Nursing-Generic, B.S.N.
Admissions
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. Students who consider studying nursing at Carolina need to be aware that all USC undergraduates who seek a nursing degree are first admitted into the College of Nursing’s pre-nursing lower division. This does not guarantee later admission into the upper division.¹ 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 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. In recent years admission to the upper division has become highly competitive as demand for the program of study has increased and therefore, the average evaluation metrics will change from cohort to cohort.
To be considered for admission into pre-nursing lower division of the BSN in Nursing generic (pre-licensure) program, transfer students must have a minimum 3.400 overall 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.
NURS courses will not be accepted for transfer to the BSN in Nursing generic (pre-licensure).
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. All entering students are expected to have basic computer skills.
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. Every attempt at science courses within the last 7 years will be included in progression GPA calculation, 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.
- Every attempt at science courses within the last 7 years will be included in the progression GPA calculation.
Smart Start Program
¹Students 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, a partnership between the College of Nursing and the South Carolina Honors College. 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)
- any CC-GHS course
GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)
AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)
- any CC-AIU course
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 101 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 11 | |
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 112 | Introduction to Nursing as a Profession | 2 |
| NURS 208 | Introduction to Nursing Informatics | 2 |
| NURS 216 | Biophysical Pathology | 3 |
| NURS 220 | Clinical Nutrition | 3 |
| Upper Division Courses | ||
| NURS 311 | Introduction to Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 312 | Foundations of Nursing Practice | 5 |
| NURS 313 | Nursing Care of the Older Adult | 3 |
| NURS 314 | Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Practice | 2 |
| NURS 324 | Chemical Therapeutics | 3 |
| NURS 400 | Evidence-based Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 411 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing | 4 |
| NURS 412 | Acute Care Nursing of Adults I | 5 |
| NURS 422 | Acute Care Nursing of Adults II | 5 |
| NURS 424 | Maternal/Newborn Nursing | 4 |
| NURS 425 | Nursing of Children and Families | 4 |
| NURS 428 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 4 |
| NURS 431 | Population Health Nursing | 4 |
| NURS 435 | Senior Nursing Capstone Practicum | 8 |
- 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.