Prospective students must meet the following requirements for admission:

• Hold a BSN degree from a regionally accredited institution and a nationally accredited nursing program (CCNE or CNEA accreditation), equivalent to the one offered by the UAB School of Nursing.
• Possess an unencumbered and unrestricted nursing license to practice in the state where you plan to conduct your clinical practicum.
• Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or on the last 60 semester hours.
• Students with less than a 3.2 GPA (last 60 hours undergraduate GPA or overall undergraduate GPA) are required to complete and submit scores for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or GMAT.
  • Only scores completed within the previous 5 years are accepted.
  • Minimum required scores are a combined score of 297 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE or score of 480 on the GMAT.
  • Applicants who have successfully completed a graduate degree from a regionally accredited academic institution may receive a waiver for this requirement if they achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their previous graduate degree program.
  • The following individuals are not eligible for the GRE waiver process: International applicants, non-native English speaking applicants, and Dual degree seeking applicants (e.g., MSN/MPH).
  • Please note: The UAB transcript does not include a student's 2-year nursing coursework or comparable technical course work in the transfer, overall, or UAB GPA calculation. The MSN admission process takes into consideration all previous undergraduate coursework, including the nursing coursework from 2-year community colleges.
  • For more information on the Test Score Waiver process click here.
• Submit three letters of professional reference attesting to the applicant's potential for graduate study.
• Applicants should submit an official transcript from every college or university they have ever attended (even if for only one semester). Transcripts may be emailed electronically by the issuing institution to the UAB Graduate School at gradschool@uab.edu or mailed to UAB Graduate School, LHL G03, 1720 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35294-0013
• If admitted to the MSN program, students must show proof of completion of a descriptive statistics course, equivalent to UAB's MA-180, before starting the program.

Out-of-state applicants to any of our distance-accessible programs should become familiar with their state’s regulations governing distance accessible programs. Prospective students residing in states other than Alabama should contact their state’s Board of Nursing and Department of Education for specific rules and regulations pertaining to students enrolled in out-of-state programs and are planning to conduct UABSON distance education in their home state. Only those students who reside in Alabama or those states where the UAB School of Nursing programs are available will be eligible to receive an offer of admission.

More information is available at the State Approval Website for Online Degree Programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

To best accommodate the needs of the nursing workforce, the curriculum is offered via a part-time program of study delivered through a distance accessible format that combines synchronous online classes with on-campus intensives, designed to promote mastery of essential skill sets.

The curriculum consists of 45 credit hours of course work, with 35 credit hours of didactic coursework and 10 credit hours of clinical practice experience under the supervision of psychiatric mental health advanced practice providers. The program is completed in six or seven successive semesters depending on the semester of entry.

Sample Program of Study^1,2,3

¹Program of Study is subject to change.
²Program of Study varies depending on semester of admission. Students admitted in a summer semester complete coursework over 7 semesters and fall semester over 6 semesters.
³Curriculum is currently under revision due to credentialing updates and new programs of study will be updated in 2024.

Upon completion of the MSN Program, students will be able to:

• Synthesize research, theoretical formulations, and principles of scientific inquiry to provide evidence-based practice.
• Assume leadership in managing and evaluating continuous quality improvement processes.
• Use information systems/technology to evaluate programs of care, outcomes of care, and care systems.
• Advocate and implement health-care policies that improve access, equity, efficiency, and social justice in the delivery of health care.
• Provide ethical, culturally sensitive care in an advanced nursing role independently and collaboratively with professionals from multiple disciplines.
• Monitor the quality of one's own nursing practice based on professional practice standards and relevant statutes and regulations.
• Apply theories and principles of marketing, economics, consultation, management, and leadership to comprehensively perform an advanced nursing role.

The following tuition and fees are valid for the 2024-2025 academic year. Tuition and fees and are subject to change annually based on approval from the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees and/or university.

The estimates below are based on the costs listed at the UAB Office of Planning and Analysis website.

Each student’s costs will vary depending upon a number of factors including state of residence, the number of credits taken in a semester, or whether the student attends class live or through a distance-accessible format. Fees vary by program and course.

University Scholarships and Financial Aid

Information on Financial Aid, University Scholarships and other funding opportunities are available on UAB's Cost & Aid website.

UAB School of Nursing Scholarships

The UAB School of Nursing offers many scholarships, both need and merit based, to support nursing students across all programs. Scholarships are awarded twice a year, during the spring and fall semesters and requires just one application to be considered for all undergraduate or graduate scholarships. For more information or to start the scholarship application process, visit the SON Scholarship Application webpage.

Graduate Fellowships and Traineeships

There are a limited number of Graduate Fellowships and Traineeships that are awarded through the UAB School of Nursing that require students to meet specific requirements, and are only awarded when funds are available. When such funds are available in a particular program, students enrolled in the program will be notified and provided information on how to apply. Contact Katrina Staffney (email: KatrinaStaffney@uab.edu), for more information.

Nurse Faculty Loan

Federal Nurse Faculty Loan Funds are available to MSN students who intend to assume a faculty position in a school of nursing upon completion of the degree. These funds are limited to payment of tuition and fees and other reasonable educational expenses. Contact JoeAnn Kennedy (email: joeann@uab.edu), for more information.

NOTE: Prospective International students must first contact UAB International Admissions to determine eligibility to study in the U.S. and/or submit an application for admission to UAB.

The table below provides information on eligibility requirements for the MSN Program.

Application Requirements

• Prospective students must have a bachelors degree in nursing equivalent to that offered by a U.S. regionally accredited educational institution.
• For Graduate Clinical Programs such as the Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program, prospective students must also be licensed as a registered nurse in the U.S., in the state in which they will reside while completing the program.
• International applicants must, as part of their application, provide a detailed course by course evaluation of their academic transcripts and verification of their academic credentials. Students may use one of the following firms for transcript evaluation; a report of the evaluation must be submitted directly to the UAB School of Nursing prior to admission decisions.
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
  P.O. Box 514070
  Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470 USA
  Website: www.ece.org
• World Education Services
  Bowling Green Station
  P.O. Box 5087
  New York, NY 10274-5087 USA
  Website: www.wes.org
• Applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on prior college/university course work.
• Applicants must complete and submit their scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as part of the application process. If the GRE was completed prior to application, only scores completed within the previous 5 years are accepted.
• Completion of a formal admission interview.
• Meet English language requirements. Students must submit scores on Tests of English Language (TOEFL or IELTS) and achieve the following minimum scores:
• TOEFL iBT 80 and minimum of 18 in each of the 4 test sections, or
• IELTS 6.5 and minimum of 6.0 in at least 2 of the 4 test sections.