Program Overview

Nursing, BSN Program Overview

The University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing offers a traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. This direct-entry program is designed for graduating high school seniors and combines the resources and opportunities of a large university with the intimacy and personal attention of a small college. Students learn from a passionate faculty whose accomplishments are recognized worldwide and benefit from the academic opportunities of an Ivy League university.

Program Description

The nursing program integrates science, nursing, and liberal arts education to prepare future nurses with the skills necessary for caring for diverse, complex patients, families, and communities. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the many educational opportunities at Penn that intersect with the four undergraduate schools. Clinical experiences begin in the spring of the sophomore year, and students have experiences in primary care, acute care, women's health, and mental health settings working with patients from newborns to older adults.

Program Requirements

The following requirements are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2025 and later:

• Non-Nursing Major Requirements:
  • Writing Requirement: Select a Writing Intensive Course (1 course unit)
  • Language Requirement: Satisfy by exemption or if language proficiency completed in fewer than 2 semesters, use remaining course units as free electives (2 course units)
  • Distribution by Sectors:
    • The Planet & Our Climate (1 course unit)
    • Societies, Histories, and Traditions (1 course unit)
    • Global Arts, Letters, & Cultures (1 course unit)
    • Universality in Thought and Action (1 course unit)
    • Exploration Course Requirement: a course in any School within the University other than the School of Nursing, at any level for which the student is eligible and in any discipline (1 course unit)
• Nursing Major Courses:
  • Nursing Foundational Courses:
    • NURS 1010: The Nature of Nursing Practice (0.5 course units)
    • NURS 1020: Situating the Practice of Nursing (0.5 course units)
    • NURS 1030: Psychological and Social Diversity in Health and Wellness (1 course unit)
  • Nursing Clinical Courses:
    • NURS 2150: Nursing of Women and Infants (1.5 course units)
    • NURS 2250: Pediatric Nursing (1.5 course units)
    • NURS 2350: Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Mental Health Nursing (1.5 course units)
    • NURS 2450: Nursing of Young and Middle Aged Adults (1.5 course units)
    • NURS 2550: Nursing of Older Adults (1.5 course units)
    • NURS 3820: Public Health Nursing Care in Communities (1.5 course units)
    • NURS 3900: Leadership in the Complex Healthcare System (3 course units)
• Science Requirements:
  • NURS 0061: Biologically-Based Chemistry (0.5 course units)
  • NURS 0065: Fundamentals of Nutrition (1 course unit)
  • NURS 0068: Integrated Cell Biology and Microbiology with Recitation (1 course unit)
  • NURS 1630: Integrated Anatomy, Physiology, and Physical Assessment I (2 course units)
  • NURS 1640: Integrated Human Anatomy, Physiology & Physical Assessment II (2 course units)
  • NURS 1650: Integrated Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics (2 course units)
• Non-Clinical Courses:
  • Health Policy Requirement:
    • NURS 3340: Public Policy and the Nation's Health (1 course unit)
    • or NURS 4000: Advances In Health Systems Research And Analysis
    • or NURS 5400: Current Issues In Health and Social Policy
  • NURS 2300: Statistics for Research and Measurement (1 course unit)
  • NURS 5470: Scientific Inquiry for Evidence-based Practice (1 course unit)
  • Ethics Requirement:
    • NURS 3300: Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics (1 course unit)
    • or PHIL 1342: Bioethics
    • or NURS 5250: Ethical Aspects of Health and Technology
    • or BIOE 4010: Introduction to Bioethics
    • or BIOE 4020: Conceptual Foundations of Bioethics
  • Nursing Case Study: Select from among NURS 3510-NURS 3690 (1 course unit)
  • NURS 3890: Research/Inquiry-Based Service Residency (0.5 course units)

Plan of Study

The following sample Plan of Study is just one possibility for undergraduate study:

First Year

• Fall:
  • NURS 0061: Biologically-Based Chemistry (0.5 course units)
  • NURS 0068: Integrated Cell Biology and Microbiology with Recitation (1 course unit)
  • NURS 1010: The Nature of Nursing Practice (0.5 course units)
  • Critical Writing Requirement (1 course unit)
  • Language Requirement (or free elective if level II proficiency met) (1 course unit)
• Spring:
  • NURS 0065: Fundamentals of Nutrition (1 course unit)
  • NURS 1630: Integrated Anatomy, Physiology, and Physical Assessment I (2 course units)
  • NURS 1020: Situating the Practice of Nursing (0.5 course units)
  • Sector Requirement (e.g., The Planet & Our Climate) (1 course unit)
  • Language Requirement (or free elective if level II proficiency met) (1 course unit)

Second Year

• Fall:
  • NURS 1640: Integrated Human Anatomy, Physiology & Physical Assessment II (2 course units)
  • NURS 1030: Psychological and Social Diversity in Health and Wellness (1 course unit)
  • Sector Requirement (e.g., Societies, Histories, & Traditions) (1 course unit)
• Spring:
  • NURS 1650: Integrated Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics (2 course units)
  • NURS 2150: Nursing of Women and Infants (1.5 course units)
  • Sector Requirement (e.g., Global Arts, Letters, & Cultures) (1 course unit)

Third Year

• Fall:
  • NURS 2450 & NURS 2550: Nursing of Young and Middle Aged Adults and Nursing of Older Adults (3 course units)
  • Select one of the following:
    • NURS 3340: Public Policy and the Nation's Health (or approved Health Policy course) (1 course unit)
    • NURS 3300: Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics (or approved Health Care Ethics course) (1 course unit)
    • NURS 2300: Statistics for Research and Measurement (1 course unit)
• Spring:
  • NURS 2350 & NURS 2250: Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Mental Health Nursing and Pediatric Nursing (3 course units)
  • Select one of the following:
    • NURS 3340: Public Policy and the Nation's Health (or approved Health Policy course) (1 course unit)
    • NURS 3300: Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics (or approved Health Care Ethics course) (1 course unit)
    • NURS 5470: Scientific Inquiry for Evidence-based Practice (1 course unit)

Fourth Year

• Fall:
  • NURS 3820: Public Health Nursing Care in Communities (1.5 course units)
  • Select 1 course from NURS 3550-NURS 3680 (1 course unit)
  • Sector Requirement (e.g., Universality in Thought and Action) (1 course unit)
  • Sector Requirement (e.g., Exploration Course) (1 course unit)
• Spring:
  • NURS 3900: Leadership in the Complex Healthcare System (3 course units)
  • NURS 3890: Research/Inquiry-Based Service Residency (0.5 course units)

Total Course Units: 36.00