Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Program Description

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a 125 credit upper division program open to Registered Nurses only. The program is accredited by the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and the New Jersey State Board of Nursing.

General Education Requirements (47-51 Credits)

General education courses provide grounding in core skills and liberal arts. Forty-seven to fifty-one credits in general education courses are required for graduation. General education courses are divided into:

• Foundation Requirements (12 credits)

• Humanities (9 credits)

• Social Sciences (9 credits)

• Science & Math (15-19 credits)

• Health/Physical Education (2 credits)

• Concentration (6-8 credits)

Students who have taken collegiate credit at another institution may transfer many of these credits. The two (2) credits of required Health/Physical Education are met by transfer of 2 credits of lower division nursing. Please see course requirements within each specific category.

Nursing Major Requirements (71 Credits)

The 71 credit nursing major consists of:

• Nursing Lower Division Credit: 28 Credits (Transferred in at Admission)
• Upper Division Support Courses: 15 Credits
• Upper Division Nursing Courses and Capstone: 28 Credits

Support Courses

Support Courses are courses at the upper division level from the humanities, social and behavioral sciences which support the content and learning in the upper division nursing courses. Courses Include:

• Sociology of the Family
• Life-Span Developmental Psychology
• Moral Problems in Heath Care
• Social Psychology
• Introduction to Public Health

Upper Division Nursing Courses and Capstone

The 28 credits of upper division Nursing include 18 credits of theory courses and 10 credits of clinical coursework. Clinical coursework is non-traditional, some of which may be accomplished within one’s own work setting. To review the course descriptions and credit allocations go to Nursing Course Descriptions.

Free Electives

The final 3-7 credits may be transferred credits or taken as free electives.

Completion Time

Completion time is contingent upon the number of credits the student chooses to take each semester and whether the student attends the summer sessions.

Full time students transferring in credit from an Associate degree program can complete the course of study as an accelerated 15 month track attending spring-summer-fall and spring or as a full time track requiring 4 regular semesters and 1 summer depending upon their desired course load and total credits needed. Students who attend part-time may elect from a variety of patterns to complete the degree. Most part-time students complete the program in 3-4 years.