Admission

NURSING@SIMMONS

The Nursing@Simmons online program provides nurses who hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with two pathways to earn their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Both pathways are designed to enhance clinical practice through evidence-based research and prepare nurses for leadership roles in health care.

The program has start dates in January, May, and September, and admission is conducted on a rolling basis.

Complete your online application today.

All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and meet the requirements for education, licensure, and experience listed below, depending on whether they have pursued a clinical or leadership-focused professional path. Note that applicants may have a mixture of clinical and leadership education and experience (e.g., an applicant may have earned a clinical MSN degree but pursued a leadership career and licensure or vice versa) as long as they meet the requirements for one of these focuses in each requirement category.

Applicants must have earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or a Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing, from a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution with a preferred GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (In rare circumstances, a student who earned a bachelor’s degree from a university with national accreditation may be permitted to complete their application for review if approved by program leadership.) 

Applicants must have successfully completed (with a grade of C+ or better) a 3-credit course in statistics within the last seven years. If you do not meet this requirement, please contact an admission counselor to discuss other fulfillment options.

MSN-DNP

Applicants must have earned a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution with a preferred GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Applicants must have successfully completed (with a grade of C+ or better) a 3-credit course in statistics. If you do not meet this requirement, please contact an admission counselor to discuss other fulfillment options.

Clinical Hours

There is no clinical hours requirement for admission into the BSN to DNP pathway. 

Applicants for the MSN to DNP pathway must have completed at least 500 clinical hours in their master’s program in order to be admissible to the DNP program. Verification of these hours is required if the MSN was not earned at Simmons University.

All applicants must have a current unencumbered and unrestricted U.S. registered nurse (RN) license in an approved state.

There is no professional work experience requirement for admission into the BSN to DNP pathway. 

Applicants for the MSN to DNP pathway must have a minimum of two years of professional experience as a licensed registered nurse (RN). It is preferred that they also have either:

Simmons alumni will be considered for the DNP program with less than two years of RN experience.

A $50 nonrefundable application fee is required to apply to Nursing@Simmons. Those who apply before the Round 1 application deadline will receive an application fee waiver and those who apply before the Round 2 application deadline will receive a reduced application fee of $30.

Application fee waivers are available for applicants affiliated with non-profit organizations such as: City Year, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and Teach for America, and military personnel, veterans, and their spouses. Please contact your admission counselor to request instructions for obtaining the fee waiver.

Those who have graduated from Simmons’ Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program are eligible for certain benefits as DNP applicants and students. Simmons MSN alumni:

To receive these benefits, alumni applicants must first connect with our admission team by requesting information in the form below.

¹ For credits to be waived, equivalent courses must have been completed within the last five years with grades of ‘B’ or better.↑

Nursing@Simmons offers virtual tours of the online classroom experience. To schedule one or to learn more about other virtual engagement opportunities, please contact the Admission team at admissions@onlinenursing.simmons.edu or 855-461-7466.