The School of Nursing (SON) offers two options for students seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The pre-licensure option is designed for students seeking licensure as a registered nurse (RN) within the state of Alaska; the RN student option is designed for students who hold current licensure as a RN within the state of Alaska.
The RN student option includes “RN-only” online courses and sections within the BSN designed to build upon the RN’s basic preparation and experience and to facilitate progress in meeting program objectives. Those students without RN licensure are admitted as pre-licensure option students. The baccalaureate program also provides students with the academic base for graduate study in nursing. More information can be found on the SON website.
The BSN is approved by the Alaska Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 975-5000, info@acenursing.org.
Licensure and/or Certification
Graduates of the BSN are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
Please go to UAA's Authorization by State website for information about licensure or certification in a state other than Alaska.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- All students will initially be admitted to a pre-major status. Admission to the pre-major status does not guarantee subsequent admission to the major. As a pre-major, students work with an advisor to assist them in completing pre-major requirements and preparing to apply to the full major.
- Complete, or be in progress of completing, the following courses with a minimum grade of C, within two attempts, and a minimum GPA of 3.001 in the following courses:
- BIOL A111 and BIOL A111L
- BIOL A112 and BIOL A112L
- BIOL A240 and BIOL A240L
- CHEM A1032
- CHEM A1042
- DN A203
- HLTH A151 2
- ENGL A120 3, PHIL A101 3, or PHIL A201 3
- MATH A121, MATH A151, or an ALEKS exam score of 65 or higher2
- PHIL A301 3, PHIL A302 3, or PHIL A305 3
- PSY A150 3
- STAT A200, STAT A253, STAT A307, or STAT GER course earned in transfer
- Tier I GER courses
- Submit a Bachelor of Science Nursing application according to instructions and deadlines on the program website.
- Complete School of Nursing entrance exam according to directions on program website.
| 1 | A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required for the RN student option. |
| 2 | Not required for the RN student option. |
| 3 | Completion of the Tier II GER courses is recommended and preferred but not required for application to full major. |
Registered Nurse (RN) Student Option Additional Admission Requirements
RNs returning to complete the BSN in the RN student option must successfully complete the admission requirements above unless otherwise noted, as well as the following:
- Hold current unencumbered license as a RN in the state of Alaska.
Special Considerations
Prior to beginning practicum nursing courses, students must provide documentation of:
- HIV testing annually (results not required).
- Immunizations for, or immunity to, key conditions consistent with current clinical guidelines (see program student handbook for details).
- Current health provider certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for infants, children and adults (information regarding acceptable courses may be obtained from the School of Nursing).*
- Results of a national-level criminal background check.
- Additional requirements including, but not limited to, proof of medical insurance, drug screening, and/or additional vaccinations may be required.
Requirements marked with an asterisk (*) are considered valid only if the expiration date does not occur prior to the end of the semester of current enrollment.
Students enrolled in practicum courses must provide their own transportation to and from practicum assignments and are required to purchase uniforms and specialized equipment.
It is strongly recommended that students maintain personal medical insurance. The school assumes no responsibility for illnesses and injuries experienced by students in conjunction with their practicum experiences; students who are injured while completing practicum assignments are responsible for all associated medical costs.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- For Humanities GER, either PHIL A301 or PHIL A305 is recommended.
Pre-licensure Student Option
- Students must maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA while in the pre-licensure student option.
- Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL A111 & A111L | Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A112 & A112L | Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A240 & A240L | Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences and Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM A103 | Introduction to General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM A104 | Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry | 3 |
| DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | 3 |
| ENGL A120 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| or PHIL A101 | Introduction to Logic | |
| or PHIL A201 | Introduction to Philosophy | |
| HLTH A151 | Breaking Trail on Your Health and Social Services Career | 3 |
| MATH A121 | College Algebra for Managerial and Social Sciences (or higher level math course or test score placement into higher level) | 3-4 |
| or MATH A151 | College Algebra for Calculus | |
| NS A230 | Pathophysiology for Health Professions | 3 |
| NS A231 & A231L | Pharmacology for Health Professions and Pharmacology for Health Professions Lab | 4 |
| NS A332 & A332L & A332P | Fundamentals of the Nursing Profession: Theory and Fundamentals of the Nursing Profession: Skills and Fundamentals of the Nursing Profession: Practicum | 6 |
| NS A333 & A333L | Assessment and Health Promotion of Diverse Populations: Theory and Assessment and Health Promotion of Diverse Populations: Lab | 4 |
| NS A334 | Nursing Informatics and Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NS A388 & A388L & A388P | Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients I: Theory and Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients I: Skills and Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients I: Practicum | 8 |
| NS A389 & A389P | Nursing Care of Mental and Behavioral Health Disruptions: Theory and Nursing Care of Mental and Behavioral Health Disruptions: Practicum | 4 |
| NS A400 | Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NS A452 & A452P | Nursing Care of Children and Their Families: Theory and Nursing Care of Children and Their Families: Practicum | 4 |
| NS A453 & A453P | Nursing Care of Childbearing Families and Sexual Health: Theory and Nursing Care of Childbearing Families and Sexual Health: Practicum | 4 |
| NS A454 & A454P | Nursing Care of Communities and Populations: Theory and Nursing Care of Communities and Populations: Practicum | 5 |
| NS A471 & A471P | Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients II: Theory and Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients II: Practicum | 5 |
| NS A472 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 |
| NS A473 | NCLEX Review and Career Coaching | 1 |
| NS A474P | Nursing Practicum Immersion | 3 |
| NS A475 | *Nursing Integrative Capstone | 3 |
| PHIL A301 | Ethics | 3 |
| or PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | |
| or PHIL A305 | Professional Ethics | |
| PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| STAT A200 | Elementary Statistics | 3-4 |
| or STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | |
| or STAT A307 | Probability and Statistics | |
| Total | 102-104 | |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, of which 39 credits must be upper-division.
