Prospective Students

You should seriously consider the School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst if you are bright, energetic, enthusiastic, and serious about learning how to be a professional nurse or how to expand your nursing knowledge and skills.

Our graduates make a difference wherever they practice. They practice in all kinds of health-care settings-hospitals, extended-care facilities, home care, the military, the Peace Corps, and even the National Institutes of Health. They also teach in universities and colleges, provide staff development in health-care agencies, and provide health care and education in local schools. They're nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse researchers. And they also serve their communities on school boards, boards of health, and senior center advisory boards.

The curriculum of each School of Nursing program is carefully crafted to build on students' knowledge. Course content, clinical experiences, and other learning activities are designed to integrate current nursing knowledge, contemporary practice, and emerging health problems. Individual and groups assignments require creativity and critical thinking in applying theory to clinical issues.

As a student in the School of Nursing, you will have access to a comprehensive learning resource center and the university libraries, in addition to rich clinical experiences with individuals, families, and communities. You will learn how to help people stay well, anticipate health problems, manage their illnesses, and navigate various life challenges and stages with your nursing knowledge.

You will learn how to think critically, to access information, and to work collaboratively. And you will do this in an environment designed to foster learning, understand individuality, and respect diversity.

The faculty and staff of the School of Nursing are committed to seeing you achieve your goals. Your success is their success and they take great pride in it.

Admission to the Traditional Pre-Licensure Program

The admission process for the Traditional Pre-Licensure Program in Nursing has recently changed. Applicants are now reviewed for direct admission to the Nursing major. Because of the limited number of spaces in the Nursing major, this review process is very selective. The benefit of this change is that successful candidates will enter the University as full Nursing majors. Given the competitive nature of admission to Nursing programs at many colleges and universities, direct admission to the major is a real advantage to students.

Freshman applicants have the greatest access to the Nursing major, since students will enter as a cohort and proceed through the curriculum together. Transfer applicants will be considered as spaces become available in the major. To transfer, and applicant is required to have at least a 3.0 University GPA.

(revised 9/13/07 nkj)