.

• An active, unrestricted California License with no disciplinary action pending or approved.
  
  a) Direct Care Track – A Masters degree in Nursing and national certification as a Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist, or Nurse Midwife.

  • National certification must be completed by July 1 prior to the beginning of classes. Direct Care
    Applicants should possess national certification in their specialty area. Applicants with more than one advanced practice specialty should have national certification in the specialty in which they plan to complete their doctoral project.

  
  b) Indirect Care Track – A Master’s in Nursing in Nursing Leadership/Administration, Nursing Education, Community Health Nursing, and Nursing Informatics. MSN degrees with another focus will be considered.

  • National certification is not required but is recommended.
     

Applicants with Foreign Degrees - If you completed your Bachelor’s/Master’s degree outside of the United States, to verify if you meet the degree requirements for admission to the program prior to applying, you must have it evaluated by a foreign transcript evaluation agency for equivalency to a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in the US, and for the conversion of your Grade Point Average (GPA) to a 4.0 scale.

Applicants must apply to both the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing and Cal State LA using the Cal State Application.
NOTE: If you are re-applying to the PACSON, you must submit a new application. Your previous transcripts and letters of recommendation may be used, but you have the right to submit new documents.

For information regarding University deadlines please visit the Admissions Website.International Students: 

• The University has an International Admissions Office that has additional paperwork requirements including but not limited to a Financial Affidavit form required and an English proficiency exam.
• International students cannot be admitted unless they are cleared by the international admissions office.
• More information can be found on the Graduate Admissions webpage.

1. UNIVERSITY: All official transcripts must be mailed to the university graduate admissions office (international transcripts must be original & sealed, no exceptions) or submitted electronically within 3 weeks of Cal State Apply application submission. Cal State LA grads who have not attended any other institution do not need to submit any additional transcripts to the Admissions Office. International transcripts must include an evaluation report by IERF or WES.
NOTE: Sealed transcripts must be received by Cal State LA admissions within 1 year of the document’s issuing/print date (within 2 years for international transcripts).

Mailing address:
Cal State LA Admissions Office
c/o Graduate Admission
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032
 

For more information regarding options for submitting documents visit the University Admissions page:

2. PACSON: In addition to submitting your transcripts to California State University’s Admissions Office, the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing (PACSON) also requires copies of ALL official transcripts or printed unofficial transcripts. These transcripts must be uploaded to the “Documents” tab on CSU Apply.

International transcripts must include an evaluation report by IERF or WES if the transcript is not in English and/or the grading system is not letter based (A/B/C/D/F).

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is required: on the application you will be asked to enter your CUM GPA.

This is pulled from your MSN transcript and is usually located on the last page.

Three letters of recommendation must be included with your application and written by a nursing professional, physician, NP, or professor that can attest to your academic, interpersonal, and work skills. You will enter three professional references under the “Recommendations” tab and an email request will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf.

NOTE: Your recommenders have until the deadline to submit their letter. DO NOT wait for your recommenders to submit their letters to submit your application. Submit your application as soon as it is complete so it can be processed in a timely manner. You will not be penalized for submitting without completed letters as long as they are received by the deadline. CSU Apply sends reminders to your recommenders and it is strongly recommended that you follow up with them as well to submit before the deadline. If you are re-using letters, you can upload them to the Documents tab under “Other” but you will still need to enter 3 names and 3 emails in the recommendation section.

The prompt will be located on the CSU Apply online application under the “Documents” tab.

If selected after a review of the application, the applicant will receive a faculty panel interview and complete a proctored writing evaluation (scheduled by the faculty).

If California license or degree is in progress, you can still apply but it must be indicated on the application and the most recent documentation must still be submitted. Admission into the program will be based on the condition that the requirement(s) are completed by the beginning of Fall term (August). Degree completion must be provided via copy of an official transcript. For degrees completed at Cal State LA, an unofficial
transcript is acceptable.

Please do not call the PACSON regarding the status of your application. All communication is sent via the email you provided on your application. Our office will update you if we receive your application and forms are missing or incorrect. Applicants are notified of the PACSON's decision via email. If admitted, confirmation of acceptance of admission offer will be required.

No application documents will be accepted after the deadline.
All incomplete applications will be denied.