Nursing, Traditional B.S.N.

The traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)is designed for students who do not have a bachelor’s degree and are not yet registered nurses. Others students who may consider this track are those with a bachelor’s degree who want to move at a slower pace than the accelerated B.S.N. and licensed practical nurses who desire to become registered nurses. The B.S.N. curriculum is based on concepts and theories of nursing, liberal arts, and the sciences. The nursing process is incorporated throughout the curriculum. Carefully planned experiences, such as simulation and clinical experiences are an integral part of the program of study, beginning in the first semester and continuing throughout the program. Hospitals and healthcare agencies in northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati, and southern Indiana serve as clinical practice settings during day and evening hours. Many members of the faculty continue to practice in healthcare settings and participate in research and other scholarly endeavors.

Graduates of the traditional B.S.N. track use critical thinking, communication, and technical skills to provide care to individuals and families. Knowledge is specific and factual and can be applied directly to practice.

Four-Year Plan: Click here  to view the Four-Year Plan for this specific program. To find out more about Four-Year Plans, visit the Policies and Procedures  page.

Pre-major requirements: Incoming freshman students may declare pre-nursing as their major if they have a minimum ACT composite score of 20 or higher and no academic deficiencies. Transfer students with more than 24 credit hours must have a minimum GPA of 2.50. Transfer students with fewer than 24 earned credit hours must have a minimum GPA of 2.50, a minimum ACT composite score of 20 or higher and no academic deficiencies. Current NKU students seeking to change their major to pre-nursing must have a minimum GPA of 2.50 and must schedule an appointment with an academic advisor by visiting the Advising webpage at https://www.nku.edu/academics/chhs/advising.html. Students majoring in pre-nursing will be helped by an academic advisor to develop an educational plan for nursing admission and progression. Students are allowed to maintain their pre-nursing status for only three semesters before applying to the traditional B.S.N. track. If students do not meet the criteria for acceptance into the baccalaureate nursing program after three semesters, they will be encouraged to select another major to facilitate their timely graduation from NKU.

Pre-nursing students may enroll in courses that fulfill the prerequisite classes to apply to nursing and the support courses to progress into the nursing baccalaureate program, plus general education courses required for the bachelor’s degree in nursing. They may not take nursing classes until admitted to begin the program.

Admission requirements: Students who apply by January 15th are applying to begin nursing courses the following fall semester. Students who apply by August 15th are applying to begin nursing courses the following spring semester.  To consider any transfer credits, transcripts are due by September 15th for spring admission and by February 15th for a fall admission.

To be considered for the selective admission to the  traditional B.S.N. track  all applicants must:

1. Be admitted to NKU as a degree-seeking student with no academic deficiencies.
2. Submit a separate application to the nursing program. Applications to the nursing program may also be submitted online (https://nku.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bfkOzDFtrweHvet). Applications to the nursing program are in addition to the university application.
3. Have the following minimum grade requirements and eligibilities:
   1. A minimum grade of C or higher in BIO 208 /BIO 208L ,
   2. A minimum grade of C or higher in PSY 100 ,
   3. Be eligible to take CHE 115 /CHE 115L ,
   4. Be eligible to take STA 205  or STA 205R  
   5. Be eligible to take BIO 209  /BIO 209L  
   6. Earn grades in nursing support courses of C or higher. Support courses include PSY 100 , PSY 321  – OR –EDU 300 , STA 205  OR STA 205R , HIN 355 , BIO 202 /BIO 202L , BIO 126 , CHE 115 /CHE 115L  – OR – CHE 120 /CHE 120L  and CHE 121 /CHE 121L . Grades of C- are not accepted for prerequisites, co-requisites or nursing classes.
   7. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00-point scale or 3.00 on a 4.00 scale on all previous college work for the last 30 credit hours, whichever is higher. GPAs for admission to the B.S.N. program will be calculated using NKU and transfer coursework.
   8. No more than one semester of science course failures in the required science courses for the program in the last two years (C-, D, and F are considered failures) prior to entry into the program. This requirement applies to BIO 120 /BIO 120L , BIO 121 /BIO 121L , BIO 126 , BIO 202 /BIO 202L , BIO 208 /BIO 208L , BIO 209 /BIO 209L , BIO 302 /BIO 302L , CHE 102 , CHE 115 /CHE 115L , CHE 120 /CHE 120L , CHE 121 /CHE 121L  or equivalent transfer courses.
   9. Prerequisite science courses required for admission must be fewer than five years old as of the first day of the semester in which the program begins.
4. The ACT is required for those transfer applicants with fewer than 24 credit hours from an accredited institution. See pre-major requirements for details.
5. Applicants whose native language is other than English must demonstrate an established level of English proficiency by taking the Internet-based TOEFL. See special admission requirements for details.
6. If a student is accepted into the nursing program, the student must have the following coursework completed before beginning nursing classes:
   • BIO 209 /BIO 209L  
   • PSY 321  – OR – EDU 300  
   • BIO 126  
   • CHE 115 /CHE 115L  – OR –CHE 120 /CHE 120L  and CHE 121 /CHE 121L  
   • STA 205  or STA 205R  
7. A personal interview may be requested by the nursing admission/readmission committee.
8. All accepted students must pass a criminal background check before starting nursing classes.

