RN to BSN
The RN to BSN program courses are 100% online to accommodate a working nurse’s schedule. Full and part-time options are available to provide flexibility for the working Registered Nurse (RN). Faculty are available at SHSU-The Woodlands Center for questions and advising. For more information on the RN-BSN program, contact: prenursing@shsu.edu.
The RN-BSN Online Track is designed for the student who is enrolled in or graduated from a community college with a degree in nursing and will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN, or who has passed the NCLEX-RN, holds a current, unencumbered Texas license as a registered nurse and wishes to obtain the baccalaureate degree. Earning a baccalaureate degree will open more doors in an RN's nursing career, allowing for positions of leadership, enhanced career advancement opportunities, and the potential to pursue graduate education.
There are three types of admission to SHSU’s RN to BSN program:
1) Unconditional Admission
2) Conditional Admission
3) Joint Admission while enrolled in a partner community college nursing program.
The table below illustrates the requirements for each type of admission.
| Admission Type | Application to SHSU | Application to RN BSN | Texas RN License | Cumulative GPA | Prerequisiste GPA | 1Proof of Clinical Readiness | Completion of all Prerequisite Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unconditional | X | X | X | 2.5 | 2.5 | X | X |
| Conditional | X | X | Within 1 semester, before beginning clinical courses | 2.5 | 2.5 | X | Within 1 year* |
| Joint | X | X | Before beginning clinical courses | 2.5 | 2.5 | X | Before beginning clinical courses** |
*For Conditional Admission, prerequisite courses may be taken following enrollment in RN-BSN program, but must be taken within one year.
**Joint Admission students may apply after completion of 1st semester of ADN courses. Students must have unencumbered RN license to practice in Texas prior to enrolling in clinical courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RN to BSN | ||
| Core Curriculum | ||
| Component Area I (Communication) | 6 | |
| Component Area II (Mathematics) 1 | 3 | |
| Component Area III (Life and Physical Science) 2 | 8 | |
| Component Area IV (Language, Philosophy, and Culture) 3 | 3 | |
| Component Area V (Creative Arts) | 3 | |
| Component Area VI (U.S. History) | 6 | |
| Component Area VII (Political Science/Government) | 6 | |
| Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences) 4 | 3 | |
| Component Area IX (Component Area Option) 5 | 4 | |
| Degree Specific Requirements | ||
| BIOL 2403 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I 2, 6 | 4 |
| BIOL 2404 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II 2, 6 | 4 |
| BIOL 2420 | Introduction to Applied Microbiology | 4 |
| or BIOL 3470 | General Microbiology | |
| CHEM 1406 | Inorganic & Environmental Chemistry | 4 |
| or CHEM 1411 | General Chemistry I | |
or CHEM elective or approved elective | ||
| FSCN 2362 | Nutrition 7 | 3 |
or approved elective | ||
| MATH 1314 | Pre Calculus Algebra 1 | 3 |
| or MATH 1324 | Mathematics for Managerial Decision Making | |
| or MATH 1410 | Elementary Functions | |
| or MATH 1420 | Calculus I | |
| MATH 1342 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| or MATH 1370 | Introduction to Biomedical Statistics | |
| or PSYC 3402 | Psychological Statistics | |
| PSYC 1301 | Introduction To Psychology 4 | 3 |
| PSYC 3374 | Development Psychology | 3 |
| Track Specific Requirements | ||
| NURS 3340 | Older Adult Health Management | 3 |
| NURS 3360 | Introduction to Research | 3 |
| NURS 3370 | RN-to-BSN Role Transition | 3 |
| NURS 4030 | Community Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 4060 | Leadership and Management | 3 |
| NURS 4372 | RN-to-BSN Capstone | 3 |
| NURS 4381 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 4382 | Informatics | 3 |
| NURS 4383 | Rural Health Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 4384 | Nursing Genetics and Genomics | 3 |
| Articulation Credit | ||
| ADN/Diploma Nursing courses applied to the RN-BSN degree 8,9 | 32 | |
| Minor: Not Required 10,11 | ||
| Total Hours | 121 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Prenursing Prerequisites and Texas Core | 59 | |
| Nursing Credit Hours | 62 | |
| Total Hours: | 121 | |
- 1
-
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area II (Mathematics).
- 2
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area III (Life and Physical Science).
- 3
PHIL 1301 is recommended and satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IV (Language, Philosophy, and Culture).
- 4
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences).
- 5
SOCI 2319 and KINE 2115 are recommended and satisfy Core Curriculum requirements for Component Area IX (Component Area Option).
- 6
BIOL 2401 and BIOL 2402 may be used as a transfer course for this requirement; please see a SAM Center advisor for more details.
- 7
FSCN 1367 may be used as a transfer course for this requirement; please see a SAM Center advisor for more details.
- 8
Includes 12 hours NCLEX exam credit: NURS 3620 and NURS 4620.
- 9
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is completed at a community college prior to applying to the RN-BSN program (joint admission option allows students to apply to the RN-BSN after completing the 1st semester of ADN).
- 10
A minor is not required for this degree program; however, a student has the option to add a minor, but to do so additional semester credits hours will be needed above the degree program’s stated total semester credit hours.
