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2014-2015 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Traditional

Undergraduate Nursing Admission

Freshman Nursing Majors (Direct Admit)

A limited number of new freshman students are eligible for direct admission to the nursing program. Admission is based on exceptional academic performance.

Eligibility for direct admit status to the undergraduate nursing program includes:

  • New freshman student
  • Cumulative high school grade point average of 3.6 or higher
  • ACT composite score of 30 or higher
  • All of the application for admission documents, including ACT score, must be submitted to the GVSU Admissions Office by December 31 of the senior year of high school
  • Students must indicate their intended major as Nursing on the GVSU application form at the time of application
  • Students must make their New Student Orientation reservation by May 1 of their senior year in high school to accept the offer for direct admit status
  • Declaration of a nursing major at New Student Orientation. Be aware that a change of major will result in loss of direct admit status.

Maintenance of direct admit status requires students to:

  • Meet with their academic advisor in the Office of Student Services (OSS) in KCON during their freshman year to identify the anticipated semester of entry into the initial clinical course
  • Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0, including transfer credits
  • Attain a minimum 3.5 grade point average in the admission prerequisite courses
  • Adherence to the KCON course repeat policy; students may repeat three prerequisite courses and two of those course can be BMS, CHM, or BIO. No required course may be repeated more than once.

Progression into the clinical portion of the undergraduate nursing program requires students with direct admit status to:

  • Complete the necessary admission prerequisites and other required courses prior to beginning the initial clinical course in the undergraduate nursing program
  • Apply for admissions by the specified date as outlined by the Office of Student Services. 616-331-7160.
  • Students should be aware that prior to beginning the clinical courses, they must complete comprehensive health compliance obligations including but not limited to, a criminal background check, fingerprinting and drug screening. Students should also be aware that all State Boards of Nursing review the records of all graduates who have completed a nursing program to determine eligibility to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). All State Boards of Nursing retain the right to deny a graduate permission to write the licensure examination if he or she has been convicted of a crime.

Freshman Nursing Majors (Nondirect Admit)

Students who are admitted to the university but do not immediately qualify for direct admission into the nursing program enroll as nursing majors and must complete a secondary application. They are assigned an academic advisor who can guide them through the requirements. For admission:

  • A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (including transfer credits)
  • Successful completion (with a grade of C or better) of all prerequisite coursework at time of application.
  • Adherence to the KCON course repeat policy; students may repeat three prerequisite courses and two of those course can be BMS, CHM, or BIO. No required course may be repeated more than once.
  • KCON admits two cohorts into the traditional professional nursing program yearly; one in the fall semester and one in the winter semester. The Office of Student Services will announce application deadlines via the KCON website, www.gvsu.edu/kcon/.
  • Admission to the program is highly competitive. Students who only meet the minimum requirements, may not be competitive.

Multiple selection criteria are used to determine admission to the professional nursing program. These include:

  • Prerequisite GPA
  • Interviews
  • Laker Score based on the number of credits earned at GVSU.

Students should be aware that prior to beginning the clinical courses, they must complete comprehensive health compliance obligations including but not limited to, a criminal background check, fingerprinting and drug screening. Students should also be aware that all State Boards of Nursing review the records of all graduates who have completed a nursing program to determine eligibility to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). All State Boards of Nursing retain the right to deny a graduate permission to write the licensure examination if he or she has been convicted of a crime.

The corequisite courses are designed for students to take at a time that complements the nursing clinical courses. All courses listed as follows must be completed with a minimum of C (2.0). Continued progression through the nursing major requires a minimum of C (2.0) in corequisite courses. All required courses for the nursing major must be taken for graded credit.

Admission Prerequisite courses:

Other Required courses:

These required courses must be completed before the start of nursing (NUR) courses.

Corequisite Courses in the Nursing Program

Transfer Students

Students planning to transfer to Grand Valley from another college or university should work closely with their local academic advisor. All transfer students should carefully review their GVSU transcript evaluation sent to them upon admission to the university. Students must be admitted to GVSU as a degree- seeking undergraduate student and declare nursing as their major. Admission to the program is highly competitive. Students who only meet the minimum requirements, may not be competitive.

To be considered for the program, students must be admitted to Grand Valley and nursing must be declared as a major prior to application.

  • A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (including transfer credits)
  • Successful completion (with a grade of C or better) of all prerequisite coursework at time of application.
  • Adherence to the KCON course repeat policy; students may repeat three prerequisite courses and two of those course can be BMS, CHM, or BIO. No required course may be repeated more than once.
  • KCON admits two cohorts into the traditional professional nursing program yearly; one in the fall semester and one in the winter semester. The Office of Student Services will announce application deadlines via the KCON website, www.gvsu.edu/kcon/.
  • Admission to the program is highly competitive. Students who only meet the minimum requirements, may not be competitive.

Students should be aware that prior to beginning the clinical courses, they must complete comprehensive health compliance obligations including but not limited to, a criminal background check, fingerprinting and drug screening. Students should also be aware that all State Boards of Nursing review the records of all graduates who have completed a nursing program to determine eligibility to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). All State Boards of Nursing retain the right to deny a graduate permission to write the licensure examination if he or she has been convicted of a crime.

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Nursing

First Semester Credits: 14

Second Semester Credits: 15

Third Semester Credits: 17

Fourth Semester Credits: 14

Fifth Semester Credits: 16

Sixth Semester Credits: 16

Seventh Semester Credits: 15

Eighth Semester Credits: 16

Total Credits: 123

Footnotes

In order to progress in the nursing program a minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in the prerequisite, required, corequisite, and all nursing courses.

A grade less than a C (2.0) is considered a failure in all required nursing courses (designated by NUR). Students who fail more than one nursing course will not be allowed to remain in the program. Withdrawal from a course in failing status will be considered a course failure regardless of when the withdrawal occurs.


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