Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Melissa Henry, Ph.D., Director
Location: Gunter 3080
Telephone: 970-351-2293
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/nursing
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of four parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Colorado Nursing Articulation Agreement Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The RN-BSN program in nursing is a five semester program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Nursing is an independent professional discipline requiring critical inquiry and discriminating judgment to assist individuals, families and communities to attain and maintain health. Qualified students are further prepared as professional nurses and receive a foundation for graduate study in nursing.
Admission Requirements (RN-BSN Program for Licensed Nurses) Include:
- Graduate from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited and State Board of Nursing approved associate degree program.
- RN license in state of practice in good standing.
- All pre-requisites must be completed prior to start of the program. Prerequisites are stated below.
- A grade of C- or better in each of the prerequisite courses or course equivalents. These courses are, PSY 230 Human Growth and Development, STAT 150 Introduction to Statistical Analysis, ENG 123 College Research Paper, BIO 245 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology, BIO 246 Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology, FND 250 Principles of Nutrition and BIO 251 Allied Health Microbiology. If a student is admitted to RN-BSN Nursing program and earns less than a grade of C- in any of the remaining prerequisite courses or course equivalent, their admission to the Nursing Program will be rescinded.
- Admission to UNC
- Overall cumulative grade point average of 2.5 from previous coursework
- Meeting the School of Nursing Requirements for English Language Proficiency.
- Pass a background check and 10-panel drug screening.
Application Requirements Include:
- Official transcripts from each college or university where courses were taken including documentation of an associate’s degree or higher was earned (or is in progress).
- Copy of current unencumbered RN license in the state where the applicant practices.
Admission Requirements (RN-BSN Program for Nursing Students Currently Enrolled in an Associate Degree Nursing Program) Include:
- Enrolled in a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited and State Board of Nursing approved associate degree nursing program.
- All pre-requisites must be completed prior to start of program.
- A grade of C- or better in each of the prerequisite courses or course equivalents. These courses are, PSY 230 Human Growth and Development, STAT 150 Introduction to Statistical Analysis, ENG 123 College Research Paper, BIO 245 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology, BIO 246 Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology, FND 250 Principles of Nutrition and BIO 251 Allied Health Microbiology. If a student is admitted to Nursing program and earns less than a grade of C in any of the prerequisite courses or course equivalent, their admission to the Nursing Program will be rescinded.
- Admission to UNC
- Overall cumulative grade point average of 2.5 from previous coursework
- Meeting the School of Nursing Requirements for English Language Proficiency.
- Pass a background check and 10-panel drug screening.
Application Requirements Include:
- Official transcripts from each college or university where courses were taken including documentation of an associate’s degree or higher was earned (or is in progress).
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 53 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
ENG 123 is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
STAT 150 is recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
PSY 230 is recommended to fulfill Social & Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
FND 250 is recommended to fulfill Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 53 credits (RN students seeking a B.S.N.)
Take all of the following courses:
| NURS 303 | Transition to Baccalaureate Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 305 | Professional Nursing Concepts | 3 |
| NURS 329 | Health Assessment - RN/BSN | 3 |
| NURS 380 | Research and Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 382 | Patient Centered Care Concepts Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 383 | Current Issues in Health Care RN-BSN | 3 |
| NURS 405 | Theory and Principles of Public Health Nursing: Population-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 406 | Population-Based Practice - RN/BSN | 3 |
| NURS 470 | Clinical Practice: Professionalism in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 480 | Professionalism in Practice: Leadership and Management | 3 |
| BIO 245 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| BIO 246 | Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 251 | Allied Health Microbiology | 4 |
| ENG 123 | Writing and Research MethodsLAW2GT-CO2 | 3 |
| FND 250 | Principles of NutritionLAS1GT-SC2 | 3 |
| PSY 230 | Lifespan DevelopmentLAB3GT-SS3 | 3 |
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1GT-MA1 | 3 |
3. Colorado Nursing Articulation Agreement — 40 credits
The student is awarded 40 credits of upper division nursing coursework upon completion of the Associate Degree program, passing the NCLEX, and 13 credits of the UNC RN-BSN nursing curriculum.
4. University-Wide Credits — 0 credits*
*Note: Students must apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 120 credit hours. Students may have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree depending on the number of credits applied to both the LAC and the major. See your advisor for details.
Program Note
Students in the RN-BSN program are exempt from completing 20 of the last 30 semester credit hours of their degree program with UNC courses; 30 semester credit hours of the degree must still be taken in UNC courses.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 32 credits
Fall Semester
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1GT-CO1 | 3 |
| FND 250 | Principles of NutritionLAS1GT-SC2 | 3 |
| PSY 230 | Lifespan DevelopmentLAB3GT-SS3 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | LAC Natural and Physical Sciences with LabLAS1LASL | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Spring Semester
| BIO 245 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| ENG 123 | Writing and Research MethodsLAW2GT-CO2 | 3 |
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1GT-MA1 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Year 2 – 24 credits
Fall Semester
| BIO 246 | Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 251 | Allied Health Microbiology | 4 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Spring Semester
| NURS 303 | Transition to Baccalaureate Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 305 | Professional Nursing Concepts | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
LAC Requirement: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Year 3 – 12 credits
Fall Semester
| NURS 329 | Health Assessment - RN/BSN | 3 |
| NURS 380 | Research and Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Spring Semester
| NURS 382 | Patient Centered Care Concepts Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 383 | Current Issues in Health Care RN-BSN | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Year 4 – 12 credits
Summer Term
| NURS 405 | Theory and Principles of Public Health Nursing: Population-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 406 | Population-Based Practice - RN/BSN | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Fall Semester
| NURS 470 | Clinical Practice: Professionalism in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 480 | Professionalism in Practice: Leadership and Management | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Advising Notes –
- Students will be admitted on a staggered basis. One group will start in the spring session, the other group in the fall.
- Students should apply for graduation upon completion of their fourth semester.
- Students with a previous RN are awarded 40 hours of upper division nursing course work per the Colorado Articulation Agreement upon completion of three semesters of full-time nursing course work at UNC. Total credits required for RNs is 120.