Associate Degree to Master of Science
A.D.-M.S. Pathway
Please note:
The A.D. to M.S. option will no longer be continued after this application cycle which had a deadline of October 1, 2011 for admission in 2012. The School of Nursing is planning to add additional graduate programs in the next few years which will provide expanded opportunities for nurses to obtain advanced degrees. Please continue to watch the ISU School of Nursing website for these opportunities in the near future. The B.S. completion program will continue; please see the website for further details http://www.isu.edu/nursing
This pathway is designed to provide an accelerated program for nurses with an Associate Degree to be directly admitted into the Master’s program. In addition to completion of baccalaureate bridge credits, students continue to meet baccalaureate nursing competencies while completing the graduate program. Upon completion of the requirements for the Master of Science (M.S.) degree, both the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and (M.S.) degrees will be awarded.
The A.D.-M.S. pathway is built upon the current R.N.-B.S. Statewide Nursing Articulation Plan for those with an Associate Degree earned in 1995 or later. Initial transcript evaluation is completed by Idaho State University (ISU) Undergraduate Admissions. All students should then consult with the nursing admission advisor for transcript evaluation of bridge courses and development of a plan of study.
Students in any of the following categories may be required to take additional undergraduate credits:
1. Graduated prior to 1995
2. Graduated with fewer than 70 credits in the Associate Degree Program
3. Earned an Associate of Applied Science degree
Important Points
- A total of 128 undergraduate credits are needed to award the B.S. degree
- These 128 credits must be completed prior to entry into the first graduate course
- Fifty-eight (58) of the 128 credits must be completed at a four-year institution
- Thirty-six (36) of the 128 undergraduate credits must be 300 or 400 level
- The B.S. is not awarded until all requirements for both the B.S. and M.S. degree have been completed
The 128 undergraduate credits are earned as follows:
- Up to seventy (70) credits are transferred from the Associate Degree program at the time of admission to ISU
- Thirty-nine (39) credits for ISU nursing courses are awarded during the final bridge semester. These credits for previous learning are awarded through NCLEX and there is a transfer fee. The approximate cost is $600
- Nineteen (19) baccalaureate bridge credits must be completed at a four-year institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better
Application or reapplication for the AD-MS pathway are accepted each fall and are due by October 1. In this application cycle (deadline October 1, 2011) only full time applications will be considered.
Students can continue working on bridge courses during the fall in which they apply and the following spring semester. Students are not eligible to apply unless all 128 credits are completed by the conclusion of the spring semester following admission to the graduate program. Applicants must be ready to begin their graduate program of study in the summer semester of entry year.
Application or reapplication to the A.D.-M.S. pathway includes application to ISU as an undergraduate student and application to the School of Nursing Graduate Program
DO NOT APPLY to the ISU GRADUATE SCHOOL
Required Baccalaureate Bridge Courses
| MATH 1153 | Introduction to Statistics (pre req to NURSE 3330) | 3 cr |
Note: Math 1153 is a required bridge course and a prerequisite to NURS 3330
| ANTH 2237 ANTH 2238 ANTH 2239 or SOC 1101 |
Peoples and Cultures of the Old World Peoples and Cultures of the New World Latino Peoples and Cultures Introduction to Sociology |
3cr |
| BIOL 3305 | Introduction to Pathobiology | 3 cr |
| NURS 3330 | Nursing Research | 3 cr (online) |
| NURS 4404 | Professional Role Expansion | 5 cr (must be taken at ISU; online) |
| Elective | 2 cr | |
| Total of 16 cr |
NOTE: Students may enroll in NURS 3330 and NURS 4404 once admitted to the Nursing Graduate Program.
If any of the above courses have been completed at a two-year institution, electives must be completed at a four-year institution to equal 19 credits.
Admission Criteria for the A.D.-M.S. Pathway
- Admission to Idaho State University as an undergraduate student. (If you have not been previously admitted, access online application at www.isu.edu). Official copies of transcripts should be sent to ISU Undergraduate Admissions office. Contact information for ISU Undergraduate Admissions office is (208)282-2475
- A completed School of Nursing Graduate Program application or reapplication submitted to the School of Nursing ($50 non-refundable fee)
- Graduation from a nationally accredited nursing program with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Arts and Science degree
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for the previous 60 semester credits
- Minimum of 40th percentile on at least one (1) of the three (3) sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) www.takethegre.com/new-gre-scores
- No standardized test (GRE) is required if GPA is 3.5 to 4.0
- Current Registered Nurse license in good standing
NOTE: Admission is competitive. Achievement of minimum GPA and GRE requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Consideration for admission includes all application information, and based on established scoring criteria.
Application Process for A.D.-M.S. Pathway
- The A.D. to M.S. option will no longer be continued after this application cycle which had a deadline of October 1, 2011 for admission in 2012. The School of Nursing is planning to add additional graduate programs in the next few years which will provide expanded opportunities for nurses to obtain advanced degrees. Please continue to watch the ISU School of Nursing website for these opportunities in the near future. The B.S. completion program will continue; please see the website for further details http://www.isu.edu/nursing