2016-2017 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Traditional
Undergraduate Nursing Admission
Freshman Nursing Majors (Direct Admit)
Direct admission to the traditional B.S.N. program is based on exceptional academic performance in high school.
To be eligible for direct admit status to the traditional B.S.N. program the student must:
- Qualify as an incoming freshman
- Achieve a cumulative high school grade point average of 3.6 or higher
- Earn an ACT composite score of 30 or higher or SAT composite score of 1340 or higher
- Submit all completed application admission documents, including ACT or SAT score, to the GVSU Admissions Office by December 31 of the applicant's high school senior year
- Indicate nursing as the intended major on the GVSU admission application
- Schedule a New Student Orientation session by May 1 of the senior year in high school
- Declare a nursing major at New Student Orientation.
To retain direct admit status to the traditional B.S.N. program the student must:
- Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0
- Earn a minimum 3.5 grade point average in the admission prerequisite courses
- Remain a declared nursing major. Please be aware that a change of major will result in loss of direct admit status
- Adhere to the KCON course repeat policy; a student 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.
To progress into the clinical portion of the traditional B.S.N. program the student with direct admit status:
- Complete all admission prerequisite courses prior to application
- Complete the additional traditional B.S.N. program prerequisite courses
- Submit an application for admission to the traditional B.S.N. program by the stated deadline
Complete and submit comprehensive health compliance requirements prior to beginning the clinical courses including, but not limited to, a criminal background check, fingerprinting and drug screening. Please note: 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-RN (NCLEX-RN). All State Boards of Nursing retain the right to deny a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) graduate permission to take the licensure examination if convicted of a crime.
Freshman Nursing Majors (Nondirect Admit)
The majority of prenursing students admitted to the university are nondirect admit status and must complete a secondary application. An eligible applicant must:
- Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (including transfer credits)
- Demonstrate successful completion (with a grade of C or better) of all prerequisite coursework
- Adhere to the KCON course repeat policy which states that a student may repeat three prerequisite courses and two of those courses 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 on an annual basis; one cohort in the fall semester and one cohort in the winter semester. The Office of Student Services will announce application deadlines via the KCON website at www.gvsu.edu/kcon/. Admission to the program is highly competitive. A student may not be competitive if only meeting the minimum requirements.
Selection criteria used to determine student admission to the traditional B.S.N. program include:
- Prerequisite GPA
- Interview performance
- Laker score (determined by the number of credits earned at GVSU).
Complete and submit comprehensive health compliance requirements prior to beginning the clinical courses including, but not limited to, a criminal background check, fingerprinting and drug screening. Please note: 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-RN (NCLEX-RN). All State Boards of Nursing retain the right to deny a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) graduate permission to take the licensure examination if convicted of a crime.
All courses listed below must be completed with a minimum grade of C (2.0). Continued progression through the nursing major requires a minimum grade of C (2.0) in corequisite courses. All required courses for the nursing major must be taken for graded credit.
Students who have earned a bachelor's degree in another discipline are ineligible for this program. Please see the B.S.N Second Degree section.
Admission Prerequisite Courses:
- BIO 120 - General Biology I Credits: 4
- BMS 250 - Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: 4
- CHM 109 - Introductory Chemistry Credits: 4
- CHM 230 - Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Credits: 4
- PSY 101 - Introductory Psychology Credits: 3
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing Credits: 4
- One general education course Credits: 3+
Other Required Courses:
The following required courses must be completed by the student before the start of nursing (NUR) courses.
- BMS 212 - Introductory Microbiology Credits: 3
- BMS 213 - Laboratory in Microbiology Credits: 1
- BMS 251 - Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: 4
- PSY 364 - Life Span Developmental Psychology Credits: 3
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics Credits: 3
Corequisite Courses in the Nursing Program
The following corequisite courses are designed for the student to take at a time that complements the nursing clinical courses.
- BMS 305 - Clinical Nutrition Credits: 3
- BMS 310 - Basic Pathophysiology Credits: 3
- BMS 311 - Pharmacological Aspects of Biomedical Sciences Credits: 3
- BIO 355 - Human Genetics Credits: 3
Transfer Students
A student planning to transfer to GVSU from another college or university should work closely with their local academic advisor. As a transfer student, be sure to carefully review your GVSU transcript evaluation upon admission to the university. You must be admitted to GVSU as a degree-seeking undergraduate student and declare nursing as your major.
To be considered for the nursing program, a student must be admitted to GVSU and have declared nursing as a major prior to application. An eligible applicant must:
- Earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (including transfer credits)
- Demonstrate successful completion (with a grade of C or better) in all prerequisite coursework
- Adhere to the KCON course repeat policy which states that a student may repeat three prerequisite courses and two of those courses can be BMS, CHM, or BIO. No required course may be repeated more than once.
KCON admits two cohorts into the traditional B.S.N. program on an annual basis; one cohort in the fall semester and one cohort in the winter semester. The Office of Student Services will announce application deadlines via the KCON website at www.gvsu.edu/kcon/. Admission to the program is highly competitive. A student may not be competitive if only meeting the minimum requirements.
Complete and submit comprehensive health compliance requirements prior to beginning the clinical courses including, but not limited to, a criminal background check, fingerprinting and drug screening. Please note: 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-RN (NCLEX-RN). All State Boards of Nursing retain the right to deny a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) graduate permission to take the licensure examination if convicted of a crime.
Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Nursing
First Semester Credits: 14
- BIO 120 - General Biology I Credits: 4
- CHM 109 - Introductory Chemistry Credits: 4
- PSY 101 - Introductory Psychology Credits: 3
- General education Credits: 3
Second Semester Credits: 15
- CHM 230 - Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry (4 credits)
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits)
- BMS 250 - Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits)
- General education course Credits: 3
Third Semester Credits: 17
- BMS 212 - Introductory Microbiology Credits: 3
- BMS 213 - Laboratory in Microbiology Credits: 1
- BMS 251 - Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: 4
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics Credits: 3
- PSY 364 - Life Span Developmental Psychology Credits: 3
- General education course Credits: 3
Fourth Semester Credits: 14
- NUR 266 - Professional Nursing I Credits: 4
- NUR 267 - Clinical Nursing I Credits: 4
- BMS 305 - Clinical Nutrition Credits: 3
- BMS 310 - Basic Pathophysiology Credits: 3
Fifth Semester Credits: 16
- BMS 311 - Pharmacological Aspects of Biomedical Sciences Credits: 3
- NUR 265 - Introduction to Nursing Research and Evidence-based Practice Credits: 3
- NUR 316 - Professional Nursing II Credits: 4
- NUR 317 - Clinical Nursing II Credits: 6
Sixth Semester Credits: 16
- BIO 355 - Human Genetics (3 credits)
- NUR 366 - Professional Nursing III (4 credits)
- NUR 367 - Clinical Nursing III (6 credits)
- General education course Credits: 3
Seventh Semester Credits: 15
- IPE 407 - Integrated Team Health Care (2 credits)
- NUR 416 - Professional Nursing IV (4 credits)
- NUR 417 - Clinical Nursing IV (6 credits)
- General education course Credits: 3
Eighth Semester Credits: 13
- NUR 467 - Professional Nursing V (10 credits)
- General education course Credits: 3
Total Credits: 120
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.
Total number of program credits may vary and could exceed 120 based on students' General Education course selections.