Online RN to BSN

Nurses working with doctor in surgery room

 

New Lower Tuition Rates

 

The University of South Alabama College of Nursing RN to BSN Pathway is specifically designed to meet the needs of Registered Nurses with a current RN license seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

The RN to BSN Professional Component consists of courses that address knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are needed to be successful in today’s dynamic healthcare settings. You will enjoy challenging yourself as you explore relevant topics related to modern day professional nursing issues. This program is taught entirely online and is a flexible option for working students who are managing work and family responsibilities as well as educational assignments. Graduates will have the skills to provide enhanced patient care, critique and apply research to clinical practice. Graduates will increase their skills and knowledge about informatics in healthcare, will have a better understanding of global health issues, and will be better prepared to collaborate with the interprofessional team in providing quality care in multiple work settings.

Online RN to BSN Professional Component

  1. The Professional Component consists of six (6) fully online nursing courses for a total of 24 credit hours.
  2. These courses must be completed at the University of South Alabama.
  3. Upper division nursing courses taken at another institution will not transfer or apply toward the 24 credit hours required to earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at USA.
  4. Students proceed through the six online nursing courses at their desired pace.
  5. The Professional Component may be completed in a minimum of two (2) semesters.
  6. The Professional Component must be completed within five (5) years of beginning the Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum.
  7. Admission is contingent upon the college's ability to secure an approved clinical site by the end of the first semester of program enrollment. Students are encouraged to secure their own clinical placement within an acceptable geographical area if desired. Submission of a formal letter of commitment will be required to verify guaranteed placement for future clinical rotations. If a student is unable to secure an acceptable site within their own geographical area, the college will work to identify an appropriate clinical placement which must be accepted by the student.
  8. Initial course registration is contingent upon the student's acceptable completion and results of the following requirements: Acceptance Packet, Drug and Background Screen, and Required Documents and Attestations within the Medical Documents Manager. If a student is unable to meet the initial registration requirements, they may transfer their first semester of enrollment to a future semester.

Online Professional Component Course Work – 24 Total Credit Hours

  • NU 450 Leadership & Management Roles for Professional Nursing Practice (4 credit hours)
  • NU 451 Current Issues and Trends in Professional Nursing Practice (4 credit hours)
  • NU 452 Clinical Prevention and Population Health (4 credit hours)
  • NU 453 Information Management and Technology in Healthcare (4 credit hours)
  • NU 454 Research and Evidence Based Practice Practicum (4 credit hours)
  • NU 455 Concepts of Interprofessional Practice (4 credit hours)
▼   RN to BSN Prerequisites  – 59 Total Credit Hours

Students applying for the Online RN to BSN Pathway must have completed all eighteen (18) undergraduate prerequisite courses prior to applying to the RN to BSN Professional Component. These 59 semester hours of college credit may be completed in your hometown area, at an accredited institution and transferred to this university.

Written Communication

Course Credit Hours
EH 101 English Composition I 3
EH 102 English Composition II 3

Humanities and Fine Arts

Course Credit Hours
Fine Arts (Music, Drama, or Art) 3
*Literature Elective (American, British, or World) 3
Humanities Elective (Literature for sequence, Philosophy, Foreign Language, Music, Art, Drama, Public Speaking, or Religion) 6

History/Social and Behavioral Science

Course Credit Hours
PSY 120 Introduction to Psychology or Psychology Elective 3
*History elective (US, World, or Western Civilization) 3
History/Social/Behavioral Science Elective (history for sequence, Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Geography, Communications, or Anthropology) 6

Natural Sciences

Course Credit Hours
College Algebra, Finite Math, or Pre-Calculus 3
Chemistry & Lab or Biology with a Lab 4
Second Natural Science with a Lab (Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, or Astronomy) 4

Major Requirements

Course Credit Hours

BLY 213 & BLY 214 Microbiology & Lab OR 

BMD 210 Microbiology in Healthcare & BMD 210L Lab 
4
BMD 251 Human Anatomy & Physiology I includes Lab
BMD 252 Human Anatomy & Physiology II includes Lab
ST 210 / ST 305 / BUS 245 / PSY 220 Statistics (Select one)
Computer Elective

Total Credits 59

*Must have one history elective and one literature elective. In addition, you must choose a second history or second literature to complete a two-part sequence (e.g. US History I, US History II or American Literature I, American Literature II)

Evaluation of a student’s transcripts by the College of Nursing for the Online RN-BSN Pathway is contingent upon the official transfer credit articulation of your complete academic history. This is done by the USA Registrar once you are admitted as a transfer student to the University.

Students can use the USA Transfer Evaluation System to assess which credits earned at their current or former school may transfer to the University of South Alabama.  This is an unofficial course evaluation. 

Transfer Students can locate information on admission requirements, Pathway USA Program, Transfer Center, General Education/Core Curriculum, and STARS Guide on the USA Transfer Student page.

▼   RN to BSN Pathway Admissions

The College of Nursing Admissions Committee and the Dean of the College select applicants best qualified for and most likely to succeed in the study of nursing. Students are admitted without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, or qualified disability. Students must be in good standing with all academic institutions/nursing programs that they have attended in order to be admitted to the BSN program.

State Board of Nursing Authorizations
Each State Board of Nursing has requirements for online programs. Due to these requirements, we are not accepting nursing applications from South Dakota and New York at this time.

▼   Application Deadlines

Applications for the RN – BSN Pathway are received on a space available basis.  The following deadlines are tentative for students to plan for submission of their documentation.

