Bachelor of Science in Nursing
This program consists of 126 to 127 semester hours of coursework: sixty-five to sixty-six hours of prerequisite courses (the preprofessional sequence) taken at the University of Texas at Austin or another accredited college or university, followed by sixty-one hours of upper-division nursing courses (the professional sequence) taken at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and have fulfilled the prescribed course of study and clinical practice required to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for licensure as a registered nurse.
Foreign Language Requirement
Students may fulfill the foreign language component of the University’s basic education requirements by completing two years of a single foreign language in high school, by earning an appropriate score on one of the placement examinations administered by the University, or by completing two semesters of college coursework in a single foreign language in addition to the degree requirements given below. If the foreign language requirement will be fulfilled by transfer credit, credit by examination, or extension or correspondence courses, it must be fulfilled before the first semester of the student’s senior year. Nursing 354 may not be counted toward the foreign language requirement. For students who take college coursework to complete the foreign language requirement, Spanish is recommended.
Flag Requirements
In the process of fulfilling the requirements of the preprofessional sequence (including the core curriculum) and the professional sequence, students must earn credit for one flag in ethics and leadership, one flag in global cultures, one flag in independent inquiry, one flag in quantitative reasoning, and three flags in writing. Courses used to fulfill the writing flag requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill other requirements.
Students are also required to earn one flag in cultural diversity in the United States and are advised to earn credit for this flag as part of the coursework used to satisfy the first-year signature course, American history, or visual and performing arts requirements of the core curriculum. Courses with flags are identified in the Course Schedule, published at http://registrar.utexas.edu/schedules/.
Preprofessional Sequence
Students must complete the sixty-five or sixty-six semester hours of coursework (preprofessional sequence) listed below. Completion usually requires two and one-half academic years (or four semesters and one summer session). All courses must be completed before the student enrolls in upper-division courses in nursing.
All students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum. In some cases, a course that is required for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing may also be used to fulfill a requirement of the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.
|
Course |
Sem Hrs |
|
Core Curriculum |
|
|
Elements of the Core Curriculum not satisfied by other requirements of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing |
24 |
|
Natural Sciences |
|
|
Physiology and functional anatomy: Biology 446L, 365S, 165U |
8 |
|
Biology: Biology 311C, 326M (together may be used to fulfill the science and technology, part I, requirement of the core curriculum) |
6 |
|
Chemistry: Chemistry 301 (may also be used to fulfill the science and technology, part II, requirement of the core curriculum) |
3 |
|
Introductory statistics: Statistics and Scientific Computation 302 (may also be used to fulfill the mathematics requirement of the core curriculum; carries a quantitative reasoning flag) |
3 |
|
3 |
|
|
Liberal Arts |
|
|
Introductory psychology: Psychology 301 (may also be used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences requirement of the core curriculum) |
3 |
|
Nursing |
|
|
Nursing 309, Global Health (carries a global cultures flag) |
3 |
|
Nursing 310, Communication in Health Care Settings |
3 |
|
Nursing 321, Ethics of Health Care (carries both a writing flag and an ethics and leadership flag) |
3 |
|
Other Courses |
|
|
Growth and development: Human Development and Family Sciences 313 and 113L, or Psychology 304 |
3 or 4 |
|
Introductory pharmacology: Pharmacy 338 |
3 |
|
Total 65 or 66 |
|
Professional Sequence
The final sixty-one semester hours of coursework in nursing are completed after the student has achieved upper-division standing and has been admitted into the School of Nursing professional sequence. These hours consist of the courses listed below and Nursing 347, Specialized Topics in Nursing, which many students choose to take in the summer. In order to meet prerequisites, students must take most of the courses in the professional sequence in the indicated semester. Courses that may be taken at any point in the professional sequence are Nursing 323, Genetics in Health Care, Nursing 347, Specialized Topics in Nursing, and Nursing 354, Spanish for Health Care Professionals.
|
Courses |
Sem Hrs |
|
First Semester |
|
|
Nursing 224, Health Assessment Skills |
2 |
|
Nursing 325, Adult Health Nursing I |
3 |
|
Nursing 325P, Adult Health Nursing I (Practicum) |
3 |
|
Nursing 264, Nursing Research |
2 |
|
Nursing 227, Conceptual Bases of Aging |
2 |
|
Nursing 127P, Clinical Nursing Skills I (Practicum) |
1 |
|
Nursing 354, Spanish for Health Care Professionals |
3 |
|
Total 16 |
|
|
Second Semester |
|
|
Nursing 455, Adult Health Nursing II |
4 |
|
Nursing 355P, Adult Health Nursing II (Practicum) |
3 |
|
Nursing 356, Mental Health Nursing across the Life Span |
3 |
|
Nursing 356P, Problems in Mental Health Nursing (Practicum) |
3 |
|
Nursing 157P, Clinical Nursing Skills II Practicum |
1 |
|
Total 14 |
|
|
Third Semester |
|
|
Nursing 323, Genetics in Health Care |
3 |
|
Nursing 265, Nursing Care of Childbearing Families |
2 |
|
Nursing 365P, Nursing Care of Childbearing Families Practicum |
3 |
|
Nursing 266, Nursing Care of Children and Their Families |
2 |
|
Nursing 366P, Nursing Care of Children and Their Families Practicum |
3 |
|
Nursing 278, Contemporary Nursing Practice |
2 |
|
Total 15 |
|
|
Fourth Semester |
|
|
Nursing 275, Public Health Nursing |
2 |
|
Nursing 375P, Public Health Nursing Practicum |
3 |
|
Nursing 377P, Clinical Care Management Practicum |
3 |
|
Nursing 377, Leadership and Management of Nursing Care |
3 |
|
Nursing 279P, Capstone Preceptorship |
2 |
|
Total 13 |
|