Master of Nursing Application

"UW Master of Nursing Program Ranked No. 1 Public Program in U.S."

U.S. News & World Report

The Master of Nursing (MN) program prepares RNs for clinical practice in a range of settings as leaders, managers, care providers, and educators. The curriculum has a strong emphasis on mentoring, both in terms of advanced practicum placements and with the faculty and offers curriculum options in Leadership in Healthcare Delivery or Nurse Educator. The core coursework for both curriculum options includes research, health systems, health policy, leadership, and social issues related to health.

Why seek a Master of Nursing degree?

• Enhance your clinical expertise
• Improve your career mobility
• Cultivate sophistication in your own practice
• Gain skills to proactively improve the healthcare system and the health of the community

Advantages of studying nursing at UW Tacoma

• Small class size
• Direct contact, mentoring and advising with faculty in and out of class
• Flexible for working students
• Online learning components
• Practical, real-world practicum placements that help open new doors in your career

Admission to the Master of Nursing program is competitive and based on acceptance by the UW Graduate School and the School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership at the University of Washington Tacoma. The following are required:

• A baccalaureate degree from an ACEN or CCNE accredited nursing program with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 90 graded quarter credits (or 60 semester credits).
• Completion of a three-credit basic course in descriptive and inferential statistics with a grade of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.  Find an approved statistics course.
• Current unrestricted Washington state RN license.
• Read and agree to adhere to the Essential Behaviors for Admission, Continuation and Graduation and Social Networking Policy.

Applying for admission to the Master of Nursing program requires an application and supplemental materials to be submitted to the University of Washington Graduate School 

Apply to the UW Graduate School

✓ Complete the UW Graduate School application.

Official transcripts will be mailed upon request to:

University of Washington Graduate School
G-1 Communications, Box 353770
Seattle, WA 98195-3770      

Submit Supplemental Materials

 ✓ Statement of goals:

Write a statement as to why you are pursuing a graduate nursing degree, and how your graduate experience facilitates the achievement of your professional goals.

Avoid outlines and lists. You will be evaluated in part on your ability to communicate effectively in writing. The maximum length of the essay should not exceed three pages, typewritten and double spaced, using a 12-point font.

To brainstorm ideas and identify the fit between yourself and the program philosophy, review the UW Tacoma Master of Nursing Philosophy of Graduate Education and UW Tacoma MN Program Goals.

Review the UW Tacoma MN Curriculum Options.  Identify the MN curriculum option you are intending to pursue.  Discuss your unique attributes and background and how these contribute to your goals. 

 ✓ Provide recommendations: 

Designate two professional recommendations: one (1) educational, who can attest to your potential success as a learner (2) clinical, who can attest to your competence as a registered nurse.

✓ A current résumé:

Describe all RN work experience, with dates and positions and provide a brief description of responsibilities, including evidence of leadership in practice. If applicable, describe experience related to chosen program area of interest. Identify professional involvement, awards, volunteer work, publications, and/or committee membership.

We welcome your application to the Master of Nursing (MN) program at the University of Washington Tacoma School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership. While applicants for the MN program are expected to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, the Nursing Program recognizes that RNs may have gained experience and knowledge in management and leadership, and/or community health nursing through academic, professional and personal experiences outside of a bachelor’s program in nursing.

RNs with baccalaureate degrees in fields other than nursing may demonstrate competency equivalent to the bachelor’s degree in nursing by writing two petitions to the MN Admissions Committee. The petitions must demonstrate knowledge and experience acquired through your academic, personal, and professional experiences in the areas of:

1. Leadership and management
2. Community health nursing 

The MN Admissions Committee will review your petitions and recommend approval and admission to the MN Program or recommend taking specific UW Tacoma BSN coursework.

For the leadership /management petition:

• Compare leading versus managing; what are similarities and differences? From your experience, give an example of each.
• Provide an example of how you might or have used your knowledge of leadership styles and theories in your professional practice or in your professional volunteer role.
• What are some factors that influence organizational culture? Consider those factors within and outside the organization.
• What can a leader to do increase the likelihood that organizational change will be successful ?
• What steps can you take to improve team collaboration?
• What is the role of conflict resolution in team collaboration? How does conflict resolution influence collaboration?
• Give an example of the nurse’s role as an advocate in the process of creating or recommending or supporting health policy.

For the communities/populations petition:

• Tell us about socio cultural, political,  and other important factors that influence the health of communities.
• For a community or population, describe how you have assessed, planned for, and/or intervened to meet its needs.
• Give an example of how you have used a principle of community or public health nursing.
• In terms of promoting health in the community, describe the kind of working relationship you would establish and why.
• Give us an example of  how you have worked effectively with a team of peers.

Your petition is strengthened not only by your description of your professional experience, expertise and education, but also by examples. The following list of such examples should be of use to you as you prepare your petition.

• Course descriptions of academic, continuing education, or inservice education courses
• Clinical examples of research utilization or providing health education
• Descriptions of community projects
• An annotated (detailed, descriptive) resume that highlights your professional and community health experiences, whether at work or in your community, in your role as an employee or as a volunteer, with Girl Scouts, Red Cross high school volunteers, volunteer parent/RN providing classes in public or private schools or other educational settings
• In-service course descriptions and/or evaluation
• Professional certification, when the exam or requirements for such certification includes knowledge of relevant content or skills
• Committee membership
• Volunteer experience
• Membership and activities in professional organizations