B.S. Nursing
https://www.tamuct.edu/degrees/undergraduate/nursing.html
OVERVIEW
The Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at A&M-Central Texas offers a nursing education to registered nurses on the baccalaureate level, in order to serve the regional community of Central Texas, including the military and their families. Our faculty will prepare you to practice in all healthcare settings, including outpatient care, hospital settings, public health and gerontology. The BSN will give you greater opportunity for career and educational mobility.
Our program is streamlined and avoids duplication of courses as well as content completed by students with an associate’s degree in nursing. The BSN program is based on The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) to ensure program quality.
The Nursing program is user-friendly and recognizes the demands of students balancing work with school, and can be completed in one calendar year. It is 100% online and offers opportunities for part-time or full-time study and although the program is online, students still have the opportunity to come to campus to meet with faculty as needed. Many of our classes are capped at 20 students to allow for more faculty-student interactions.
Program Level Student Learning Outcomes
The student will be able to:
- Integrate knowledge and skills in the provision of patient-centered care from liberal education base.
- Integrate the necessary knowledge and skills in leadership, quality improvement and patient safety necessary to provide high quality health care.
- Integrate best practices in scholarship for translating evidence into practice.
- Evaluate the use of nursing informatics from multiple perspectives with nursing practice.
- Identify means by which professional nurses affect quality of health care delivery based on political, legal, ethical, and policy issues.
- Analyze the role of the nurse in interprofessional communication and collaboration to improve patient outcomes.
- Utilize models and theories of clinical prevention and population health to perform nursing actions which optimize health of a target population.
- Examine professional nursing from historical and contemporary perspectives, including the philosophy and theoretical foundations that define professional nursing practice.
- Demonstrate reasoning at the level of a baccalaureate prepared nurse pertaining to membership in the profession, provision of patient care and advocacy through reflection and/or application.
Entry Requirements
General Education and Course Requirements
A&M-Central Texas is an upper-level university, therefore, the core curriculum/general education courses and non-nursing courses must be taken at another institution. Core curricula may also be accepted from other institutions.
Admissions Requirements
The Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing has additional entry requirements separate from general admission to the university. To be eligible to declare Nursing as a major and begin nursing courses, students must meet the below requirements:
Nursing Program Admission Requirements
-
Meet minimum university admission requirements
-
Have a current unencumbered Texas Registered Nurse’s (RN) license or of a Compact State*
-
Have earned a grade of "C" or higher in all courses leading to a BSN degree
*Nursing students in their last year at a community college who 1). Meet general admission standards and 2). Have earned a grade of "C" or higher in all courses leading to a BSN degree may apply for conditional admission to the BSN program.
Application to the Nursing Program
Nursing majors typically apply for admission to the Nursing program during the initial advising session prior to their first semester at A&M-Central Texas. The Nursing Department highly encourages Nursing majors to visit with their academic advisors to review program application timelines and requirements. Students must complete the below steps to apply for the Nursing Program.
-
Gain admission to A&M-Central Texas
-
Declare nursing as your major (completed during initial advising session)
-
Submit online nursing program application
Conditional Admission Policy
Nursing students conditionally admitted to the Nursing Program may enroll in the NURS 3300 and NURS 3317 courses. Upon successful completion of the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and NCLEX examination, conditionally admitted students must provide proof of license to the Nursing Department to gain full program admission. Students unable to provide license or who do not pass the NCLEX exam will not be eligible to progress in the Nursing Program.
Progression Policy
Nursing students are provided a Student Education Plan upon admission to guide program progression. Students may progress in the program when the following conditions are met:
-
Successful completion of required nursing and non-nursing courses with a minimum grade of C. Students who earn below a grade of C on any two courses in the nursing program will not be eligible for progression.
-
Transfer students from other programs must complete a minimum of 30 hours from A&M-Central Texas.
-
Maintenance of an unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state of Texas (or Compact State) through the duration of the program.
Readmission Policy
- Students who have an interruption--as defined as an inability to achieve a passing grade, withdrawal, or non-enrollment--must gain permission before taking any nursing course.
