BSN-to-PhD in Nursing and Health Sciences

Prospective students must meet all admissions requirements stipulated in the University’s Graduate Policies and Procedures. Additional requirements are as follows:

Requirements and Instructions as an applicant with domestic BSN credentials:

1. Complete the required online application via NursingCAS (Nursing Centralized Application Service) for the admission semester of your choice and pay the appropriate fee.
2. Complete required online FIU Supplemental Application -and pay the appropriate fee.
3. An overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
4. A baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited institution.
5. Submit official transcripts from ALL SCHOOLS attended for college credit (all associate and bachelor’s degree coursework) to NursingCAS for review and verification. EXCEPTION: Graduates with foreign BSN credentials see section below.
6. Submit three (3) letters of recommendation from academic and professional references to NursingCAS
7. Submit a professional CV to NursingCAS
8. Submit a statement of the applicant’s goals for pursuing the Ph.D. degree in nursing to NursingCAS. This statement must be typed, double‐spaced, in a narrative format of no more than 500 words.
9. Submit current Registered Nurse (RN) licensure in the State of Florida to NursingCAS. License must remain current throughout the program.
10. Current professional liability insurance. The graduate student must maintain professional liability insurance throughout the program.
11. A satisfactory interview by members of the College’s Doctoral Program Admissions Committee. The Committee will examine the credentials of all applicants.

Requirements and instructions as an applicant with foreign BSN credentials:

In Addition to the requirements listed earlier for applicants with domestic BSN you must:

1. Turn in to NursingCAS
   • Professional Transcript Evaluation and Translation for educational purposes with U.S. Equivalent Grades, Credits & GPA from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
2. Turn in to FIU Graduate School
   • Applicants, whose native language is not English, must meet the University Graduate School English-language proficiency requirements (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, ENC 1101 and ENC 1102, AA or BA from a U.S. school). Please note that it applies to all applicants with foreign BSN credentials except English Test Exempt Countries as listed in the following link under Foreign-educated Students
   • Official Professional Transcript Evaluation and Translation for educational purposes with U.S. Equivalent Grades, Credits, & GPA from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services/NACES.
   • Comply with all requirements as per International Student & Scholar Services, if applicable.

1. Students in the BSN‐PhD program are required to complete 94‐97 credit hours:
   • Thirty‐six to thirty‐nine (36‐39) hours of credits toward the MSN-NP or MSN-EDU degree (see plan of study)
     • Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
     • Family Nurse Practitioner
     • Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
     • Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
     • Nurse Educator
   • Three to nine (3‐9) hours of credit for Candidacy;
   • 18 hours of Dissertation credits.
2. Complete curriculum components as outlined by the individual plan of study and the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Please see here for more: PhD Handbook
3. Complete 94-97 credit hours of coursework, including:
   • 36-39 credit hours toward the MSN degree (see Plan of Study)
   • Minimum three (3) credit hours of Candidacy Examination (3-9 credits)
   • Minimum 18 credit hours of Dissertation
4. Complete the following curricular components:
   • Core Knowledge (12 credits)
   • Research Methods and Design (9 credits)
   • Statistics (6 credits)
   • Grantsmanship (6 credits)
   • Cognate Electives by advisement (6 credits)
5. Maintain an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
   • Students with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 will be placed on academic probation for one (1) semester and are subject to dismissal if the 3.0 GPA requirement is not met upon completion of the probationary period.
6. Removal of all conditions, deficiencies and incomplete grades. Students are expected to register for courses with letter grades. Credit hours for courses in which the grade is “B-” or below will not count toward satisfying graduate degree requirements.
7. Demonstrate graduate knowledge in three (3) stages to be awarded a PhD in Nursing and Health Sciences degree:
   • Stage I – Qualifying Examination (written)
   • Stage II – Proposal Defense
   • Stage III – Dissertation Defense
8. Complete a dissertation five (5) years from the date of advancement to candidacy (i.e., successful completion of written and oral examinations, favorable recommendation of the supervisory/guidance committee, and an approved dissertation proposal).