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IELTS: 6.5 total band
Duolingo: 110

In addition to meeting the Graduate School admission requirements, applicants for graduate study for the Doctor of Nursing Practice must have:

• Current licensure as a Registered Nurse in the United States or its’ territories prior to enrollment in first graduate nursing course.
• 1500 hours of documented nursing practice experience prior to the first clinical course.
• Completed and verified application to the Graduate Nursing program via NursingCAS website.
• Completed an approved statistical methods course within 5 years of enrollment in the designated research course within the DNP program coursework.
• Online written and verbal assessment completed through KIRA Talent, reviewed and scored by graduate faculty.
• Completed Compliance requirements: Clear Background check, clear FBI rolled fingerprint, clear drug screen, Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers, ACLS certification for FNP specialization, professional liability insurance, influenza vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine and TB test.
• For Bachelor's to DNP applicants who completed their higher education within the United States:
  • Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
• For Bachelor's to DNP applicants who completed their higher education outside the United States:
  • A degree deemed equivalent (by the World Education Service) to a Bachelor’s degree in nursing (within the United States Education System) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
• For Master's to DNP applicants who completed their higher education within the United States: 
  • Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
  • Master’s degree in nursing (from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
• For Master's to DNP applicants who completed their higher education outside the United States:
  • A degree deemed equivalent (by the World Education Service) to a Bachelor’s degree in nursing (within the United States Education System) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
  • A degree deemed equivalent (by the World Education Service) to a Master’s degree in nursing (within the United States Education System) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
• Master's to DNP option 1 applicants are required to have National certification as a NP, CRNA, CNM or CNS.

These requirements are for students meeting the 2024-2025 catalog and after. 75 credits are required. There are a total of 1020 clinical hours.

Year One Coursework

Year Two Coursework

Year Three Coursework

Year Four Coursework

**Non-patient care clinical hours.

**Direct patient care clinical courses. 

• NURS 631 requires a lab component to practice skills. Students will be on campus 3 times during the fall semester this course is offered.
• Graduates of this program option are eligible for the National Certification FNP Exam through either ANCC or AANPCB.
• A minimum of 5 credits per semester are required to be eligible for financial aid.

After completing the program of study, graduates are eligible to complete certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Each applicant is required to complete two applications:

1. Graduate School Application for Admission

View the application instructions for complete details, application dates and deadlines. Following review of the applications, eligible applicants will be invited to participate in an online interview and online written assessment.

Due to regulations in certain states, South Dakota State University College of Nursing is unable to accept applicants from several identified states as noted on the following link: South Dakota State University - Continuing and Distance Education - state authorization information.

If you are a current resident of a state identified on the listed webpage, we regret that we are unable to consider your application for admission.

If you do not currently reside in one of the identified states and are offered and accept admission, please note that should you relocate to one of the identified states while in the program, you may not be able to complete the program.

In addition, there may be rules and regulations required by the South Dakota Board of Nursing and/or other state Boards of Nursing that may not provide the opportunity for out-of-state applicants to be admitted to any of the graduate nursing programs.

• Estimated cost per credit includes general activity fee, university support fee, nursing delivery fee and program delivery fee.
• Estimated cost is based on 2024-2025 BOR tuition/fees.
• Additional costs will be incurred throughout your program, including but not limited to textbooks, background checks, etc.

Financial Aid

³ÉÈËÊÓƵ is committed to helping students find the resources available to help pay for college — our Office of Financial Aid is here for you.

There are also scholarship and loan repayment opportunities available.

Applicants who are offered admission to the program will be required to:

• Complete the graduate nursing compliance requirements.
• Submit a non-refundable deposit along with acceptance letter.
• Purchase a laptop computer that meets the graduate nursing computer requirements.

Compliance Requirements

Graduate nursing program compliance requirements are comprised of both university requirements and clinical agency requirements. ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ College of Nursing does not guarantee clinical placement for students who are not in compliance with clinical agency requirements. Clinical agencies may change their compliance requirements at any point in time and students are expected to be in compliance with any of these changes.

Criminal Background Check: Students must complete a criminal background check through the online management system. An annual background check is required.

10-Panel Drug Screen: Students will complete a drug screen through the online management system. Instructions will be provided at the time of purchase, including approved laboratory locations for completing the drug screen.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification (CPR): Certification must be Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Provider issued by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.

Health Insurance: Students must provide proof of health insurance coverage.

Online Training: HIPAA training will be completed through a designated online platform.

Professional Liability Insurance: Minimum coverage limits of $1,000,000 per incident and $3,000,000 aggregate are required. See details below for the type of professional liability insurance required for your graduate nursing program.

If you currently possess an Advanced Practice RN (APRN) license the following programs require NP Coverage:

• Doctoral: DNP
• Doctoral: Ph.D.
• Postgraduate Certificate: CNL
• Postgraduate Certificate: NE
• Postgraduate Certificate: PMHNP
• Postgraduate Certificate: AGACNP

If you DO NOT currently possess an APRN license, the following programs require NP Student Coverage:

• Doctoral: DNP
• Postgraduate Certificate: FNP
• Postgraduate Certificate: PMHNP

If you DO NOT currently possess an APRN license, the following programs require Basic RN Coverage:

• Doctoral: Ph.D.
• Post Graduate Certificate: CNL
• Post Graduate Certificate: NE
• M.S.N.: CNL
• M.S.N.: NA
• M.S.N.: NE

RN license: The student must submit a copy of their current RN license or verification through the state website.

ACLS certification: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) obtained through the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross is required for the following graduate programs:

• Doctoral: DNP FNP
• Postgraduate Certificate: AGACNP
• Postgraduate Certificate: FNP

Required ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ College of Nursing Forms:

• Certificate of Health
• Multi-waiver release form
• Room scan consent form
• Participation and self-transportation agreement

Additional Compliance Requirements/Immunizations:

• Tuberculin (TB) testing
• Hepatitis B
• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella)
• Varicella (Chicken Pox)
• TDaP (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis)
• Influenza
• COVID-19

Immunization exemption requests will be submitted in writing using the ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ immunization exemption request form which will be available in the online management system. An exemption approved by ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ College of Nursing does not guarantee the exemption will be granted by clinical agencies.