- The Division of Student Affairs, along with the Nursing Program Director, evaluates the student’s request for readmission or to retake any nursing course.
- The student’s general academic history, nursing course grades, and potential for success will be considered. Readmission or permission to retake any course is based on professional judgment and space availability.
- Students who withdraw from a course or courses or receive a grade below a “C” should follow the procedure in the Progression Policy.
- After lapse of one long semester, students wishing to return to the program
A. Must notify the Nursing Program Director
B. Must submit a physician’s clearance in order to return to classes if the absence was due to a health problem
C. Must meet with a nursing faculty member prior to registering to develop a degree completion plan
D. If the student has been out two long semesters or more, the student must also:
- Submit an updated Application to the Nursing Program
- Adhere to the most current catalog requirements
- Fulfill any requirements specified by the Nursing Program Director
- Complete the Nursing Program within five (5) calendar years from their initial enrollment
Bachelor of Science - Nursing Program Requirements
Refer to the General Education Core Requirements page for more information on the CORE REQ coursework. The Field of Study (FOS) courses are listed in the footnotes (if applicable). At least 120 credit hours are required for the degree.
The program listed is a general guideline for semester coursework, speak with a college advisor for an individualized student education plan.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
Fall | ||
| ENGL 1301 | Composition I (CORE REQ 010) 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1342 | Elementary Statistical Methods (CORE REQ 020) 1 | 3 |
| BIOL 2401 | Anatomy and Physiology I (CORE REQ - 030) 1 | 4 |
| CORE REQ American History - 060 | 3 | |
Spring | ||
| ENGL 1302 | Composition II (CORE REQ - 010) 1 | 3 |
| or ENGL 2311 | Technical & Business Writing | |
| SPCH 1311 | Introduction to Speech Communication | 3 |
| or SPCH 1315 | Public Speaking | |
| or SPCH 1321 | Business & Professional Communication | |
| BIOL 2402 | Anatomy and Physiology II (CORE REQ - 020) 1 | 4 |
| CORE REQ American History - 060 | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
Fall | ||
| SOCI 1301 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| CORE REQ Government/Political Science - 070 | 3 | |
| BIOL 2421 | Microbiology for Science Majors (CORE REQ - 090) | 4 |
| or BIOL 2420 | Microbiology for Non-Science Majors (Lecture + Lab) | |
| PSYC 2301 | General Psychology ( CORE REQ 080) | 3 |
Spring | ||
| CORE REQ Government/Political Science - 070 | 3 | |
| PSYC 2314 | Lifespan Growth & Development (CORE REQ 090) | 3 |
| CORE REQ Creative Arts-050 | 3 | |
| CORE REQ Language, Philosophy and Culture-040 | 3 | |
| Third Year | ||
Fall | ||
| Transfer Nursing Courses by Validation/Articulation (Minimum of 30 hours) | 30 | |
Spring | ||
| NURS 3300 | Professional Role Transitions | 3 |
| NURS 3307 | Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 3304 | Nursing Research | 3 |
| NURS 3317 | Pathophysiology/Pharmacology for the Registered Nurse | 3 |
| Fourth Year | ||
Fall | ||
| NURS 4405 | Care of Individuals and Families | 4 |
| NURS 3330 | Nursing Care of Older Adults | 3 |
| NURS 4506 | Community Health | 5 |
Spring | ||
| NURS 4410 | Leadership and Management for the Registered Nurse | 4 |
| NURS 4212 | Professional Issues for the Registered Nurse | 2 |
| Any Level Electives (as required to reach 120 hours) | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Lower Level Electives, Any Level Electives, Component Area Options, or Degree Requirements (DEG REQ) may be the FOS courses: BIOL 2421, PSYC 2301, PSYC 2314, MATH 1342, ENGL 1301, ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311, BIOL 1322 or HECO 1322, one of the following CHEM 1405, CHEM 1406, CHEM 1407, CHEM 1411, CHEM 1412, CHEM 2423, CHEM 2425 (or the corresponding 3 credit hour lecture plus the one credit hour lab).
