Nursing - RN - BS Major

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52 S.H. (Required courses must be taken for a letter grade.)

Note: Includes 24 S.H. of nursing in transfer or exam.

Admission to the RN-BS program

Complete the WSU admissions process before applying to the nursing major. After receiving the Official Evaluation of Credit from the Office of Admissions, arrange an appointment with a nursing advisor on the Rochester campus.

Apply for admission to the nursing major. Applicants to the RN-BS Program are admitted once a year for the following academic year.
Contact the Rochester campus Nursing Department office in the preceding fall for application materials, deadline dates, and general information. Students need to seek academic advisement prior to applying to the RN-BS Program to ensure that all requirements are fulfilled. Select the full-time or part-time option for completing the nursing courses.
Additional degree requirements beyond nursing courses will need to be completed for graduation. It is highly recommended that all other credit requirements be completed prior to starting the RN-BS Program.
All RN-BS students must hold a current RN license issued by a state or territory of the United States. A photocopy of the license must be submitted to the Nursing Department.
The cumulative GPA or the last 50 semester hours of credits of college work must be at a minimum of 2.75.
Twenty-four credits in the RN-BS Program of the nursing major ( NURS 302 - CNAT: Care of the Adult Client (RN-BS) , NURS 304 - CNAT: Care of Client During Childbearing , NURS 306 - CNAT: Care of the Child and NURS 308 - CNAT: Care of the Client with a Mental Disorder ) will be granted by transfer to RNs who have completed an Associate Degree in Nursing from an NLNAC-accredited program. The Comprehensive Nursing Assessment Test (CNAT) is used as a challenge for these credits for RNs who are graduates of diploma programs. If all examinations are successfully completed, the 24 credits are granted.
RN graduates from a non-accredited nursing program will be required to complete an assessment to validate prior learning.
Associate nursing degrees received before 1985 will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Admission to the RN-to-MS Professional Pathway

The RN-to-MS Professional Pathway is designed for highly motivated nurses who graduated with an associate degree in nursing or a diploma in nursing, who have nursing experience, and whose goal is to earn a Master’s Degree in Nursing. Selected courses meet requirements for the undergraduate and graduate programs. Students must meet additional admission requirements and should also consult the WSU Graduate Catalog. Separate formal application to the Master’s Nursing Program is required. Acceptance in a focus area is not guaranteed. Further information can be obtained from the Department of Nursing at WSU-Rochester.

MnSCU Statewide Nursing Articulation Agreement

The following terms and conditions of articulation among nursing programs are in effect at WSU:

The candidate must have graduated from an Associate Degree program for registered nurses (RNs) that is approved by a state board of nursing and based in a regionally accredited college or university.
The candidate must have been awarded the Associate in Science (AS) degree in Nursing with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum grade of “C” in each nursing course.
The candidate must have been graduated from a board-approved program in nursing and have a current unencumbered authorization to practice as an RN.
The AS degree transfers to the baccalaureate institution as a complete package of nursing major and supporting courses.
Articulation RNs should not be required to complete more total credits for the degree than the nursing RN-BS students.

Required Courses - NURS

◆ NURS 375 - Evidence-based Research (3 S.H. Theory)
NURS 415 - Concepts in Professional Nursing (4 S.H.) (3 theory/1 practicum)
NURS 435 - Holistic Assessment (3 S.H. Theory)
△ NURS 445 - Evidence-Based Leadership and Management (2-3 S.H.)
NURS 455 - Continuum of Care (4 S.H.) (3 theory/1 practicum)
NURS 465 - Population-Based Health Care II (4 S.H.) (2 theory/2 practicum)
△ NURS 475 - Population-Based Health Care I (4 S.H.) (2 theory/2 practicum)
◎ NURS 491 - Professional Development (3 S.H. Practicum)

Note:

For a description of Nursing courses, please see the Course Descriptions page .

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements include completion of WSU University Studies Program requirements or their equivalent for transfer students as well as all nursing major course requirements. For the RN-BS nursing major, WSU counts up to 90 transfer credits from accredited two- or four-year institutions towards a student’s four-year Bachelor degree. With departmental approval, credits are also accepted from certain other schools and programs.

A total of 120 semester credits are needed to graduate with a baccalaureate degree from WSU. At least 40 of the 120 credits must be at the 300- and 400-level. Also, at least 30 of the 120 credits needed for graduation must be earned at WSU. Twenty-eight credits in nursing fulfill the majority of the upper-division credit requirement and almost all the resident credit requirement. Students will need 12 additional 300- or 400-level credits (WSU or transfer credits) and two additional earned credits from WSU. The two additional credits from WSU may be 300- or 400-level credits and can also apply toward the 40-credit upper-division requirement.

A formal application for graduation must be made no later than one semester before the expected graduation semester. For a checklist of the University’s graduation requirements, see the Academic Policies & University Requirements section of this catalog.

Note:

◎ = Oral Intensive

◆ = Math/Critical Analysis Intensive

△ = Writing Intensive

✽ = Physical Development and Wellness Graduation Requirement