Respiratory Therapy, M.S.R.T.

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Respiratory Therapy (MSRT) offers individuals with baccalaureate degrees in disciplines other than respiratory therapy the opportunity to complete the professional component of the respiratory therapy program for graduate credit and enter practice with advanced preparation. In addition to a baccalaureate degree, applicants must also meet the respiratory therapy program’s math and science prerequisites. The Master of Science curriculum encompasses the baccalaureate professional respiratory therapy curriculum, which consists of 71 credit hours, 38 hours of which are courses offered at the graduate level. Upon successful completion of the professional curriculum, graduates are eligible to sit for state licensing and national credentialing examinations offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, leading to the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential.

The Master of Science in Respiratory Therapy provides graduates with accelerated mobility into leadership roles, such as healthcare education coordinators, clinical instructors, clinical team leaders, assistant managers, or specialty therapists.

The program benefits from small classroom size and direct interaction with professors who are published authors of textbooks and scientific papers. Faculty student ratio is 1:4 in the classroom and laboratory and 1:1 in the clinical patient care setting. The program has received national recognition for excellence in graduate credentialing success, placing it in the top 10% of programs in the country in this category. Graduates consistently score well above the national mean in credentialing exams, and typically have employment commitments before graduation; the program has enjoyed a 100%  graduate employment rate for many years. The program has a national reputation for the quality of its graduates. Program credentialing success and job placement can be compared with all other programs in the country at the web site for the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care: www.coarc.com.

Admissions Requirements

The application deadline is February 15 each year. Applicants for admission to the Professional Master of Science in Respiratory Therapy Program must meet the following minimum qualifying criteria:

1. Earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with an overall college grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher
2. Admission to the University of Mary Graduate Studies
3. A 3.00 or higher GPA in the respiratory therapy program’s prerequisite preprofessional courses in math, biology, chemistry, physics, pharmacology, ethics, English (communication) and social sciences, with no individual course grade below a “C.”
4. Three letters of reference from the applicant’s undergraduate professors or academic counselors who are in a position to judge the applicant’s written communication proficiency and ability to perform graduate level work.

Applicants must have successfully completed each of the following prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher:

• General Inorganic Chemistry (two semesters)
• Microbiology
• College Algebra
• Ethics
• Introduction to Physics
• Human Anatomy and Physiology (two semesters)
• Pharmacology

Upon meeting preliminary qualifying criteria, applicants are eligible for a respiratory therapy admissions interview. Admissions decisions are based on academic GPA, references, and the interview score.

International Students

Applicants from countries in which English is not the native language are required to prove a minimum level of English proficiency. The University of Mary will accept scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The TOEFL or IELTS score may be waived for students from countries where English is the only official language (International Services has a list of countries adopted from AACRAO).

Graduate students who have evidence of successful completion of an undergraduate degree or another graduate degree from another regionally accredited institution or higher learning within the United States within the prior five years may be accepted without the TOEFL® or IELTS scores.

Official TOEFL or IELTS scores must be submitted along with the necessary application materials when students are applying for admission to the Graduate Respiratory Therapy Program at the University of Mary.

Test Score Requirements

Applicants who are applying to a Graduate Respiratory Therapy Program are required to achieve a minimum TOEFL score of an 89 (IELTS of 6.5) on the Internet-based test (iBT®). The Graduate Respiratory Therapy Program also requires a TOEFL iBT® Speaking subscale score of a 26 (IELTS
of 8) or above, TOEFL iBT® Writing subscale score of 24 (IELTS of 6.5) or above, TOEFL iBT® Reading subscale score of a 21 (IELTS of 6.5) or above, and a TEOFL Listening subscale score of an 18 (IELTS of 6).

All exams are valid for two years.
Official scores must be sent directly to:

Graduate Admissions
University of Mary
7500 University Drive
Bismarck, ND 58504

Academic Transcript Evaluation

Certified copies of all academic records are required at the time of application. Certified copies include transcripts or school certificates and subjects for which the applicant was enrolled or is presently enrolled. If the applicant has attended a university outside of the United States, the University of Mary requires the applicant to provide a course-by-course transcript evaluation. The evaluation must include transcript authenticity, GPA calculation, U.S. degree equivalency, and is sent directly from the evaluation service. See the International Students  information section of the Admissions page for details on transcript evaulation requirements for international transcripts.

Official transcripts must be sent directly to:

Graduate Admissions
University of Mary
7500 University Drive
Bismarck, ND 58504

Rolling Admissions

If the class number does not reach its maximum capacity by the application deadline, a rolling admissions policy will be followed. Students must meet all criteria previously outlined and participate in the formal interview process. Rolling admissions are considered until the first day of class in the fall.

Applicants will be reviewed based on the time of submissions of a completed application.