Admission Process

Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist DNP

Must be a commissioned officer or service sponsored civilian in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Public Health Service with an earned Bachelor’s (or Master’s Degree with a concentration in Nursing) from an accredited university.

Academic Requirements:

USU Application with evidence based writing requirement
Current CV
Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR)
Competitive GRE Scores taken within the past 5 years
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:

Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology recommended, graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered;
Statistics course preferred within the past 5 years from an accredited university (may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level).

Must have a minimum of two years’ experience as a perioperative, ICU, Critical Care, Trauma or ED nurse at the time of matriculation
Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty.
Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
Current, active unrestricted nursing license
Current Certification in your specialty area; Operating Room Nurses (CNOR) or Acute/Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or Board Certified Emergency Nurse (BCEN)
Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:

Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command)
Immediate supervisor
APRN in the specialty for which applying

Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist MSN

Academic Requirements:

USU Application
Original transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts must show:

Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology recommended, graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered.
Statistics course preferred within the past 5 years from an accredited university (may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level)

Competitive GRE Scores taken within the past 5 years
Writing sample (details in application)
Three letters of Recommendation
Interview may be required

Professional Requirements:

Minimum two years’ experience as a perioperative, ICU, Critical Care, Trauma, or ED nurse at the time of matriculation
Current, active unrestricted nursing license
Current CV
Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Current certification in your specialty area: Operating Room Nurse (CNOR) or Acute/Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or Board Certifies Emergency Nurse (BCEN)
Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR)

Family Nurse Practitioner and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner DNP

Academic Requirements:

USU Application with evidence based writing requirement;
Current CV;
Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
Competitive GRE Scores;
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:
Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, or pathophysiology recommended, Graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered;
An undergraduate or graduate statistics course from an accredited university is highly recommended, (within the last 5 years preferred)
A statistics course taken within the last five years from an accredited university is highly recommended.
Current, active unrestricted nursing license
Recent direct patient care recommended;
Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
Shadow an FNP for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse/senior nurse executive for guidance and direction if needed
Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty
Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:

Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command)
Immediate supervisor
APRN in the specialty for which applying

Nursing Science PhD

Nurses from the uniformed services have priority for admissions. Nurses employed in federal agencies are also eligible for admissions into the PhD program on a space available basis. There are 2 paths for entry into the PhD Program in Nursing Science:

Bachelor’s Degree Entry

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing with active RN license

Bachelor’s degree (non-nursing) with an active RN license

Master's Degree Entry

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, active RN license and Master's degree in Nursing

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, active RN license and Master's degree (non-nursing)

Bachelor’s degree (non-nursing), active RN license, and Master's degree in Nursing

Bachelor’s degree (non-nursing), active RN license, and Master's degree (non-nursing)

Required admission application documents:

Completed USU Application
Official transcripts showing a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in nursing or related field at an accredited school with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Official Transcripts showing 2 graduate level Statistics courses (recommended Bio-statistics as one of the courses) completed prior to entry
Current nursing license or eligibility for licensure in any of the 50 states and territories
Current CV
Official evidence of scores on the GRE within five years of application
Clear and succinct statement of the applicant’s reason for PhD study and a match to faculty programs of research (applicant may submit an essay, term paper, thesis, published article, or professional report to demonstrate their ability to communicate logic and concepts).
Computer literacy with proficiency in word processing, email, and internet use
Three letters of reference from professors or other professionals who can adequately evaluate the applicant’s potential for success using the preformatted LOR form intended for his purpose. Please email gsn-admissions@usuhs.edu to request a copy of the LOR form. At least two letters should be from nurses prepared at the PhD level who can describe:

The applicant’s understanding of the PhD’s role in military service or federal agency to which the applicant belongs
The applicant’s capability to succeed in a rigorous PhD program

Psychiatric Mental Health DNP

Academic Requirements:

USU Application with evidence based writing requirement;
Current CV;
Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
Competitive GRE Scores;
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:
Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a science course within the past 5 years from an accredited university. Anatomy, physiology, combined anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, or pharmacology recommended, graduate level preferred, 200-400 level courses considered;
Statistics course preferred within the past 5 years from an accredited university (may be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level).
Applicants are required to complete an interview with the faculty
Shadow a PMH Nurse for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse or senior nurse executive for guidance and direction, if needed. Have your Shadow Nurse fill out the shadow questionnaire form and submit along with your LOR
Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:

Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another nursing officer in direct chain of command)
Immediate supervisor
APRN in the specialty for which applying

Registered Nurse Anesthetist DNP

Academic Requirements:

USU Application with evidence based writing requirement;
Current CV;
Current single page service-specific officer brief (e. g. SURF, ORB, OSR);
Competitive GRE Scores;
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, showing:
Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
Combined science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.);
Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a non-nursing Biochemistry, Physiology or Pathophysiology course from an accredited university within the past 5 years. Graduate level is preferred, undergraduate courses considered;
Grade of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in a Statistics course from an accredited university. Graduate level is preferred, undergraduate level courses will be considered.
Current, active unrestricted nursing license.
At least one year of experience as a RN in a critical care setting in a military or civilian hospital. Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories, or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse is to have developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (such as pulmonary artery catheter, CVP, arterial); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care areas may include but are not limited to: Surgical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Neonatal Intensive Care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology. For example a military nurse who worked in ICU at military hospital for 6 months and then deployed to Kandahar and worked critical care or trauma for 7 months may possess the necessary 1 year experience requirement to apply
Shadow a CRNA for a minimum of 20 hours. Contact your chief nurse/senior nurse executive for guidance and direction if needed.
Applicants may be required to complete an interview with the faculty.
Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Current Basic Life Support (BLS)
Current Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Three letters of recommendation with unconditional endorsements of the applicant for admission:

Chief Nurse/senior nurse executive (or another officer in direct chain of command)
Immediate supervisor
APRN in the specialty for which applying