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN)

Licensed practical nurses are eligible to apply to the B.S.N. track if they have graduated from a practical nursing program and passed the NCLEX-PN within the last four years or are actively employed as an LPN. The application deadlines are August 15th for spring admission and January 15th for fall admission.  The LPN must meet the eligibility requirements for admission to the BSN Program as previously listed. 

If LPNs are accepted into the traditional B.S.N. track, they must take a 2-credit hour independent-study/seminar course with a nursing faculty member during their first semester in the nursing program. Upon successful completion of NRS 299  , the following courses will be waived for LPNs: NRS 210L  ,NRS 215  and NRS 215P  . The Evolve ® Curriculum Support fee will be assessed for LPNs for every semester. LPNs are encouraged to make an appointment with an academic advisor prior to applying to the B.S.N. track.

Norse Nurse Scholar Program: 

This is a program for high achieving high school students.  High school seniors may apply to be directly admitted to the nursing program in their freshman year at NKU.  These students will take the pre-requisite courses their freshman year but will have a guaranteed spot in the nursing program based set parameters.

Admission Requirements for the Norse Nurse Scholar Program Include:

• 27 or higher on ACT or 1280 or higher on the SAT.
• 3.5 or higher high school GPA
• High School chemistry and biology completed or in the process and achieve B or greater in each course.
• Complete two essay prompt questions within the application.
• Deadline to apply: January 15th of senior year
• For the Norse Nurse Scholar to maintain a spot in the nursing program, by the end of the freshman year at NKU the student must:
• Maintain a C or higher in all pre-requisite courses
• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Complete 10 hours per academic year of volunteer work through the College of Health and Human Services or engage in additional learning opportunities/experiences in the Honors College (hours may be combined between volunteer and opportunities offered through the Honors College)
• Students eligible for the Norse Nurse Scholar Program are invited to join the Honors College at Northern Kentucky University

Admitted students must:

• Submit proof of “CPR for Health Providers” certification in effect for the upcoming academic year.
• Submit immunization records and completed health forms (all records must be submitted together) before the posted deadline.
• Purchase professional liability insurance, which is paid concurrently with their tuition.
• Must sign health insurance waiver and release form.
• Arrange own transportation to clinical agencies.
• Purchase appropriate uniforms prior to the first day of clinical.

NKU College of Health and Human Services policies:

Student criminal background check: Healthcare agencies are charged with providing care and protecting the safety of vulnerable populations across the lifespan. Agencies used for clinical placement require students to undergo criminal background checks and may deny clinical access to those convicted of felonies and certain misdemeanors. Conviction of these offenses may result in a student’s denial of admission to, or dismissal from, the BSN nursing program and the College of Health and Human Services. Applicants are required to submit to criminal background checks as identified by the College of Health and Human Services as part of the application process. The cost of this and any subsequent screenings will be borne by the student. The student is responsible for notifying the School of Nursing and the College of Health and Human Services of any change in the status of this record after starting the program. Note that successful completion of a criminal background check does not ensure eligibility for certification, licensure, or future employment.

Transfer students:Students previously enrolled in another ACEN or CCNE-accredited program in nursing may be eligible to transfer into the nursing program at NKU. In addition to all admission requirements, the following apply to all transfer students:

• Transfer students are considered on a space-available basis. Eligibility is determined by the nursing Admissions, Progression, Graduation (APG) Committee. Students with more than one nursing semester failure are not eligible to apply.
• The student must submit the following: a letter of good standing from the director of the previous nursing program attended, a letter from the student explaining the reasons for withdrawal, official transcripts that includes all attempted college work, and syllabi that includes course topical outlines, for all nursing courses taken. The APG committee will review syllabi to determine advanced standing for some nursing courses.  Previous courses must be completed within 2 years of the NKU admission date. 
• All transfer students who are eligible for advanced standing in the nursing program must enroll and successfully complete an NRS 299 (1 credit hour) nursing skills course prior to matriculation into the NKU Nursing Program. 
• Students requesting advanced placement in the nursing program may be required to pass a simulated clinical performance and dosage computation examination. In addition, a written theory examination may be required.
• If a student has not participated in clinical nursing courses for longer than one semester, that student is required to repeat the last successfully completed medical-surgical nursing clinical course.
• At least 25 percent of the credits required for the degree must be completed at NKU.
• The last 30 semester credit hours must be completed at NKU.
• Students transferring to NKU after failing a nursing class at another nursing school will be dismissed from NKU’s B.S.N. program if they fail a nursing class at NKU (C- or below).

