FAQ

1. Baccalaureate degree in nursing or another discipline, e.g., BSN, BS, or BA (Graduate degrees are acceptable, e.g., MSN)
2. Registered nurse with active licensure in the United States
   1. Applicants must have ONE completed year in critical care to apply, and TWO completed years by program matriculation (every May).
   2. California licensure is required by program matriculation – begin the license process early!
      1. Admission is contingent on obtaining an active, unencumbered professional registered nursing license in California.
3. English comprehension or equivalent writing course.
   1. AP English is accepted, but evidence of an upper-division course with writing assignments should be submitted with the application. A graded, writing example may be requested.
4. Undergraduate Prerequisites:
   1. Anatomy and physiology: (1 [ONE] semester each or 1 [ONE] year combined course) – expires 10 years from completion date
   2. Chemistry: 2 (TWO) semesters. One semester of general (inorganic) chemistry and one semester of either biochemistry (preferred) or organic chemistry. Combined courses are acceptable, but TWO semesters are required. No lab required – expires 10 years from completion date
   3. Physics: (introductory or general) ONE semester. No lab required
   4. Biology or microbiology: ONE semester
   5. Nursing research
5. All prerequisite coursework must be completed by March 31^st of the enrollment year.
   1. Anatomy, physiology, general chemistry, and biochemistry or organic chemistry older than ten years must be retaken and completed by March 31st of the enrollment year. Admission offers are contingent on completion of all prerequisites.
6. The Program of Nurse Anesthesia does not offer advanced standing; however, up to 12 units of transfer credit may be applied to the applicant’s plan of study but is subject to program administration approval and university policy.

The USC Graduate Admissions Office reviews all official transcripts submitted to etrans@usc.edu. Electronic transcripts are strongly preferred over paper copies. Processing typically takes two to four weeks, depending on volume and other factors. In many cases, transcripts are received on time but experience delays due to the high volume of documents processed by the university.

Please note that transcripts are indexed to the applicant’s university profile and program supplemental application. As a result, the program is unable to review transcripts until the supplemental application has been submitted.

Applicants must retain the transcript request receipt and upload it to the supplemental application, along with a copy of their unofficial transcripts.

International and non-U.S.–based transcripts must be received no later than July 31.

Please follow the steps below in the order listed:

1. Applicants must complete and submit the university application before requesting official undergraduate transcripts.

2. Request all official post-secondary transcripts.

   • Undergraduate coursework is used to calculate the admission GPA.

   • USC will index all received transcripts to the applicant’s university application profile.

3. Applicants must complete and submit the supplemental program-specific application.

   1. Retain each transcript request receipt and upload them to the supplemental application, along with a copy of your unofficial transcripts.

4. International applicants and transcripts issued outside the United States must be received no later than July 31.

Important: An application profile is not created until both the university application and the supplemental application have been completed and submitted.

The program prefers electronic transcripts submitted by the institution(s) or clearinghouse to etrans@usc.edu.

Paper transcripts should be submitted only by institutions that do not offer electronic transcript delivery.

If an electronic transcript has been requested and successfully submitted, a paper duplicate is not required. Although the application system may indicate that both formats are needed, paper transcripts are appropriate only for institutions without electronic transcript capabilities.

Do not send transcripts until the university application application has been submitted.

If you completed your prior studies outside the United States, please review USC’s country-specific requirements to determine whether original-language academic records are required. In such cases, applicants must submit transcripts issued in the original language of instruction, along with a separate, word-for-word English translation of all academic records.

Translations must be issued either directly by the institution or by a professional, certified translator. The translation must include all information contained in the original-language documents and reflect the content as precisely as possible. Dual-language transcripts are also acceptable.

USC does not accept credential evaluation reports from external agencies such as WES or ECE for admission review. Only academic records issued directly by the institution are acceptable.

https://gradadm.usc.edu/tools-resources/transcript-requirements/

All transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be received no later than July 31.

Both the university application and the program supplemental application must be submitted, preferably at the same time. The program cannot review or index letters of reference or university transcripts until both applications have been submitted.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed or considered for admission.

The program requires applicants to hold an active registered nurse license and to have at least one completed year of critical care nursing experience at the time of application submission. In addition, applicants must have a minimum of two completed years of critical care nursing experience by the start of the program, which typically begins in May each year.

While not a program requirement, the nearly every applicant holds the CCRN credential. The CCRN is a respected certification that demonstrates foundational knowledge in critical care nursing and is an important qualification to convey to the Admissions Committee.

Eligibility requirements and timing restrictions apply to obtaining the CCRN credential. Applicants are encouraged to review the American Association of Critical Care Nurses website for additional information about the certification qualifiers.

While emergency department, stepdown, and post-anesthesia care unit nursing are complex and highly skilled practice areas, they do not meet the program’s definition of critical care nursing.

For the purposes of admission, the program defines critical care nursing as the regular and consistent (current) delivery of high-acuity professional registered nursing care to patients with complex pathology and unstable hemodynamic profiles. This care may include the management of mechanical ventilation, vasoactive infusions, life-sustaining technologies, and advanced hemodynamic monitoring.

