Program Description

Application Requirements

Program-Specific Instructions

Program-Specific Requirements:

• Applicants must hold a master's degree in nursing
  • Master’s program must include at least 30 credits from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency or international equivalent verified from official transcripts. A master's degree in a related health field will also be accepted if the applicant has a baccalaureate degree in nursing.
• 3.00 GPA or higher on a 4.00 scale in their master’s program
• Valid, current nursing license in a U.S. state or territory is required; waivers for international applicants will be determined by the PhD Program Director.
• Completion of a graduate-level course in statistics with a final grade of 3.00 or higher before the start of the fall semester

Applications are considered for the fall semester only. Applications submitted by December 1st will be prioritized for funding opportunities. This includes Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantships (GRAs and GTAs).

Goals Statement Instructions:

A written statement describing:

1) Goals for pursing a PhD in Nursing

2) Research interest(s)

3) How the research interests coincide with School of Nursing or College of Public Health research programs. 

English Proficiency Requirements

All Mason students must have a full command of academic English to be successful in their studies. For this reason, Mason requires applicants to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration, regardless of citizenship. Click here to view the requirements.

International Transcript Requirements

All transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated into English, if applicable, and submitted for evaluation to the Mason Office of Admissions. Mason will provide evaluation service free of charge for all international transcripts, however, some programs may request an outside evaluation be completed. Because of volume, more time may be needed to process applications requiring a Mason evaluation. You should submit your application 6 weeks prior to the deadline if you plan to utilize Mason’s free evaluation service. For expedited service, students may submit their documents to any NACES member organization at their own expense. If you decide to use an external evaluation service or if your program requires an outside evaluation, GPA and Degree equivalences must be included with your course-by-course evaluation. Mason evaluations are used for internal purposes and are not released to applicants. For information on international transcript requirements, go here.