- 11
All minors can be paired with this degree program.
Notes
Students must earn a minimum 2.5 GPA in nursing prerequisites and Core Curriculum coursework.
Students must earn a 2.0 minimum overall major GPA in all Nursing coursework.
Students must earn a 2.0 minimum SHSU GPA in all coursework.
Students must meet a 2.0 minimum SHSU major GPA in all major coursework.
Students must apply and be accepted into the SHSU School of Nursing prior to registering for any NURS courses.
Science courses do not require a 7 year renewal.
Students admitted not core complete, must meet the SHSU core curriculum requirements. For students who are taking prerequisite hours at SHSU, see the pre-licensure BSN requirements.
The nursing credit hours include 32 articulation credits and 30 hours taken at SHSU. Course substitutions in the degree specific credit hours may require additional elective credit hours to reach the total 121 credits required for the degree.
Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in each NURS course.
Students accepted into the SHSU School of Nursing are required to adhere to additional policies indicated in the School of Nursing student handbook.
NURS 4372 is recommended to be taken in the final semester.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours | ||
| BIOL 24031 | 4 | BIOL 24041 | 4 | ||
| CHEM 1406 or 1411 (or CHEM elective or approved elective) | 4 | ENGL 13022 | 3 | ||
| ENGL 13012 | 3 | HIST 13015 | 3 | ||
| MATH 1314, 1324, 1410, or 14203 | 3 | MATH 1342, 1370, or PSYC 3402 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 13014 | 3 | PSYC 3374 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 16 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours | ||
| Component Area IX6 | 3 | Component Area IV9 | 3 | ||
| BIOL 2420 or 3470 | 4 | Component Area V | 3 | ||
| FSCN 23627 | 3 | Component Area IX | 1 | ||
| HIST 13025 | 3 | POLS 23068 | 3 | ||
| POLS 23058 | 3 | ||||
| 16 | 10 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours | Third Semester | Hours |
| NURS 3360 | 3 | NURS 4030 | 3 | NURS 3340 | 3 |
| NURS 3370 | 3 | NURS 4060 | 3 | NURS 4372 | 3 |
| NURS 4382 | 3 | NURS 4383 | 3 | NURS 4381 | 3 |
| NURS 4384 | 3 | ||||
| 9 | 12 | 9 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| First Semester | Hours | ||||
| ADN/Diploma Nursing courses applied to RN-BSN Degree10,11 | 32 | ||||
| 32 | |||||
| Total Hours: 121 | |||||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing Prerequisites and Texas Core | 59 | |
| Nursing Credit Hours (32 credits transferred in from ADN and 30 credits in nursing taken at SHSU) | 62 | |
| Total Hours | 121 | |
- 1
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area III (Life and Physical Science).
- 2
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area I (Communications).
- 3
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area II (Mathematics).
- 4
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences).
- 5
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VI (U.S. History).
- 6
SOCI 2319 is recommended and satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IX (Component Area Option).
- 7
FSCN 1367 may be used as a transfer course for this requirement; please see a SAM Center advisor for more details.
- 8
Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VII (Political Science/Government).
- 9
PHIL 1301 is recommended and satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IV (Language, Philosophy, and Culture).
- 10
Includes 12 hours NCLEX exam credit: NURS 3620 and NURS 4620.
- 11
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is completed at a community college prior to applying to the RN-BSN program (joint admission option allows students to apply to the RN-BSN after completing the 1st semester of ADN).
Notes
Students must earn a minimum 2.5 GPA in nursing prerequisites and Core Curriculum coursework.
Students must earn a 2.0 minimum overall major GPA in all Nursing coursework.
Students must earn a 2.0 minimum SHSU GPA in all coursework.
Students must meet a 2.0 minimum SHSU major GPA in all major coursework.
A minor is not required for this degree program; however, a student has the option to add a minor, but to do so additional semester credits hours will be needed above the degree program’s stated total semester credit hours.
All minors can be paired with this degree program.
Students must apply and be accepted into the SHSU School of Nursing prior to registering for any NURS courses.
Science courses do not require a 7 year renewal.
Students admitted not core complete, must meet the SHSU core curriculum requirements. For students who are taking prerequisite hours at SHSU, see the pre-licensure BSN requirements.
The nursing credit hours include 32 articulation credits and 30 hours taken at SHSU. Course substitutions in the degree specific credit hours may require additional elective credit hours to reach the total 121 credits required for the degree.
Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in each NURS course.
Students accepted into the SHSU School of Nursing are required to adhere to additional policies indicated in the School of Nursing student handbook.
NURS 4372 is recommended to be taken in the final semester.
For more information on the RN-BSN program, contact: prenursing@shsu.edu
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers. Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.
The RN to BSN is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:
- Lead in the provision of safe quality care using evidence-based practice.
-
Collaborate with patients and members of the healthcare team to promote health and provide preventive care.
- Incorporate ethical principles and professional standards to provide quality care to diverse populations.
-
Advocate for patients and the nursing profession while incorporating dynamic system practices, health policies, and global healthcare factors.
-
Maintain confidentiality and protect patient rights utilizing technology and information management systems.
