Clinical Nurse Specialist Track

Apply to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

Our Master of Science in Nursing program in Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist will deepen your clinical expertise and develop your ability to enact meaningful change to improve patient outcomes.

Application Deadlines

Admission to the Adult-Gerontology CNS track is offered every semester. Applications must be submitted by the following deadlines:

  • Fall admission: July 1
  • Spring admission: November 1
  • Summer admission: March 1

All supplemental materials (recommendations and official transcripts) must be received within 14 days of the application deadline.

The Pediatric CNS track has suspended admissions as of May 1, 2025 due to upcoming curricular changes. Please check back for updates on future admission cycles.

Eligibility

To apply for the CNS program, you must have:

  • A Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Applicants who completed their nursing degree in a foreign country must have the equivalent of a BSN as evaluated by the IU Indianapolis Office of International Affairs.
  • A BSN degree GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. Conditional admittance may be available under 3.0 GPA with holistic review.
  • An active, unencumbered Indiana or Compact RN license.
  • One year of full-time, hospital-based RN experience with adults at the time of application. 

Review program details & learning outcomes by track

Steps to apply

The following are examples of appropriate professional references:

  • Current or former nurse manager or other clinical supervisor (i.e. house supervisor, shift coordinator, etc.)
  • Clinical nurse specialist
  • Clinical educator
  • Nursing faculty member
  • Physician who has supervised you
  • Immediate supervisor from previous healthcare-related employment (i.e. nurse tech, CNA, EMT)

References from co-workers who are peers, close friends, or relatives are not appropriate.

You will enter your references' contact information into the application. Please use professional emails (not personal - i.e. Gmail, Yahoo) and include your references' job titles. If we are not able to verify your reference, you may be asked to re-submit a verifiable reference.

Electronic evaluation requests will be sent to your references once you submit their information into the application. (Note: You do not have to wait until you have all items of the application complete and ready to submit - if the application deadline is nearing, we recommend submitting your evaluation requests ASAP to give your references adequate time to respond while you work on completing the other components of the application.)

Be sure to return to your application to verify that your references have submitted their evaluation - it is your responsibility to ensure that you have two completed evaluations by the application deadline. 

Your resume should include:

  • Clinical RN experience - be sure to include employment dates (month & year) and hospital unit. if applicable
  • Other healthcare-related work experience
  • Significant prior careers
  • National certifications (please spell out certification & organization names - do not use acronyms)
  • Professional development Leadership and/or committee roles in your place of employment (examples: charge nurse, shift leader, committee member, committee chair)
  • Awards, nominations, or other recognition with the field of healthcare (or academics for recent grads)
  • Preceptor experience
  • Healthcare-related volunteer experience
  • Membership to nursing organizations (including nursing student organizations, if a recent graduate) - denote any leadership roles held

There is no page limit - please feel free to use as much space as you need to in order to convey to the admission committee who you are as a nurse and potential graduate student. The IU School of Nursing does not provide a resume template. You may use whatever resume format you prefer.

Using your computer or phone, take a screenshot (not a photo) from the appropriate state licensing board website showing your full name, license number, and license expiration date.

Complete and submit an IU graduate application for your intended program by the application deadline. We recommend using Google Chrome to complete your application.

Be sure to upload the required supplemental materials to your application before submitting:

  • Résumé/CV
  • RN License

You do not need to upload unofficial transcripts to your application.There are optional places in the application to do so, but you may skip those.

The application fee is $70 and non-refundable. The application fee is waived for alumni of the IU School of Nursing.

If you have questions about your application submission, please contact Graduate Nursing Admissions at nuadmit@iu.edu.

Request official transcripts be sent from ALL college and universities that you have previously attended (including IU). Only transcripts sent directly from the institution to the IU Indianapolis Graduate School are considered official.

IU Student Transcripts: Applicants must request their IU transcripts through the Office of the Registrar (How to Order)There is no charge to the student/applicant for electronic delivery

Mailing address for printed transcripts:
IU Indianapolis Graduate School
University Library 1170
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Official transcripts must be received by the School of Nursing no later than 14 days after the application deadline. 

Ready to take the next step?

Apply now