Progression:To continue to progress in the nursing program, students must maintain good academic standing and meet requirements as described below.

• Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 and achieve a grade of C or higher in all required nursing and support courses. 
• Students withdrawing from the nursing program for any reason are requested to have an exit interview with the program director and faculty advisor.
• Students may repeat only one semester in which one or more nursing courses were failed. Students who have a second semester with a failing grade in nursing are dismissed from the traditional B.S.N. track and are ineligible for readmission until after two calendar years have passed from the date of the failure. A failure is considered a grade of C- or below.
• If a didactic course has a clinical co-requisite course, both must be repeated concurrently.
• Students are expected to progress sequentially through the nursing program. In order to be eligible to enroll in a succeeding nursing course, the student is required to meet all program requirements and academic standards.
• Critical skills: Students are required to show ability to perform certain basic nursing skills during each semester. Failure to demonstrate continued ability to perform these skills will provide a basis for failure of the clinical component.
• Students must concurrently take and pass nursing courses that are co-requisites.  A student cannot advance to the next semester courses until the student is successful in all nursing courses in the current semester.
• Students must complete the traditional B.S.N. track in 8 semesters.

Evolve^® Curriculum Support: All students will participate in the Evolve® Curriculum Support Program. This is a commercial program that provides additional resources for student learning. It is composed of case studies, practice tests/quizzes, and standardized testing. Completion of these will be dictated by course syllabi, and standardized test scores will determine if remediation is required.

• NRS 275 Remediation of Introductory Nursing Concepts (1 credit) will be required in the last 7 weeks of the 2nd semester for traditional BSN students who score below 900 on the Fundamentals HESI Specialty V1 or V2 exam. 
• NRS 400 Remediation of BSN Concepts I (1 credit) will be required in the last 7 weeks of the 5th semester for traditional BSN students who score below 900 on the Medical-Surgical HESI Specialty V1 exam.
• NRS 475 Remediation of BSN Concepts (2 credits) will be required in the last 7 weeks of the final nursing semester for traditional and accelerated BSN students who score below 900 on the HESI-RN Exit V1 exam.
• This course can be taken voluntarily by students who achieve over 900 on the HESI RN-Exit exam on a space available basis.

Academic leave: If a student identifies that there are situational or personal factors (this may include financial and medical reasons) that may preclude their academic success, they may request an academic leave [JM1] from the traditional B.S.N. track for a single semester. If approved, the student will be eligible to return to their current placement in the curriculum and will not be required to apply for readmission to the BSN track. The policy and procedures for an academic leave request are outlined in the BSN student handbook, which is available on Canvas. The student may apply for more than one academic leave; however, the leaves may not be back to back and the student must complete the traditional BSN track within 8 semesters.

Readmission:If a student has a first-time, one semester failure(s) in a nursing course, the student is eligible to reapply to the nursing program. 

• The student is required to submit an application for readmission and a letter supporting the request for readmission to the Admission, Progression, and Graduation Committee. The letter supporting the request for readmission must include the student’s planned strategies for success in the nursing program.
• Applications for readmission are considered on an individual and space-available basis.
• The student applying for readmission may be required to have an interview with the program director or faculty advisor.  
• The program director may provide the student with a written list of previsions or specific conditions for the student to meet when recommended for readmission.
• To be considered for readmission, a students in the 2nd semester of the program or above, must have at least a 2.0 GPA.  
• A student who did not successfully complete the first semester of the nursing program, must apply as a new student and meet all requirements listed under “Admission Requirements.” (See B.S.N. student handbook.) A GPA of 3.0 or greater is required.
• A student readmitted to the program is subject to the requirements of the catalog in effect for all nursing courses at the time of re-entry.
• A student dismissed from the nursing program for a second nursing failure, may reapply after two calendar years have passed since the previous nursing failure, if the student meets current eligibility requirements. Students will then be considered as part of the applicant pool as a new student to begin the program from the beginning. (This is true of the B.S.N. and the A.B.S.N. tracks).

Student advising: Upon admission to the nursing program, the student is assigned to an academic advisor and is required to meet with the assigned advisor at least once each semester. Every student encouraged to maintain regular contact with their advisor so that progress and performance can be discussed and counsel provided as necessary.