Registered Nurse Students
The registered nurse (RN) student is a student who (1) is a graduate from an associate degree program in nursing; (2) holds a current, unrestricted RN license and (3) is admitted to and enrolled in The University of Southern Mississippi with the nursing major.
An Associate of Science (AS) degree or an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from a Mississippi Community College will satisfy the USM General Education Curriculum (GEC categories 01-06). Students with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) from a Mississippi Community College may need to take additional General Education Curriculum courses (GEC categories 01-06) to meet the baccalaureate degree requirements.
Registered nurse students must complete all required prerequisites and meet all clinical requirements prior to starting the plan of study. The prerequisites may be taken at The University of Southern Mississippi or at another accredited college or university.
The RN-BSN program is fully online, does not require Chemistry and can be completed in two semesters. There are 120 credit hours needed to graduate with a BSN (RN-BSN) degree. Of the total hours applied to this degree, 30 hours must be in courses numbered at the 300 level or higher. The student is required to complete all 30 credit hours of the plan of study at USM.
RN-BSN Admission Procedures
All students interested in the RN-BSN program are subject to the admission procedures and standards of the University. Students admitted to the University who wish to pursue entrance into the RN-BSN program must make a separate application, gain acceptance, complete all prerequisites, and meet all clinical requirements before starting the plan of study.
Students having completed at least 75 percent of the prerequisite nursing courses including two of the three natural sciences may complete and submit their application to the RN-BSN program. Admission to the RN-BSN program is competitive and is not guaranteed, regardless of grades or other dimensions of academic performance. Students who meet all prerequisites and fulfill minimum requirements may apply. Qualified applicants admitted to the RN-BSN program are selected from an applicant pool. If admitted to nursing, students will have their major as nursing and become students in the RN-BSN program.
Application forms may be obtained online.
The deadline for return of completed applications is as follows:
Fall term admission is May 1, Spring term admission is October 1
There are no exceptions to these deadline dates.
In addition to applying, the following requirements must be met by the student for consideration to the program, admission, and starting the RN-BSN plan of study.
- Admitted to the USM as an undergraduate student.
- All official transcripts of any colleges/universities attended must be on file in the USM Office of Admissions.
- Graduate of an accredited associate degree nursing program.
- Official transcript with ADN conferred must be on file in the USM Office of Admissions.
- Holds a current, unrestricted RN license.
- Earned an overall nursing grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
- Successful completion of all nursing prerequisite courses with a grade of “C or higher”and an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Successful completion of a criminal background check, immunizations, CPR, physical health exam, and substance screening.
Nursing (RN-BSN) BSN Degree Requirements (120 hours)
Nursing (RN-BSN) BSN Semester Guide
Availability: Online 100%
Admission Requirements:
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