As a Master's student, you'll choose from five advanced practice specialties to prepare for certification as a nurse practitioner. Each specialty provides focused courses and clinical placements, helping you discover your professional passion.
Master of Science, Nurse Practitioner Track
As a master’s student in our MSNP track, you will develop the skills and gain the first hand experience to take on the most pressing health care challenges. As an nurse practitioner, you will provide care at the full scope of practice.
Program Eligibility
- An associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
- An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
- A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
Pathways to Entry
We offer four routes to a master's, based on your current level of education.
This pathway is for you if you earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and your goal is to become a nurse practitioner.
Program Eligibility
- A bachelor or master's degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
- An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
- A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
- A current RN license to practice nursing
Direct Entry
The Direct Entry pathway offers students with bachelor’s degrees in fields other than nursing an accelerated opportunity to become an in-demand nurse leader. This program has a July start.
Program Eligibility
- A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university
- A minimum undergraduate GPA (or combined undergraduate and graduate GPA) of at least 3.0
- Completion of prerequisite courses
* Note: GRE is preferred, but not required for application.
Pre-licensure:
Throughout the first four semesters of full-time study, you will prepare to take the NCLEX and become a licensed RN. At the end of this portion of your studies, you will be conferred a master of science degree.
Preparing for NP boards:
During the final portion of your program, you will complete courses and clinical fieldwork in your specialty. You will graduate prepared for certification as a nurse practitioner.
Students will complete both the Master of Science, Nursing curriculum and the Master of Science, Nurse Practitioner curriculum for a total of 96 credits.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that coursework they have completed satisfies the prerequisite requirements. The graduate program staff will not contact applicants during the admissions process to verify prerequisite coursework.
Direct entry students are required to complete prerequisite courses prior to the start of the program. It is preferred that applicants have at least 3 of the following 4 science prerequisites completed or in process at the time of application: General Chemistry with Lab; Microbiology with Lab; Anatomy & Physiology I with Lab; Anatomy & Physiology II with Lab. All prerequisite coursework must be completed prior to matriculation. Students must receive a minimum grade of B- (80) in each of the prerequisite courses. AP credit is NOT accepted as fulfilling prerequisite coursework.
For coursework completed before applying, please submit transcripts as part of your application. For coursework that you plan to complete after applying but before starting the program, please indicate this on the application and submit transcripts following course completion. The prerequisite courses include:
- Nutrition
- Human Development, Lifespan Development, or Developmental Psychology
A course that covers the lifespan (infancy to older adulthood) is preferred; child development (infancy through late adolescence) will be accepted. A course that only covers a single phase (e.g., infant development or adolescent development) is not acceptable.
- Statistics
An introductory course is acceptable. - Anatomy and Physiology I and II with Lab (Human)
If taken separately, one semester of anatomy and one semester of physiology are acceptable. Must focus exclusively on human anatomy and physiology (not comparative or mammalian). Courses must include lab and must have been taken within five years of application. - General Chemistry I with Lab
Course must include lab and must have been taken within five years of application. - Microbiology (Biology of Microbes) with Lab
Course must include lab and must have been taken within five years of application.
This program has a July start
This program is designed for you if you earned a master's degree in nursing and your goal is to become an advanced practice clinician. This program is not for current APRNs.
Program Eligibility
- A master's degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
- An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
- A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
- A current RN license to practice nursing
RN to MS
Our program allows current RNs without bachelor’s degrees to maximize both their experience and the credits they have earned from previous programs (approximately 112 earned credits required). If you are a motivated and accomplished student who wishes to transform your professional knowledge into a career as an advanced practice nurse, this program is for you.
Program Eligibility
- An associate’s degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
- Approximately 112 course credits; 42 in general education and 70 in specialty knowledge related to nursing
- An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
- A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
- A current RN license to practice nursing
Explore Our Specialties
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
OVERVIEW
Adult-gerontology nurse practitioners (NPs) provide primary preventive and chronic illness care for individuals throughout the entirety of adulthood, forming lasting bonds with patients over the course of their time together.
Adult-gerontology NPs take patient histories, perform diagnostic testing, interpret lab results, prescribe medications and other therapies, and refer patients to consultations—all while providing essential health and wellness education and counseling.
Completing patient histories, diagnostic testing, prescribing therapies and medications, wellness education—these roles all fall under the purview of adult health NPs. Focusing on adults, they provide primary care in community clinics, hospitals, private practices, and other settings.
Community-based clinics
Hospitals
Private practices
Occupational health settings
Adult day care and assisted living facilities
Prisons
Shelters
Patient homes
Family Health
OVERVIEW
Family Nurse Practitioners (NPs) study and improve the health of individuals and families while identifying risk factors and preventing illness. They help patients throughout the entire lifecycle, assessing, diagnosing, and managing common acute and chronic primary health care challenges.
Family NPs improve the health of both individuals and families, providing acute and ongoing primary care throughout a patient’s entire lifecycle. They also address the epidemiological and environmental factors leading to health challenges.
Family practices
Public and private ambulatory settings
Wellness centers
Hospitals and home health agencies
Occupational health sites
Prisons
Shelters
Pediatric Primary Care
OVERVIEW
Working with infants, children, adolescents, and their families, pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) promote wellness, prevent illness, conduct well-visit checkups, and treat common diseases and injuries. Our practitioners mentor students so they can care and advocate for children from various backgrounds and populations. Attending to patients from infancy to adulthood, pediatric NPs help ensure that children get a healthy start while promoting equal access to care.
