Nursing Major, B.S.N. (RN to BSN)

Registered nurses with an associate degree or diploma may apply for admission to the program and earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing by completing the required Core 39 and nursing courses. The nursing courses required for the RN-BSN completion option are provided through a combination of technologies, including Internet delivery, video streaming, pod casting, and email. The flexibility of the RN-BSN option gives nurses the opportunity to complete the course requirements in their own home and on their own schedule with minimal costs.

The curriculum is built upon a foundation of biological, physical, and social sciences with acknowledgement of previously learned content. No further testing of prior knowledge is required if a nurse holds a valid unencumbered RN license in the current state of employment. Additional information about the RN-BSN program is available at http://health.usi.edu.

RN-BSN Program Admission Requirements

The requirements for admission to the RN-BSN program include:

• completion of an accredited associate degree or diploma program in nursing
• cumulative grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale in previous academic work;
• unencumbered RN license (action or pending action against license);
• completion of a USI undergraduate admission application and admission to the University;
• submission of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended;
• completion of the USI RN-BSN nursing program application;
• employed by or have access to a healthcare work environment to complete course projects; and

Non-native speakers of English must provide an official report confirming a TOEFL score of 525 (paper test) or 71 (Internet based), or APIEL score of 3, or IELTS score of 6.

RN-BSN Curriculum

A maximum of 60 hours of transfer coursework from two-year schools may be applied toward degree requirements. Students are required to complete the Core 39 requirements including a minimum grade of C or better in the following courses: BIOL 121 ; BIOL 122 ; PSY 201 ; and SOC 121  (or other Social Science or Social Inquiry course), HP 356 , and HP 302  or MATH 241 . In the Ways of Knowing Core 39, students must have one course from the Mathematical and Scientific Inquiry category.  Additional course requirements include BIOL 272 ; NUTR 376  or BIOL 176 ;