Apply to the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice - Post Baccalaureate Program

What makes a competitive applicant?

The program takes a holistic approach to admissions. That means we consider a combination of GPA, relevant work experience, volunteerism, etc., in addition to the in-person interview (if invited). 

To be competitive, applicants should demonstrate a strong academic background, a passion for the nurse anesthesia field, and showcase a variety of life experience activities such as significant leadership experience, research activity, scholarship history and significant academic or community volunteer awards.

View our Frequently Asked Questions for typical admission statistics for admitted students.

Admission Requirements

A successful Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) applicant will have:

• A nursing degree, baccalaureate or higher, from a regionally accredited college or university. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required (Note: the cumulative GPA* includes all college coursework taken at any degree level; this will include BSN and non-BSN courses.)
• Taken the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). A GRE is required for all applicants who have a cumulative GPA below 3.6*. The GRE is also waived for individuals who hold a master’s or higher-level degree (in any subject) from a regionally accredited institution.

            o   The GRE must be completed within the last five (5) years.

            o   The MUSC Office of Enrollment Management will recalculate GPAs using the MUSC grading scale. Please contact the program admissions specialist at 843-792-3313 or oesadmis@musc.edu with questions about the GPA necessary for a GRE waiver.

          *Note: that this program calculates cumulative GPA without forgiveness. All courses will be counted. If you took a course more than once all grades will be counted.

• A registered nurse (RN) license in the United States.
• Active certifications in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Basic Life Support (BLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) by matriculation.
• A minimum of one (1) year of nursing experience in a critical care setting (e.g., ICU, CCU, SICU, MIC, PICU,, NICU, etc.) by the application deadline. Review our FAQs for more information on this requirement.
• The required prerequisite coursework at a regionally accredited college or university. Courses do not have to be completed to apply but must be completed prior to matriculation. In-person and online courses are accepted. (See below).
• Shadowed a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at the time of application.
• Three professional references from the following individuals:

           o   A supervisor

           o   A colleague

           o   Professional reference of your choice

• Completed the MUSC application and submitted supplemental materials specific to the program. These forms are available in PDF format within the application and are also sent through email once an application is submitted.
• Submitted a resume. Detailed information on what to include can be found below in the application checklist.
• Submitted a personal essay.

          o   You will be required to answer two questions with a combined maximum word count of 1000. In the first response, address your reasons for pursuing graduate study in nurse anesthesia, including future goals. Within the same essay box, as your second response, describe the identification of a clinical problem that you can investigate during your doctoral scholarly project; please include proposed solutions and desired outcomes. References are not required in the essay. If you utilize a source, however, the appropriate citation is required. If you use citations, please do not include them in the essay box. Instead, please send them in a separate document to oesadmis@musc.edu. You must include your name and email address on the document so we can match it to your essay.

Prerequisite Courses

• General Chemistry
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Pharmacology*
• Statistics
• Organic Chemistry (recommended)
• Pathophysiology (recommended)
• Microbiology (recommended)

Prerequisite Special Notes

• *For pharmacology course work that was part of an integrated curriculum, the course syllabus is required from the institution at which the prerequisite was taken. The syllabus must be the one from the semester and year that matches the semester/year on the transcript.
• View a list of frequently approved prerequisites. To speak with an admissions specialist about your coursework, please call 843-792-2536 or send an email to oesadmis@musc.edu.
• Courses listed as recommended are not required, only recommended.
• Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses are accepted for prerequisite coursework.

Application Checklist

Note: All below information must be received by September 15, 2024, to be considered for admission to the program. It is the applicant's responsibility to review the progress of his/her application by viewing the Application Progress Portal and ensure that all application materials including official reference forms and all official transcripts are received by the application deadline.

1.  Completed university application.

2.  Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. Applicants are required to submit official transcripts from each post-secondary school attended even if no degree was earned.

3.  Using MUSC reference forms (found in the application), three professional references from the following:

• A supervisor
• A colleague
• Professional reference of your choice

4.  Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score, if applicable. See waiver criteria above.

5.  Resume/curriculum vitae including: education, licensure and certifications, current employment, past employment, volunteer/community service (including number of hours, location, contact person and type of experience), extracurricular/community/leadership/professional activities, membership in professional organizations, hospital committees, community organizations, etc., and any publications, research projects, academic honors or awards. Indicate a minimum of one-year, full-time experience in a critical care setting (ICU, MICU, PICU, CCU, NICU, etc.) at the time of application. Specify type of unit and exact dates of employment (e.g. Seaside Hospital, MICU, Staff RN, Dec 97-Jan 99).      

6.  Anesthesia Clinical Shadowing Experience Log (found in the application).

7.  Submission of required essay. See details above.

8.  Copy of nursing license

9. Copy of active/current certifications for BLS, ACLS, and PALS.

10. Official copy of your TOEFL scores if English is not your native language and you have not studied within the United States.

11.  Supplemental Forms

Admissions Timeline

July 1	MUSC Application Opens
Sept 15	Applications & Materials Due
November	Qualified, competitive applicants will be invited for an in-person interview.
Mid-December	In-person Interviews Take Place
By December 23	Admissions Offers Made
Early May	Classes Start Online
Late May	Orientation

International Applicants

MUSC’s DNAP degree program is unable to admit international students requiring an F-1 visa. Applications will only be accepted from U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or those holding other valid nonimmigrant visa classifications that allow participation in lawful study while in the United States.

Use of Marijuana and/or CBD Products

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is illegal to purchase in South Carolina. Apart from a narrow and limited scope of codified/documented medical exceptions, it is illegal for individuals to use marijuana/tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in South Carolina. Although cannabidiol (CBD) products may be purchased and used in South Carolina, please be aware that CBD products may contain higher levels of THC than represented on packaging and use of CBD products can result in a positive drug screen for THC/marijuana. Be aware that current drug testing methods cannot accurately ascertain the origins of THC metabolites (i.e., whether from marijuana or CBD products). Your academic program has the authority to conduct random and/or scheduled drug testing; if your test result is reported as positive for THC metabolites (even if you only used a CBD product), your ability to be accepted into the program, progress in the program, and/or successfully complete the program may be negatively impacted.

Scholarship Eligibility

MUSC offers scholarships for which you may be eligible. Some are awarded based on academic achievement; others are awarded based on community service, for example. However, the majority of scholarships awarded at MUSC are based on financial need. This means those scholarships are only awarded to students who need some financial assistance to cover the cost of tuition and fees. If you would like to be considered for a financial need-based scholarship, you must have an up-to-date Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file. Make sure you list Medical University of South Carolina on your FAFSA form, along with MUSC’s code: 003438. We encourage you to submit the FAFSA as early as possible. It is recommended to submit the FAFSA in January if you plan to enroll in the Fall.

Application Deadlines

Start Term	Application Type	Available	Deadline
Summer 2025	Regular	July 1, 2024	September 15, 2024