Working in a range of well-child settings and specialty placements, pediatric NPs care for children of all backgrounds and ages, starting from infancy. They promote overall health, treating common issues and performing checkups.
Primary care
Schools
Community health centers
Private practices
Specialized practices
Psychiatric-Mental Health
OVERVIEW
Focusing on health and wellness, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners (NPs) lead caregiving teams, paying particular attention to patients’ emotional, cognitive, and social functioning, and play key roles in clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. They also help people and communities recover after trauma or distress. Psychiatric/Mental Health NPs work to:
- Conduct individual, family, and group psychotherapy
- Diagnose psychiatric disorders
- Perform psychiatric assessments and evaluations
- Coordinate medications
- Act as case managers for people with psychiatric disorders
- Provide consultation to primary care providers
Attending to emotional, cognitive, and social functioning, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners (NPs) are vital to evaluating and treating patients. They conduct psychotherapy, perform assessments, prescribe medications, and act as case managers.
In-patient hospital practices as admitting clinicians
Outpatient community mental health programs
Private practices
Emergency departments
Forensic settings, such as court clinics and prisons
Women's Health
Overview
Women’s health nurse practitioners (NPs) provide comprehensive care to women, supporting their general health across the lifespan. They also provide sexual and reproductive health care to men. We prepare our graduates for practice with an emphasis on reproductive, gynecologic, and well-women health and to understand how psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual influences may affect women’s health.
Our women’s health nurse practitioners also conduct research, serve as case managers, and educate patients, groups, communities, and health care professionals. They provide the following services:
- OB/GYN
- Primary care
- Fertility care
- Reproductive health
- Breast and GYN oncology
- Urogynecology
Our women’s health students graduate prepared to provide comprehensive care to women—and sexual health care to men—with a particular emphasis on reproductive, gynecologic, and well-women health.
Hospitals
Community health centers
Private practices
Managed care setting
Universities
Clinical Placements
Students experience a variety of practice settings by rotating among 3-6 clinical sites, including:
- Addiction Treatment Center of New England
- Atrius Health
- Beth Israel Lahey Health
- Boston Children's Hospital
- Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
- Boston Medical Center
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Cristo Rey Boston High School
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Dimock Center
- Fenway Health
- Franciscan Children's
- Hebrew SeniorLife
- Joslin Diabetes Center
- McLean Hospital
- Shriners Children's Boston
- Signature Healthcare
- South Boston Community Health Center
- Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
- VA Boston Healthcare System
Financial Aid
The Connell School and Boston College offer multiple opportunities to fund a graduate education. CSON graduate students receive financial assistance through internal and external sources—including scholarships, fellowships, grants, teaching and research assistantships, and tuition remission.
Apply
PrintApplication & Deadlines
A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required.
Résumé or CV
Please limit to two pages.
Goal Statement
Please respond to the two prompts outlined below as they pertain to your goals. The responses should be typewritten, double-spaced, and limited to 1.5 pages for each prompt. The essays are very important to the Admission Committee’s deliberations, allowing them to assess your personal goals, your reasons for choosing advanced practice nursing as your career, your commitment to the profession of nursing, and your writing ability.
Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation:
- A recent employer/supervisor who speaks to your level of professional practice.
- A professor or instructor who assesses your potential for graduate study and performance in your desired area of study.
- Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically. When you register your reference writers through the application system, they will immediately receive an email with the link to the electronic reference form. For this reason, we suggest that you contact your references prior to registering them through the online application.
- References will have the option to upload a supporting letter in Word or PDF format.
- If you would like your references to receive the electronic form before you have completed the online application, you may go directly to the “Recommendations” link on the application and register your references before filling out the rest of the form.
- You can log back into your application to check which letters have been received, as well as to send reminder emails to your references.
Transcripts
Official transcripts are preferred but not required upon application. If admitted, official transcripts will be required.
Official digital transcripts can be sent to csongrad@dos5.net.
All hard copy transcripts may be sent to the following mailing address:
Boston College
Graduate Nursing Office
Maloney Hall - 2nd Floor
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
*If the last name on your transcript does not match the application name, please contact csongrad@dos5.net after submitting the application.
RN License, if Applicable
Please submit a copy of your RN license
Supplemental Forms
Based on the answers you provide in your application, you may need one or more of the following forms to complete your application:
- Suspended or Revoked Nursing License Explanation Form (if you indicated a suspended or revoked license on your application)
- Learning Disability Documentation Form (if you indicated a learning disability on your application)
- Supplementary Information Form (if you wish to submit any supplementary information in addition to the standard application)
International Students
- Official transcript(s) evaluation (by the Commission on Graduate Foreign Nursing Schools or World Education Services) from all post-secondary institutions at which you have studied
- NCLEX-RN Examination results/RN licensure
- Evidence of English Proficiency (TOEFL). Official TOEFL scores are required for students whose native language is not English. The following scores indicate minimum score requirements: 100 on the TOEFL iBT (internet-based test); 7.5 on the IELTS Band (academic); 600 or greater on the paper-based test; or 250 on the CBT test (computer-based test). Please request that your scores be sent to the William F. Connell Graduate School of Nursing by using our institutional code 3062 in the designated areas. Student copies or photocopies of TOEFL are not accepted.
- You can get application forms and information about testing dates for the TOEFL from many U.S. consolates, USIA centers, and TOELF centers overseas by writing to: TOEFL Registration, CN 6152, Princeton, New Jersey 08541 USA, or www.toefl.org.
- The TOEFL score is not required if you meet both of the following criteria: You are a citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean AND your native language is English.