Eligible critical care populations include neonatal, pediatric, adult, and geriatric.

Flight nursing experience may qualify as critical care experience for admission purposes. If the majority of your flight nursing shift involves providing direct patient care at a critical care level, this experience may meet the program’s admission criteria.

However, flight nursing experience does not qualify if critical care services are provided only for brief periods or on an inconsistent basis. Applicants should assess whether they are providing critical care nursing consistently, meaning for the majority of each shift, and longitudinally, meaning across multiple shifts over time.

A letter from your employer describing and attesting to the scope of services you provide may be requested and can be helpful in supporting your application.

Because critical care is a dynamic and continuously evolving specialty, the program requires all applicants to be currently practicing in a critical care setting at the time of application.

The University of Southern California calculates all applicants’ undergraduate GPAs. A cumulative undergraduate GPA below 3.0 does not meet admission requirements, and conditional admission is not offered.

The program requires a cumulative undergraduate GPA greater than 3.000, calculated from all undergraduate-level coursework completed at a regionally accredited institution. Coursework may be completed at a community college, four-year university, or accredited online extension program, either before or after completion of a bachelor’s degree. Graduate coursework is not included in GPA calculations.

Applicants with lower GPAs may choose to repeat undergraduate coursework to improve their academic record. When courses are repeated, USC calculates a mean grade across all attempts and uses that value in the GPA calculation.

All GPA calculations are performed exclusively by the USC Graduate Office. The Program of Nurse Anesthesia does not calculate, estimate, or disclose applicant GPAs or GPA formulas and follows all Graduate Office policies.

For reference, the most recently admitted doctoral cohort (2026) had a mean undergraduate GPA of 3.71, consistent with prior cohorts.

The University of Southern California considers only the cumulative undergraduate GPA for admission purposes. Applicants with a lower undergraduate GPA may improve their academic standing by retaking undergraduate science coursework to raise the cumulative GPA above the minimum threshold. Graduate coursework does not replace or offset undergraduate coursework for GPA calculation, regardless of when it was completed.

All letters of reference must be signed. Electronic signatures are acceptable, and letters must be submitted on official letterhead.

Applicants must list the names and email addresses of three references on the university application. Each reference will receive a secure email link and must upload the completed letter directly through the portal using that link.

• One letter from a direct nurse manager or supervisor or charge nurse
• One letter from an advanced practice clinician (CRNA, NP, MD, or PA)
• The applicant’s choice of someone who has evaluated the applicant’s professional practice.

Only signed, completed letters on letterhead submitted directly by the reference through the secure portal will be considered.

Effective January 1, 2024, the GRE is no longer required or considered. Please do not submit any GRE scores with your application.

Effective in 2024, applicants are not required to hold BLS, ACLS, or PALS certification to apply to or matriculate into the Program of Nurse Anesthesia.

A two-day, in-person American Heart Association certification course in BLS, ACLS, and PALS will be provided for all first- and third-year students during program orientation. A designated student fee will be assessed for first- and third-year cohorts to cover certification costs.

Regardless of prior certification status or expiration dates, all first- and third-year students are required to complete the certification course offered through the Program of Nurse Anesthesia.

Applicants must meet all admission requirements, including the minimum professional practice experience in an appropriate critical care setting. The program does not impose a maximum professional practice requirement.

Professional registered nurses who graduated more than ten years prior to program enrollment may be required to repeat anatomy and physiology coursework and complete two chemistry courses, including general chemistry and either biochemistry or organic chemistry. Prerequisite currency is determined based on the date of program enrollment, not the date of application submission.

In addition, introductory physics is required, as most undergraduate nursing programs do not include physics in their curriculum.

Yes. The University of Southern California accepts quarter units, but applicants are reminded that undergraduate coursework is not transferred into the doctoral nurse anesthesia curriculum. The USC Graduate Office reviews the academic record of every applicants and calculates a cumulative undergraduate GPA. USC has an established quarter-to-semester unit conversion process

Quarter units and semester units are not equivalent. In general, one quarter unit is approximately equal to two-thirds of a semester unit.

• Quarter System: The academic year is divided into four terms, typically fall, winter, spring, and summer. Courses generally span approximately 10 weeks.
• Semester System: The academic year is divided into two primary terms, fall and spring. Courses generally span approximately 15 to 16 weeks.

USC has an established quarter-to-semester unit conversion process, and quarter-unit coursework is not generally problematic for graduate applications. Applicants are reminded that undergraduate coursework is not transferred into the Doctoral Program of Nurse Anesthesia.

Instead, USC reviews undergraduate records for grades, academic rigor, and whether coursework satisfies prerequisite requirements. USC Graduate Admissions evaluates academic records as part of the admissions review process.

The program mandates prerequisite coursework to ensure that all matriculating students enter with a consistent and robust foundation in the basic sciences. This prerequisite framework is essential to supporting academic readiness and student success in a rigorous doctoral-level curriculum.

As pathways to becoming a professional registered nurse continue to diversify across institutions, degree structures, and educational timelines, there is increasing variability in the depth, scope, and recency of foundational science education. These differences can result in significant disparities in preparation for advanced coursework in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and anesthesia-related sciences.

