Although admission standards differ among schools, the general standard for admission to an associate degree program in nursing requires that students have completed high school and taken the ACT with satisfactory results that vary by school. Students at the City University of New York's Borough of Manhattan Community College must complete pre-nursing courses in biology, math, psychology and English with a minimum grade-point average of 2.5. Most nursing programs have some type of pre-nursing course sequence. Associate degree programs generally demand the completion of 65 to 70 credit hours in basic nursing courses such as the fundamentals of nursing practice, anatomy and physiology and microbiology.
Bachelor's degree programs in the state of New York usually require that students complete a of pre-clinical nursing studies sequence. Admission to the nursing program also is contingent upon completing the college's general education requirements. Prerequisites include psychology, sociology, human nutrition, human growth and development, chemistry, biology and statistics. Students usually must maintain a higher cumulative GPA, usually 3.0 or higher, to enter the bachelor's degree program. The University of Buffalo School of Nursing requires a 3.0 GPA and additional upper-division courses in fields such as nursing therapeutics and introduction to nursing research. Most programs require 120 to 130 credit hours for completion.
Master's degree programs usually require approximately 45 credit hours. They vary somewhat because of different emphases and specializations in each program. For instance, the master's program in advanced nursing practice at New York University requires 48 credit hours for its adult acute care specialization; the mental health nurse practitioner program at the University of Buffalo requires 52 credit hours. Admission to most programs requires a bachelor's degree and a 3.0 GPA.
Doctoral degree programs in nursing generally lead to the Doctor of Nursing Practice, but the Ph.D. sometimes is a goal as well. Admission to the NYU Doctor of Nursing Practice and Ph.D. programs requires a master's degree and satisfactory scores from either the GRE or the GMAT. Students in most DNP programs complete 40 to 45 credit hours and 400 hours of clinical practice. A Ph.D. program in New York also requires about 45 credit hours, comprehensive exams and a dissertation. Required courses usually vary according to student research interests.