Contents
Prerequisite requirements
Can I take prerequisites at a community college?
Do you give preference to applicants who completed their prerequisites at a university over someone who took them at a community college?
Can I be in the process of completing prerequisites at the time of application?
Do all prerequisites have to be completed within a specific time frame?
Can the prerequisite communication courses be substituted?
Can one course satisfy multiple prerequisites?
How can an applicant fulfill the Human Development Across the Lifespan course requirement?
Is there a certain grade requirement for the prerequisite courses?
Can prerequisites be waived?
Is AP Credit Accepted?
General
What degree will I earn?
How long is the program?
When does the program begin?
Can I apply if I want to be a family nurse practitioner but I am not a registered nurse?
Does the ELMSN prepare students to become a licensed registered nurse?
What is the difference between the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (ELMSN)?
What is the difference between MSN and ELMSN?
How is ELMSN program unique?
Application Information
How often are applications accepted?
How does one distinguish her or himself as a strong applicant?
How many letters of recommendation are required and from whom? Can letters of recommendation be sent directly to the school?
What should be included in the essays?
Do I need experience in the healthcare field? Is experience preferred?
How do I pay my application fee?
What if I do not have a Visa or Master Card?
GPA
What is the minimum GPA requirement?
How do you calculate an applicant’s bachelor’s degree GPA? Do you use the NursingCAS calculation?
If my overall GPA is below a 3.0 or my science prerequisite GPA is below a 3.0, am I still eligible to apply?
Can I retake classes to improve my GPA?
How will repeated courses be calculated into my GPA?
What courses are used to calculate the prerequisite science GPA?
Does the School of Nursing look at the entire undergraduate transcript or just the last 60 units of the undergraduate GPA?
Time commitment and class schedule
Can students in the ELMSN program be part-time?
Where will the classes take place?
Can students work while enrolled in ELMSN?
How often are students in class during the program?
What are the clinical experiences like?
Prerequisite requirements
Can I take prerequisites at a community college?
Yes, prerequisites completed at an accredited community college are accepted and given full consideration.
Do you give preference to applicants who completed their prerequisites at a university over someone who took them at a community college?
No, prerequisites are given the same consideration whether they were completed at an accredited community college or at a university.
Can I be in the process of completing prerequisites at the time of application?
Yes. However, you must have pre-requisites completed six weeks prior to the start of class.
Do all prerequisites have to be completed within a specific time frame?
No, but it is desired that all prerequisite courses (in particular, the human anatomy and human physiology prerequisites) have been completed within the past seven years of your application date.
Can the prerequisite communication courses be substituted?
No, these are requirements set by the Board of Registered Nursing and are verified when ELMSN graduates submit their documentation for licensing exam eligibility. Only courses titled Group Communication, Verbal Communication, Written Communication or closely related titles will be accepted. It is not enough for a course to have an “extensive writing or communication component” or be too specific in one form of writing. All applicants, regardless of their academic or professional background, must complete each of the prerequisites to be considered for admission to the program.
Can one course satisfy multiple prerequisites?
No, each course may only satisfy one prerequisite.
How can an applicant fulfill the Human Development Across the Lifespan course requirement?
The course may be offered through a human development or psychology department but must touch upon human development from birth until death. This course requirement can be fulfilled by a series of courses which combined are worth at least three semester units.
Is there a certain grade requirement for the prerequisite courses?
Yes, applicants must receive a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better in all prerequisite coursework. It is best practice to have a B or better in all nursing prerequisites.
No, applicants must complete all prerequisites, regardless of their prior academic or professional backgrounds.
No, we do not accept AP credit in place for prerequisite coursework.
General
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Full time for 24 months and 90 units (six consecutive semesters). The program averages 15 to 16 units per semester.
The ELMSN program admits 40 students twice a year. Admitted students begin in August or January. Applicants must submit their applications approximately eight months in advance.
Can I apply if I want to be a family nurse practitioner but I am not a registered nurse?
Prospective students first need to be a registered nurse before applying to a family nurse practitioner program. One option is to complete a Master’s Entry Program in Nursing. Graduates are eligible to apply to a Post-MSN family nurse practitioner certificate program upon licensure or apply to a DNP FNP program.
Does the ELMSN prepare students to become a licensed registered nurse?
Yes, the program provides California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) approved coursework and clinical experiences needed in preparation for the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) to practice as a registered nurse. Upon completion of the entire ELMSN program, students are eligible to take the NCLEX exam to become licensed registered nurses.
What is the difference between the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (ELMSN)?
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is an undergraduate program that allows students to complete a bachelor’s degree as they prepare to become registered nurses. The ELMSN is a graduate program designed for individuals who already earned a bachelor’s degree in a different field and seek to transition into clinical nursing and leadership roles.
What is the difference between MSN and ELMSN?
Both programs are graduate nursing programs, however, MSN is designed for students who already earned bachelor’s degrees in Nursing and seek to further their nursing education. ELMSN is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in another discipline who seek to transition into nursing.
The curriculum incorporates the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021) New Educational Standards (Domains). As healthcare is shifting to a community-based model, students will complete coursework in epidemiology, population health, advanced pharmacology and a Public Health Certificate coursework. In addition, the program curriculum was based on best practices as identified through nursing education research. Some of the highlights of this approach are case-based, problem-based learning, and simulation. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, ELMSN graduates are in the highest demand of all nursing programs and earn the highest salaries upon graduation. Also, California employment data (2019) of nursing graduates demonstrated a preference by employers for the ELMSN graduates.