Registered Nurse (RN) Student Option
- Students must maintain a minimum 2.00 GPA while in the RN student option.
- Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL A111 & A111L | Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A112 & A112L | Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 4 |
| BIOL A240 & A240L | Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences and Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences Laboratory | 4 |
| DN A203 | Nutrition for Health Sciences | 3 |
| ENGL A120 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| or PHIL A101 | Introduction to Logic | |
| or PHIL A201 | Introduction to Philosophy | |
| NS A230 | Pathophysiology for Health Professions 2 | 3 |
| NS A231 & A231L | Pharmacology for Health Professions and Pharmacology for Health Professions Lab 2 | 4 |
| NS A308 | Dimensions of Professional Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NS A314 & A314L | Health I for Registered Nurses and Health I for Registered Nurses Laboratory | 4 |
| NS A332 & A332L & A332P | Fundamentals of the Nursing Profession: Theory and Fundamentals of the Nursing Profession: Skills and Fundamentals of the Nursing Profession: Practicum 2 | 6 |
| NS A333 & A333L | Assessment and Health Promotion of Diverse Populations: Theory and Assessment and Health Promotion of Diverse Populations: Lab 2 | 4 |
| NS A334 | Nursing Informatics and Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NS A388 & A388L & A388P | Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients I: Theory and Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients I: Skills and Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients I: Practicum 2 | 8 |
| NS A389 & A389P | Nursing Care of Mental and Behavioral Health Disruptions: Theory and Nursing Care of Mental and Behavioral Health Disruptions: Practicum 2 | 4 |
| NS A400 | Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NS A452 & A452P | Nursing Care of Children and Their Families: Theory and Nursing Care of Children and Their Families: Practicum 2 | 4 |
| NS A453 & A453P | Nursing Care of Childbearing Families and Sexual Health: Theory and Nursing Care of Childbearing Families and Sexual Health: Practicum 2 | 4 |
| NS A454 & A454P | Nursing Care of Communities and Populations: Theory and Nursing Care of Communities and Populations: Practicum | 5 |
| NS A471 & A471P | Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients II: Theory and Nursing Care of Adult Medical-Surgical Patients II: Practicum 2 | 5 |
| NS A472 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 |
| NS A475 | *Nursing Integrative Capstone | 3 |
| PHIL A301 | Ethics | 3 |
| or PHIL A302 | Biomedical Ethics | |
| or PHIL A305 | Professional Ethics | |
| PSY A150 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| STAT A200 | Elementary Statistics | 3-4 |
| or STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | |
| or STAT A307 | Probability and Statistics | |
| Upper-division nursing electives or advisor-approved electives 3 | 6 | |
| Total | 99-100 | |
| 1 | Must be completed with a minimum grade of C prior to admission to 400-level nursing courses. |
| 2 | An accepted, degree-seeking UAA nursing student who has successfully passed the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN) and holds current unencumbered RN licensure in the state of Alaska may be granted the course credits for these sequences upon admission to the nursing major. An administrative fee will be charged for these credits. To receive credits, the student must complete the appropriate form with a nursing advisor. |
| 3 | Three credits of nursing electives may be satisfied with a current recognized nursing certification. |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, of which 39 credits must be upper-division.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing will be able to:
- Demonstrate clinical reasoning by making evidence-based nursing judgments through the use of intellectual, interpersonal, and technical competencies to promote safe and effective client-centered care.
- Implement caring behaviors in the practice of professional nursing using established standards, evidence-based practice, and innovation to prevent illness and promote and restore health in order to meet the changing needs of diverse individuals, families, groups, and communities.
- Utilize principles of management and leadership to collaborate as a member of the inter-professional care team.
- Compare and contrast the roles of the professional nurse in promoting optimal healthcare policies locally, nationally, and globally.
- Develop an individualized plan for ongoing professional development and professional identity using a technological platform.