Accordingly, the program’s prerequisite policy establishes a standardized baseline of scientific knowledge that enables students to engage effectively in graduate-level instruction, supports curricular continuity, and promotes equitable evaluation of applicants from diverse educational backgrounds.

Applicants may submit an application to the program with outstanding prerequisites. All remaining prerequisite coursework must be completed by March 31 of the program enrollment year. During the application review process, a faculty advisor may request information regarding a plan for completing any outstanding prerequisites. Admission offers are contingent upon the successful completion of all prerequisite requirements.

Two semesters of combined anatomy and physiology, or one semester each of standalone anatomy and physiology, must be repeated if the coursework is more than ten years old at the time of program enrollment.

All coursework must be completed through an accredited institution of higher learning, such as a regionally accredited college or university. Refresher or survey courses, as well as courses taken for audit or without academic credit, do not satisfy the program’s science prerequisite requirements.

Sample course descriptions are provided below. Proposed courses should generally align with the sample content.

Two semesters, consisting of two separate courses, are required. One course must be general chemistry, and the second course must be biochemistry, which is preferred, or organic chemistry. Anesthesiology relies heavily on core chemistry concepts, making this foundational coursework essential for success in the program.

Provided the course was completed within ten years of program matriculation, it may satisfy one chemistry prerequisite. A second chemistry course in general chemistry, biochemistry, or organic chemistry is also required.

Please review the sample course descriptions below for examples of acceptable chemistry prerequisite content. Course content should generally align with the samples provided.

Anesthesia coursework builds upon the scientific foundations established during undergraduate study. Because the sciences are dynamic and continuously evolving, it is important that all students enter the program with a strong understanding of both foundational principles and emerging concepts before engaging in advanced graduate-level coursework.

Similar to anatomy and physiology, physics plays a critical role in anesthesia practice. Principles of applied physics are foundational to physiology, pathophysiology, anesthetic pharmacology, and the use of anesthesia equipment and monitoring systems. For example, ultrasound technology relies heavily on core physics concepts. Accordingly, all students entering the program are expected to have a solid foundation in physics.

While many anatomy, chemistry, and physics courses include a laboratory component, a lab section is not required to meet the prerequisite.

No, “Transition to Nurse Anesthesia” does not fulfill or supplant any prerequisite coursework.

Combined or survey courses do not meet the program’s prerequisite requirements, except when they are within the same subject domain, such as chemistry courses covering introductory general, organic, and biochemistry. Prerequisite courses must be focused on a single subject area, such as introductory physics or anatomy and physiology I and II, and must meet the offering institution’s required semester credit hours.

AP courses do NOT replace prerequisite coursework completed through a regionally accredited institution at the undergraduate level. In addition, certain science prerequisites (anatomy & physiology and two chemistry courses) must have been completed within ten years of matriculation, calculated from the May of the matriculating year.

The only exception is AP English. In this case, applicants must identify an upper-division undergraduate course that includes substantial writing assignments. A course syllabus and description may be requested for verification.

The program requires applicants to complete undergraduate-level science coursework. In addition, graduate-level pathophysiology courses may not cover all organ systems or provide the depth of foundational knowledge necessary for success in advanced anatomy and physiology.

The Program of Nurse Anesthesia does not recommend or endorse a specific institution, college, or university. Prerequisite coursework may be completed in person, in a hybrid format, remotely, or asynchronously through an extension program. All prerequisite coursework must be completed through an institution that holds regional accreditation

Prerequisites may be completed through a community college, a four-year university, or an accredited online extension program.

Applicants must verify that the chosen institution is accredited by a regional accrediting body, not a national accrediting body. Accreditation status can be found on the institution’s website, typically under the “ABOUT” section.

The program does not review, recommend, or approve institutions that offer prerequisite coursework.

Regional accreditation is a form of institutional accreditation in the United States granted to colleges and universities by one of the federally recognized regional accrediting agencies. It evaluates an institution as a whole, including its academic quality, faculty qualifications, governance, financial stability, student support services, and educational outcomes.

Institutions with regional accreditation meet established standards for higher education and are widely recognized by other universities, professional programs, licensing boards, and employers. Credits earned at regionally accredited institutions are generally transferable, and degrees from these institutions are typically required for admission to graduate and professional programs.

Regional accreditation is most commonly held by public universities, private nonprofit colleges, and established research institutions.

Learn more about Regional Accreditation.

A college, university, or other institution of higher learning typically lists its accreditation status on its website under the “About” or “Accreditation” section. If you are unable to locate this information, please contact the institution directly.

The program does not review, recommend, or approve institutions that offer prerequisite coursework.

The program does not review or pre-approve prerequisite courses from other institutions. In addition, the program is unable to determine whether a course satisfies prerequisite requirements without a course description or summary of course content. For previously completed coursework, the applicant should review an archived syllabus from the institution to evaluate course content.

Please refer to the sample course descriptions below for guidance.

Applicants should review the sample course descriptions below and compare them to the proposed course. In general, the content should closely align. Most undergraduate courses cover similar material across institutions.

If the courses contain substantially similar content, the prerequisite is satisfied and prior program approval is not required.