Application information
Students applying to ELMSN must complete a NursingCAS application and meet selection criteria. Following that process, qualified applicants who are verified by NursingCAS will be eligible for an interview conducted online or in person.
How often are applications accepted?
We accept applications twice a year for an August or January start.
How does one distinguish her or himself as a strong applicant?
Given the competitive applicant pool, we recommend that each applicant submits a thorough and complete application prior to the deadline. Applicants' ability to articulate why they would like to become a nurse weighs heavily in the evaluation process. This should be clearly communicated in the essay.
How many letters of recommendation are required and from whom? Can letters of recommendation be sent directly to the school?
We require three letters of recommendation. Please use recommenders who can speak to your academic performance, or your professional performance (e.g., faculty, employers). Hard copies are not accepted. Instead, submit your letters of recommendation through NursingCAS (PDF, Word document or by pasting text). References should be current within the last two years and should describe the applicant’s strengths and potential as well as any concerns for completing the program and moving forward with a successful career in nursing.
What should be included in the essays?
The essays provide an opportunity to describe the applicant’s reasons for pursuing a master's degree and for choosing the graduate nursing program at University of Pacific. The prompt will be posted in the NursingCAS application.
Do I need experience in the healthcare field? Is experience preferred?
No, it is not necessary to obtain acceptance into the ELMSN program. This program is designed for people without experience in healthcare. The admissions committee finds that students with degrees in other disciplines are often transferable to nursing. While experience is not required, exposure to professional healthcare and the ability to discuss your understanding of the RN role will strengthen your application.
How do I pay my application fee?
All application fees require payments by credit card. Only cards with Visa and Master Card logos will be accepted. No checks, money orders or cash will be accepted.
What if I do not have a Visa or Master Card?
Payment may be made with a Visa or Master Card prepaid gift card which can be purchased at many major chain stores or online. Please be aware that the gift card must contain a balance sufficient to cover the application fee in one full payment.
IMPORTANT: Your application and materials must have a “complete” (all materials received and pending verification) or “verified” status by the deadline. It is the applicants' responsibility to monitor the status of their applications and application materials on a regular basis. NursingCAS does NOT notify applicants if applications are incomplete or if documents are missing. Only applications and application materials with a "complete" or "verified" status by the deadline are considered for admission. For more information on application status, please visit the NursingCAS’ Applicant Help Center.
GPA
What is the minimum GPA requirement?
The minimum overall bachelor’s degree GPA requirement is 3.0 and a 3.2 in the last 60 units. The minimum nursing overall prerequisite GPA requirement is 3.2.
How do you calculate an applicant’s bachelor’s degree GPA? Do you use the NursingCAS calculation?
We use the overall GPA from all college coursework calculated by NursingCAS based on the coursework reported by the applicant and verified with transcripts by NursingCAS.
If my overall GPA is below a 3.0 or my nursing prerequisite GPA is below a 3.2, am I still eligible to apply?
No, all applicants must meet the minimum GPA requirements listed on the website.
Can I retake classes to improve my GPA?
An applicant’s overall bachelor’s degree GPA is final upon graduation. Taking additional courses or repeating courses after receiving a bachelor’s degree does not affect a bachelor’s degree GPA. However, Nursing prerequisite courses completed or repeated after graduation are calculated into the overall, last 60 unit, and nursing perquisite GPA.
How will repeated courses be calculated into my GPA?
If the course was repeated at the degree-granting institution prior to graduation, the GPA calculation is determined by the school’s grade-forgiveness policy. Repeated prerequisites will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
What courses are used to calculate the prerequisite science GPA?
Human Anatomy with lab (4 units), Human Physiology with lab (4 units), Microbiology or Bacteriology with lab (4 units), Statistics or Epidemiology (3 units), Nutrition (3 units), Sociology or Social Science (3 units), Communication (total 6 units), written and oral communication, and Psychology are all used to calculate your nursing prerequisite GPA.
Does the School of Nursing look at the entire undergraduate transcript or just the last 60 units of the undergraduate GPA?
All college coursework is reviewed and calculated for an overall GPA. We also review and calculate the last 60 units.
Time commitment and class schedule
Can students in the ELMSN program be part-time?
No, this program requires a full-time commitment.
Where will the classes take place?
Classes take place at the School of Health Sciences on Pacific’s Sacramento campus.
Can students work while enrolled in ELMSN?
Be advised that the program requires a very intensive, full-time commitment from students. It is strongly recommended that you do not work or entertain other commitments outside of the program while enrolled.
How often are students in class during the program?
Students can expect to be on campus full-time for the duration of the program in preparation for licensure. Most courses are held Monday through Friday, however, some courses and clinical experiences are held in the evenings or on weekends. For clinical rotations, students’ often complete clinical rotations one to two days a week. In the final semester of the program, students will complete a precepted immersion experience, which requires you to be available Monday to Sunday to work two 12-hour shifts aligned with the assigned preceptor’s schedule. This can include weekends and nights.
What are the clinical experiences like?
Clinical placements take place every semester for about 15-24 hours per week. Students complete clinical experiences in acute and ambulatory care, home and community. Students also participate in simulations (including high- and mid-fidelity patient simulators, standardized patients, task trainers and computer simulations) and are required to have reliable transportation to travel up to 50 miles for select rotations.
