Program Overview
The School of Nursing is committed to educating students at the baccalaureate and graduate level to address evolving health care needs and to advance the practice of nursing in an ever-changing society. Graduates of the baccalaureate program have the foundation for graduate study.
Upon successful completion of the program, the student is awarded a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and is eligible to apply to take the Registered Nurse (RN) licensing examination (NCLEX-RN). The professional program requires a minimum of sixty credit hours during the last two years of the student’s degree studies. These hours includes classroom, clinical, simulated learning, and a variety of experiences in health care agencies, institutions, and communities in Central Arkansas.
Graduating from a nursing program does not assure Arkansas State Board of Nursing approval to take the RN licensure examination. Per state law, persons convicted of certain crimes will not be eligible to take the RN licensure examination.
Program Outline
Program of Study for the Pre-Licensure BSN
The baccalaureate program consists of 60 hours of pre-nursing/prerequisite courses and sixty hours of nursing credit hours. Courses in the professional major are sequentially planned. Each nursing course is usually offered only once each academic year.
Abbreviation Key – UCA Core Program
LD = Lower Division
UD = Upper Division
C = Effective Communication
D = Diversity
I = Critical Inquiry
R = Responsible Living
Z = Capstone Experience
UCA Lower-Division Core and Related Major Requirements (60 hours)
- WRTG 1310 and 1320
- MATH 1365 or 1390
- PSYC 1300
- CHEM 1402 or CHEM 1450
- BIOL 1410 and 2410
- NUTR 1300
- PSCI 1330 or HIST 2301 or HIST 2302
- COMM 1300 or MGMT 2301
- Critical Inquiry: Fine Arts/Humanities category
- Diversity: Diversity in Creative Works category
- Diversity in World Cultures: Social Science option
- BIOL 2411
- BIOL 4311
- FACS 2341 or PSYC 3321
- PSYC 2330 or SOC 2321 or MATH 2311 or PSCI 2312 or CISA 2330
Electives: 5 credit hours
Nursing Major and Upper-Division UCA Core Requirements (60 hours)
- NURS 2305 Health Assessment
- NURS 3102 Pharmacology I
- NURS 3205 Pharmacology II
- NURS 3303 Fundamental Concepts for Professional Nursing
- NURS 3405 Essential Nursing Skills
- NURS 3406 Child and Adolescent Nursing
- NURS 3407 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
- NURS 3408 Nursing Care of the Older Adult
- NURS 3525 Medical-Surgical Nursing I
- NURS 4235 Nursing Informatics
- NURS 4315 Research & Evidence-Based Practice [UD UCA Core: I, C]
- NURS 4320 Health Policy and Professional Issues in Nursing [UD UCA Core: D]
- NURS 4403 Maternal Newborn Nursing
- NURS 4430 Immersion Experience [UD UCA Core: Z]
- NURS 4530 Community and Population Health Nursing [UD UCA Core: R]
- NURS 4404 Nursing Leadership and Management
- NURS 4525 Medical Surgical Nursing II
BSN Post-Acceptance Requirements
Upon acceptance to the RN to BSN program candidates must:
- Complete a criminal background check, as directed by the School of Nursing, with favorable results.
- Complete a drug screen, as directed by the School of Nursing, with negative results.
- Submit a verification of specified health requirements (see School of Nursing Undergraduate Handbook for list of immunizations and other requirements).
- Provide proof of health insurance coverage.
Admission is selective and competitive. Preference is given to University of Central Arkansas students with 30 hours completed in residence by the end of the Fall semester of application. Applications to the pre-licensure BSN program are due by November 1st for the following nursing cohort beginning Summer II. One class is admitted each year.
Sixty (60) credit hours must be completed prior to starting the nursing courses. Of the 60 hours, 45 credit hours must be completed by the end of the fall semester of application.
Mathematics Pathway: First-time, first-year students majoring in Nursing enter the Mathematical Reasoning for Health Sciences Mathematics Pathway and must enroll in MATH 1365 during their first year of study, unless they have been awarded credit that completes their 1000-level math requirements.
Admission criteria include the following:
- Admission to UCA
- Cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above. Prerequisite GPA (45 hours) of 2.75 or above. Prerequisite Science GPA of 2.5 or above.
- Completion of:
- WRTG 1310* and WRTG 1320*
- MATH 1365* or MATH 1390*
- CHEM 1402* or CHEM 1450*
- BIOL 1410* and BIOL 2410* or equivalent courses* (BIOL 2410 must be successfully completed by the end of the fall term of application)
- (Parts I and II must be completed at the same institution)
- PSYC 1300*
- BIOL 2411*
- NUTR 1300*
- FACS 2341* or PSYC 3321*
- MATH 2311* or PSCI 2312* or PSYC 2330* or CISA 2330* or SOC 2321*
- BIOL 4311*
Courses listed above must be complete with a minimum grade of a “C”.
- Lower Division Core:
- Diversity in World Cultures/Social Science option
- Lower Division Core: Diversity in Creative Works option
- Lower Division Core: Fine Art/Humanities option
- Lower Division Core: History/Government option
- Effective Communication: Oral Communication
- Electives – 5 credit hours
Courses marked with an asterisk (*), any two of the Lower Division Core (6 credit hours) courses, and 2 credit hours of elective make up the 45 hours of prerequisites required to apply except BIOL 4311 Pathophysiology, which is taken in the spring after application if the student is admitted into the BSN program or on the waitlist.
- Applicants not born in the United States or in a country where English is the official language must document their English proficiency. An official score of 83 or higher on the iBT TOEFL exam is required. The exam must have been taken within the last two (2) calendar years. Only iBT TOEFL scores received directly from ETS or the UCA Testing Center will be accepted as valid.
- Submission of a complete application and other required documents within published deadlines
A more detailed list of criteria and information regarding the application review process should be obtained from the School of Nursing.
