MSN: Nursing Informatics Admissions

We welcome your application for admission to the St. Catherine University Master of Science in Nursing (MSN): Nursing Informatics program.

St. Kate’s has a streamlined admission process – no application fee, no GRE test – to accelerate your MSN: Nursing Informatics onboarding process.

If you have questions along the way, don’t hesitate to contact your admission counselor. They’re here to help!

Applications are accepted to start in Fall (September) or Spring (February). Priority application deadlines are June 1 (to start in fall) and November 1 (to start in spring), but applications will be reviewed after priority deadlines as long as spaces are available. For best consideration for scholarships, we recommend applying before the priority deadline. 

We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2023 enrollment.

Eligibility

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• A completed bachelor's or graduate degree from an institution that is accredited by one of the regional accrediting organizations (e.g. Higher Learning Commission).

• The baccalaureate nursing program (i.e., initial major or upper division, post-baccalaureate second major) or comparable master's-level program in which the nursing degree is awarded must be accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

• A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or higher on a 4.0 scale, and a grade of not less than 'B-' in every nursing course. Applicants who do not meet these requirements should provide an explanatory statement as part of the admission essay with rationale for an exception to the requirement. If you are unsure of your cumulative GPA, please use these instructions as a guide to help you determine if an explanatory statement is necessary.

• A current, unencumbered nursing license.

State-level restrictions

Due to state-level regulations, we are unable to enroll students who will be residing in any of these states while enrolled in this program: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, New York, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Canada.

Application form

Please read the application instructions below before completing the online application at the bottom of this page.

Deadline

The application priority deadlines for the MSN: Nursing Informatics program are June 1 (fall), November 1 (spring) and March 1 (summer). Applications received after the deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 enrollment.

Admission essay

Prepare an admission essay that demonstrates written communication skills and clarifies your purpose in pursuing a graduate program in nursing. All applicants whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 must also include an explanatory statement. Please submit one document addressing the following in separate essays and provide a separately titled section in the same document if submitting an Explanatory Statement. Do not exceed one typed, double spaced page for each topic.

• How will the Nursing Informatics (MSN) program at St. Catherine University help you to achieve your academic goals and your career aspirations?
• Describe a healthcare situation when you/your team had a significant impact on a patient or a group of patients using informatics tools and resources as the primary solution. How did this contribute to your desire to become a nurse informaticist?
• In your opinion, what are the most pressing health care concerns that should be addressed by nurse informaticists?

If you have already submitted the application form, you may upload your admission essay via your Application Status page (instructions for accessing the status page were provided at the time you submitted the application). Please include your full name at the top of the essay.

If you wish to submit the admission essay prior to the application, or if you are unable to upload the document to your Application Status page, you may send the essay as an attachment via email to graduateadmission@stkate.edu with “MSN Admission Essay” in the subject line.

Explanatory statement

If you are an applicant who does not meet the minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA requirement or received a grade of C or lower in any nursing course, please include an explanation of factors that affected previous academic performance, as well as your plan to ensure academic success in a graduate program. This statement should be limited to 400 words and is in addition to the admission essay described above.

Résumé

Submit a current résumé highlighting professional and volunteer experiences.

If you have already submitted the application form, you may upload your résumé via your Application Status page (instructions for accessing the status page were provided at the time you submitted the application).

If you wish to submit the résumé prior to the application, or if you are unable to upload the document to your Application Status page, you may send the résumé as an attachment via email to graduateadmission@stkate.edu with “MSN Résumé” in the subject line.

Recommendations

Two recommendations are required.

At least one recommendation should be from a current supervisor; the other recommendation may be from a professor or other employer. Personal references are not acceptable.

A link to the recommendation form will be sent when the Recommendations section of the application form has been completed. Please alert your references in advance to expect an email from St. Catherine University. These are confidential recommendations submitted directly from the references to the Office of Graduate Admission; applicants who wish to view the recommendations are responsible for making the appropriate arrangements with their references.

Transcripts

To review your admission file, we'll need transcripts from the college or university from which you earned your bachelor's degree and, if applicable, graduate degree. St. Kate's will review your admission file and make offers of acceptance using unofficial transcripts uploaded by you to your St. Kate's admission portal. However, official transcripts sent directly from your bachelor's and graduate (if applicable) degree-granting institutions are required, and must be received before registration for courses is allowed.

Need assistance finding out how to order your official transcripts?  Contact your admission counselor for help!  See contact information at the bottom of this page.

NOTE: Joint Services (formerly SMART) military transcripts are accepted, but not required.

All documents must be up-to-date and include your name, institution name, all courses taken with grades and degrees received (if applicable). Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded using your applicant status page (a link is sent once you’ve started an application) or sent as an attachment to graduateadmission@stkate.edu.  

To be considered official, electronic transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing college or university to St. Kate's (at graduateadmission@stkate.edu). Paper transcripts must be mailed in a sealed envelope directly from the registrar of each institution to the Office of Graduate Admission at St. Catherine University (see address below).

TOEFL/IELTS scores

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the IBT, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.5. This requirement is waived for students who have completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in the United States.

Credential evaluation

Applicants with a college or university degree completed outside of the United States must submit a course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services (WES). All costs related to document evaluation are the applicant’s responsibility.

Interview

Qualified applicants may be contacted for a personal interview with the Admission Committee.

Submitting materials

Please review all application instructions. Once you’ve submitted the online application, you will have access to your Application Status page to upload any supporting documents (instructions for accessing the status page were emailed at the time you submitted the application). If you are unable to upload electronic documents to your Application Status page, you may send items as an attachment via email to graduateadmission@stkate.edu. Paper documents may be mailed to:

St. Catherine University

Graduate Admission #4027

2004 Randolph Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55105

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that their application is completed by the deadline. The Admission Committee will not review your application until we have received all required documents. Fulfillment of the admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. No credentials will be returned to the applicant.

The following information pertains to applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Email your admission counselor at any time, or call us during office hours (8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.).

Contact an admission counselor