Graduate Entry Pathway to 
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Enter the nursing field

The Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP) is a direct entry program for non-nurses with a bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing, leading first to Registered Nurse (RN) licensure, then to a doctorate program.

At the completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

1. Assess, intervene, and evaluate the responses of patients to health/illness states by applying the population competencies of advanced practice (NP Tracks).
2. Critically appraise and communicate the best evidence for nursing practice to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, ethical, equitable patient/family centered care.
3. Design and plan care delivery approaches grounded in the ethical principles of the nursing discipline to support and improve patient care and healthcare systems through organizational and systems leadership.
4. Lead and participate in interprofessional teams to collaborate and create healthcare solutions to improve population health outcomes.
5. Synthesize biopsychosocial data to create, provide and evaluate patient centered interventions to optimize health (individual, family, and group).
6. Interpret scientific data to create new strategies to address determinants of health that supports population health initiatives.

Meet the students of the Graduate Entry Pathway Program
‘Why not you?’—Kenyan DNP student studies mental health to impact community	Worcester-born DNP student spearheads project emphasizing community in curriculum
Learn more about Jacqueline	Learn more about Morgan

What Makes The Graduate Entry Pathway Stand Out?

• RN preparation is located in a state of the art learning and simulation community within an academic health science center and top-ranked medical school campus. Take a tour of the Interprofessional Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation (iCELS)
• Our faculty are committed to student learning and actively practice in acute and community care settings and health care organizations. 
• RN NCLEX Pass Rates: MA/GEP Pass Rates. Every member of our Graduate Entry Pathway Class of 2023 passed their licensure exam!

Apply Now!

Fall 2025: Graduate Entry Pathway to DNP

• Priority Admission Deadline for Scholarship Consideration: 11/3/24
• Application Deadline: 2/9/25

Priority Admission Deadline for Scholarship Consideration: Applicants who submit a completed application by this deadline will be considered for our limited Chancellor and Nightingale Scholarships.
Application Deadline: Applications completed after the Priority deadline will be considered based on seat availability, up until this final admission deadline.* For consideration after the Application Deadline, please contact our Admissions Counselor

Applicants must submit a completed application to NursingCAS by the deadline date to be considered for admission. Application status emails will be sent to the email provided on the application via NursingCAS. 

DNP Program Tracks: 

Pursuing one of the fours tracks offered allows learners to tailor their advanced practice education to align with their career goals and interest in specific patient care areas.

Pursue one of our nurse concentrations of study including:

• Cancer Care
• Critical Care
• Palliative Care
• Women's Health Care

EXPLORE THE CURRICULUM

The Graduate Entry Pathway Admission Requirements:

GPA Requirement - GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred for all degrees. 

Education - Bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field. 

Prerequisites Required 

• • The following courses must be completed within 5 years of application with a B- or higher preferred. If these prerequisites were taken between 5 to 7 years prior, you may be accepted with a condition to complete course N590H Human Physiology online at Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing in the summer prior to matriculation: 
    • Anatomy & Physiology 1 with Lab 
    • Anatomy & Physiology 2 with Lab 
  • The following courses must be completed within 7 years of application with a B- or higher preferred, however, Statistics does not have a time limit: 
    • Microbiology with lab 
    • Nutrition 
    • Human Growth & Development across the lifespan 
    • Statistics 

If any prerequisite courses are in progress at the time of application, you must provide a plan for completion and include college/university, course, expected date of completion. Please upload this plan to the documents section of your NursingCAS application. Online prerequisites are accepted from accredited colleges. 

Video Essay - You will be required to complete 3 video essay interviews in the supplemental application; you will have 2 minutes to respond to each essay. There is no additional fee to complete the essays. 

Personal Statement  

• • Please address both prompts below (300 words total):
    • Please discuss a person, incident or experience in your life that has led you to want to pursue nursing as a career and describe what it is that makes you a good fit for our accelerated program?
    • What is your understanding of the role of a nurse practitioner for the population focus of your intended nurse practitioner role (Family NP, Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP, Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP, or Psychiatric Mental health NP)?                                                                                       

• • Please address the following prompt below (300 words total): 
    • How will the DNP enhance your practice as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)? 

References 

Please submit 2 letters of recommendation from an academic or professional source, preferred within the last five years: 

• • A professional reference should be from a former supervisor or professional colleague who can speak to your experience, competence, readiness, leadership, work ethic and dedication to your work. 
  • An academic reference should be from a former faculty member or advisor. 

The UMass Chan Medical School, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing pre-licensure program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, Nursing Registration in Massachusetts, 239 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, M A 02114.

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