Pre-Master’s Pathway

The Pre-master’s Pathway is designed for applicants who are registered nurses with an associate’s degree or diploma in nursing who have a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in a field other than nursing. This option offers alternative methods of qualifying for admission to the Graduate School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Worcester based on transfer of academic courses and course enrollment. In order to be admitted to the Pre-master’s Pathway, students are required to have completed undergraduate professional nursing courses in nursing leadership, health assessment and concepts/practice in community health. Students may have to submit the course syllabi from other nursing schools for evaluation.

Although the Pre-master’s Pathway does not grant a bachelor’s degree in nursing, it can enable the student to meet the criteria for admission into the graduate program in nursing. Credit equivalencies are not assigned to the prerequisite coursework because this program does not grant a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The Pre-master’s Pathway grants exemptions for the specific graduate program admission requirement of a nursing baccalaureate degree.

Once students have been accepted into the program and completed the necessary pre-requisites they will follow the Traditional Master’s coursework.