Revised Traditional BSN Upper Division Curriculum Summary
1st Semester Effective Spring 2025
The upper division portion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is a full-time degree progression for five semesters.
A minimum of 50 credit hours must be earned in lower division. Upper division credit hours total 70. This meets the minimum 120 credit hours required to earn a bachelor's degree.
First Semester
| Course Number | Course Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 250 Foundations for Professional Nursing Practice | This course is designed to introduce professional nursing principles while teaching students to apply foundational knowledge of nursing care. This course will introduce the student to the legal and ethical principles of nursing. Skills practiced will facilitate application of cognitive, psychomotor, and interpersonal skills. | 4 Credit-class (56 hours) 1 Credit- lab (42 hours) |
| NURS 251 Wellness and Health Promotion Across the Lifespan | This course provides students the opportunity to examine people’s interactions with their physical and sociocultural environments by exploring factors that affect health and wellness. There is an emphasis placed on nutrition across the lifespan and implications for specific clinical populations. Students will have the opportunity to apply knowledge gained to enhance health and wellness as a future health care provider. | 3 Credits-class (42 hours) |
| NURS 252 Fundamentals for Success in Nursing | This course is designed to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes for success in nursing. Students will become confident learners, prepared with the skills needed to progress through the nursing program successfully and competently. | 2 Credits-class (28 hours) |
| NURS 253 Health Assessment | Focus is placed on the assessment component of the nursing process as a foundation of professional nursing practice. A systematic approach to client interview and physical exam techniques is emphasized. | 2.5 Credits-class (35 hours) 0.5 Credit-lab (21 hours) |
Second Semester
| Course Number | Course Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 331 Nursing Management of Adult Clients I | This is the first course in a two-part series, which explores alterations in adult body systems and the management of chronic health conditions in adults, including young adult, middle-aged, and older adult clients. Pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts in the adult client experiencing alterations in the Immune, Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, Endocrine, and Integumentary systems are covered. | 2.5 Credits-class (35 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 332 Nursing Management of Adult Clients II | This is the second course in a two-part series, which explores alterations in adult body systems and the management of chronic health conditions in adults, including young adult, middle-aged, and older adult clients. Pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts in the adult client experiencing Oncological, Sensory, Hematological, Genitourinary, Neurological, and Musculoskeletal disorders are covered. | 2.5 Credits-class (35 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 333 Population Health Nursing | This course is designed to apply population health principles in a variety of community settings to develop knowledge through holistic assessment and intervention to protect and promote the health and well-being of populations. | 3 Credits-class (42 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 334 Mental Health Nursing | This course is designed to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes in providing mental health care across the lifespan in a variety of settings. Students will participate in inpatient and outpatient clinical experiences to facilitate student engagement in the application of mental health nursing knowledge and skills. Pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts are included. | 4 Credits-class (56 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
Third Semester
| Course Number | Course Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 361 Nursing Management of Adult Clients III | This is the first course in a two-part series which explores alterations in adult body systems and the management of acute health conditions in adults, including young adult, middle-aged, and geriatric clients. Pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts in the adult client experiencing alterations in the Immune, Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, and Endocrine systems are covered. This course will also include an introduction to case management and perioperative nursing. | 2.5 Credits-class (35 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 362 Nursing Management of Adult Clients IV | This is the second course in a two-part series which explores alterations in adult body systems and the management of acute health conditions in adults, including young adult, middle-aged, and geriatric clients. Pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts in the adult client with Oncological, Sensory, Hematological, Genitourinary, Neurological, Musculoskeletal, and Reproductive disorders are covered. | 2.5 Credits-class (35 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 363 Maternal-Newborn Nursing | Utilizing active learning experiences, this course encompasses the nursing care of perinatal families from preconception through the neonatal and postpartum period with emphasis on multiple factors that impact health promotion, decision making choices, and disease management. | 3 Credits-class (42 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) | NURS 364 Evidence-Based Practice | This course is designed to focus on the process of evidence-based practice as it relates to health and nursing. It emphasizes developing abilities to interpret research reports and apply research evidence to nursing practice. | 2 Credits-class (28 hours) |
Fourth Semester
| Course Number | Course Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 426 Complex Health Nursing | This course is designed to introduce the pathophysiology, pharmacology, and principles of nursing management for adult clients with complex health alterations. Students will have the opportunity to synthesize knowledge gained in previous adult health courses and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams in the clinical setting. | 4 Credits-class (56 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 427 Pediatric Nursing | This course is designed to present essential concepts, theories, and developmental processes fundamental in understanding acute & chronic health concerns of children ranging from infant to adolescent and their family units. Components of health promotion, disease prevention, pathophysiology, and pharmacology are included. | 4 Credits-class (56 hours) 1 Credits-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 428 Nursing Care of the Older Adult | This course is designed to apply evidence-based nursing care related to the distinct health needs of the aging population. The focus is on understanding health promotion and safety throughout care transitions. In addition, this course will focus on variable responses of older adult clients to acute and chronic pathophysiological conditions as well as polypharmacy. Further focus includes maintaining a level of function that promotes quality of life. | 2 Credits-class (28 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
Fifth Semester
| Course Number | Course Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 495 Global Public Health Nursing | This course expands on knowledge gained from the Population Health course through examination of social, economic, political, cultural, and historic systems that contribute to global health and wellness. The concepts of health disparities and delivery of healthcare from a global perspective are included. | 2 Credits-class (28 hours) 1 Credit-clinical (42 hours) |
| NURS 496 Role Transition | This course is designed to provide a framework to support transition from student role to novice professional nurse, while assisting students to plan their career path. Emphasis is placed on clinical judgement and application of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to demonstrate multiple roles of the nurse in providing care for individuals, families, and communities across the wellness-illness continuum. | 3 Credits-class (42 hours) 5 Credits-clinical (210 hours) |
| NURS 498 Nursing Leadership, Quality & Policy | This course is designed to introduce leadership, management, health policy principles, quality in health care delivery, and systems processes. The focus is on theory and practice of nursing leadership, management principles, skills, and characteristics necessary to be a successful nurse leader. | 3 Credits-class (42 hours) |
