Nursing-Generic, B.S.N.

Entrance Requirements

BSN Program (Pre-Licensure)

Lower Division

In order to be admitted into the College of Nursing, freshmen must meet all University and College of Nursing admission requirements. Acceptance into the University with a lower division classification does not guarantee progression into the upper division nursing major. Undergraduates who seek a nursing degree are first admitted into the College of Nursing’s pre-nursing lower division.

Upper Division

Students enrolled in the lower division must meet minimum upper division admission standards set forth by the College of Nursing. Once minimum criteria are met, all qualified applicants are placed into an applicant group and are evaluated, using the same criteria, by their institutional grade point average, their progression grade point averages and essay and/or interview criterion for a total evaluation metric. Based on the number of available seats and available clinical sites, students are admitted based on results of the total evaluation metrics.

Effective Fall 2020 and After:
  • Prerequisite BSN science courses must be completed within 7 years of starting upper division coursework, or 8 years if have continuous fall/spring higher education enrollment.
  • Once a student has begun upper division coursework, they must complete the BSN degree within 5 years.
Additional transfer admission criteria

To be considered for admission into pre-nursing lower division of the BSN generic (pre-licensure) program, transfer students from another institution of higher education must have a minimum 3.500 institutional GPA in their college level coursework. In addition, any below C grades in nursing or science courses will eliminate you from consideration. See major specific transfer information on the admissions website.

To be eligible to apply for the upper division, transfer students must meet the College of Nursing requirements for progression through completion of the lower division science and nursing courses. Courses equivalent to NURS courses will not be accepted for transfer to the BSN generic (pre-licensure).

Current USC students please see change of major requirements on the CON website.

Smart Start Program 

Students entering the university and meeting South Carolina Honors College (SCHC) admission criteria have a one-time opportunity, at the point of freshman admission only, to enroll in the Smart Start Nursing Program. Students admitted into Smart Start are directly admitted into Upper Division of the Nursing Program contingent upon meeting all SCHC and College of Nursing academic standards criteria and completion of all upper division application progression requirements.

Smart Start students who are not successful with meeting upper division application requirements will lose their direct admit status but will remain eligible for admission under the competitive upper division admissions process.

Degree Requirements (120 hours) 

See College of Nursing for progression requirements and other regulations.

Program of Study

all degree requirements must be passed with a grade of C or higher

Requirements Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core 31-37
2. College Requirements 7
3. Program Requirements 11-15
4. Major Requirements 67

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-37 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6 hours) 

SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)

Note: CHEM 102 is a pre-requisite course for nursing courses.

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language  (0-6 hours)

Demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by achieving a score of two or higher on the Foreign Language Placement Test or by completing one Foreign Language through 110 or 121.

GHS – ​Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours) 

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours) 

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (0-3 hours)

INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)

  • Fulfilled through PHIL 213, an overlay course with CMS
1

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (7 hours)

3. Program Requirements (11-15 hours)

Supporting Courses (11 hours)

Course Title Credits
BIOL 243
243L
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory
4
BIOL 244
244L
Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory
4
SOCY 101Introductory Sociology3
Total Credit Hours11

Electives (0-4 hours)

As needed to meet minimum 120 hours required for graduation.

4. Major Requirements (67 hours)

Major Courses (67 hours)

Course Title Credits
Lower Division Courses 1
NURS 112Introduction to Nursing as a Profession2
NURS 208Introduction to Nursing Informatics2
NURS 216Biophysical Pathology3
NURS 220Clinical Nutrition3
Upper Division Courses
NURS 311Introduction to Health Assessment3
NURS 312Foundations of Nursing Practice5
NURS 313Nursing Care of the Older Adult3
NURS 314Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Practice2
NURS 324Chemical Therapeutics3
NURS 400Evidence-based Nursing Practice3
NURS 411Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing4
NURS 412Acute Care Nursing of Adults I5
NURS 413Intradisciplinary Communication and Skills Development2
NURS 422Acute Care Nursing of Adults II5
NURS 426Concepts of Pediatric and Reproductive Health5
NURS 427Intradisciplinary Coordination and Skills Management1
NURS 428Nursing Leadership and Management4
NURS 431Population Health Nursing4
NURS 435Senior Nursing Capstone Practicum8
Total Credit Hours67
1

All lower division courses must be successfully completed before progression to the upper division.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Nursing-Generic, B.S.N.