  • Spring Admission – Application Deadlines
    Priority Deadline - July 15th
  • Summer Admission – Application Deadlines
    Priority Deadline – March 1st
  • Fall Admission – Application Deadlines
    Priority Deadline – March 15th
▼   Requirements for Admission to the Online RN-BSN Pathway
  1. Citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States of America.
  2. Completion of an accredited diploma or associate degree in nursing and a current registered nurse licensure with no restriction. Restrictions include participation in voluntary discipline programs.
  3. Complete all eighteen (18) required pre-requisite courses at a regionally accredited school. These 59 credit hours of general education courses are in addition to the nursing courses completed to become a Registered Nurse.
  4. Minimum grade of “C” in all pre-requisite courses.
  5. Minimum GPA of 2.5 on all prerequisite courses and Minimum University GPA of 2.0.
  6. Submit transcripts from all colleges and universities attended to USA Admissions Office.
  7. Supplemental Application submitted to USA with a $50 fee by the deadline.
  8. Admission will be contingent on a negative drug screen, an acceptable background check, and completion of all Medical Records in CastleBranch. Students are responsible for costs related to these requirements.

Students are responsible for all costs related to monitoring/proctoring tests and identity authentication when required by a course.

▼   Steps to Apply to the RN-BSN Program

Applicants to the Online RN to BSN Pathway are required to complete both a Primary Application for General Admission to the USA Office of Admissions and a Supplemental Application. 

RN to BSN students are admitted each fall, spring, and summer semester. Applicants are accepted during the time periods listed above.  Applicants are required to complete both a Primary Application and a Supplemental Application.

RN to BSN applicants are required to complete two applications - Primary and Supplemental. First, complete the Primary Application for General Admission to the USA Office of Admissions, then complete the Supplemental Application.  Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their completed Supplemental Application is submitted by the deadline for the semester for which they are applying. Only completed applications will be considered for acceptance. 

Step 1 Primary Application

Step 1 Primary Application
USA General Admission

The Primary Application is completed through the USA General Admission Office. Please go to the USA Admissions Webpage for instructions regarding General Admission. 

Transcripts

Applicants must request official transcripts from ALL college and university studies, regardless of the outcome of enrollment. Include all undergraduate, graduate, and professional institutions you have attended, even if the courses were not required for admission to a nursing program or were transferred to another institution. Include any non-degree programs (e.g., summer school) and foreign institutions attended, whether or not the coursework was transferred to a U.S. institution or resulted in a degree. Please check with your degree conferring University to confirm they are regionally accredited before applying.

A transcript is ONLY considered official if it is sent directly from the college or university to USA Admissions Office. 

For the College of Nursing advising team to review your transcripts in a timely manner, please email an UNOFFICIAL COPY of your transcripts to our RN2BSN@southalabama.edu account.  Unofficial copies are only used for preliminary review of your prerequisites for admission to the program.

Applicants who are finishing an Associate Degree in Nursing between the application deadline and the beginning of the semester for which they are applying are required to submit an official degree-conferred transcript to USA Admissions Office prior to starting the RN-BSN program.

Step 2 Supplemental Application

Step 2 Supplemental Application

The Supplemental Application is the application which is submitted directly to the College of Nursing at the University of South Alabama.

  1. The Supplemental Application is submitted electronically to the BSN Office at the USA College of Nursing. 
  2. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their completed Supplemental Application is submitted to the College of Nursing by the deadline for the semester for which they are applying.
  3. This application requires a non-refundable processing fee of $50.00.  A Credit Card or Debit Card is the required form of payment for the $50 processing fee. 
▼   Concurrent Enrollment with Community Colleges

USA’s Concurrent ADN to BSN program allows you to earn an USA nursing degree more quickly than the 2+2 model.

Through this unique, concurrent enrollment program, you will take ADN-level courses at Coastal Alabama Community College or Jones College while also taking BSN courses taught by USA faculty delivered in an online format. When you complete your ADN degree, you may have already earned more than half of your BSN credits – and will complete the remainder of USA’s RN to BSN program in a convenient, flexible online format.

Students who are enrolled in USA’s Concurrent ADN to BSN program may be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN after successfully completing the ADN portion of their program and prior to enrolling in their final BSN courses at USA. Students will also be required to complete all pre-requisite courses prior to continuing enrollment in the RN to BSN program after graduation from the associate degree program.

Admissions: Apply 3 times/year | Summer, Fall or Spring start
Program Length: 2-6 semesters | Graduate with BSN 1-2 Semesters After Completing ADN
Program Type: Concurrent Enrollment in ADN and BSN Programs
Delivery Method: Online

 

This program is offered through Coastal Alabama Community College, Jones College, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

▼   Communication

The primary method of communication by the University of South Alabama (USA) College of Nursing (CON) throughout the application cycle is email. It allows us to easily make contact with you throughout the day and you are able to contact us at a time that is convenient for you. Please ensure that the email address you put on your application is an email address you check several times weekly and that you add conrn2bsn@southalabama.edu to the address book of your email account. This will ensure that email from us will not be sent to your SPAM/JUNK folder.

▼   Health Requirements

Students accepted into this RN-BSN program in the College of Nursing are required to complete all requirements under Medical Documents Manager as listed on the Health Requirements Webpage. All requirements should be completed no later than one month prior to the first day of classes for the professional component. Students are not required to order a Castle Branch account until they have been accepted into the professional component.

▼   Bachelor of Science in Nursing Graduation
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is awarded at the successful completion of the Professional Component.  Students must apply for graduation to be awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The application must be submitted by the deadline for the semester the student completes all degree requirements. The USA Graduation Application and posted application deadlines for each semester are located on the USA Registrar’s Website.

Contact Information

Dr. Pam Johnson - Program Coordinator
Email: conrn2bsn@southalabama.edu

Kristyn Seawell – RN-BSN Academic Advisor
Email: conrn2bsn@southalabama.edu