Degrees and Programs
Programs in the School of Nursing
The School of Nursing offers an undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and graduate programs leading to the Master of Science in Nursing degree, the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in nursing, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The undergraduate program is designed for students who wish to enter the profession of nursing. Students who have earned an associate’s degree in nursing and wish to obtain the baccalaureate degree may apply as transfer students. The master’s and doctoral degree programs are designed to prepare professionals for advanced nursing practice, leadership, and research in nursing.
The baccalaureate program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Texas Board of Nursing.
Objectives of the Bachelor’s Degree Program
The graduate of the baccalaureate program in nursing is expected to
1. Demonstrate critical thinking to integrate knowledge from nursing, biological and behavioral sciences, and the humanities in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care.
2. Apply critical thinking and clinical judgment within a problem solving process to safely meet the health care needs of individuals, families, aggregates, populations, and communities in a variety of settings.
3. Exhibit personal responsibility and accountability for practicing nursing according to professional, ethical, and legal practice standards (e.g., Texas Nurse Practice Act, Texas Occupation Code).
4. Participate in the delivery of health care through inter-professional collaboration, delegation, coordination, case management, and consultation.
5. Participate in nursing and inter-professional efforts to improve the delivery of high quality, safe and culturally sensitive health care to diverse individuals, families, aggregates, populations, and communities.
6. Demonstrate core professional values to complement continued personal and professional growth.
7. Critically appraise and apply research findings to demonstrate evidence-based nursing practice.
8. Analyze health policy and its effects on diverse individuals, families, aggregates, populations, communities, and health agencies.
9. Integrate information and health care technology in nursing practice, administration, education, and research.
10.Utilize leadership skills to advance the profession of nursing and promote continuous improvement of the health care delivery system.
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 for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, students must fulfill flag requirements. Students must earn credit for one flag in ethics, one flag in global cultures, one flag in cultural diversity, one flag in independent inquiry, one flag in quantitative reasoning, and three flags in writing.
Courses with flags are identified in the Course Schedule. For additional information about flag requirements, see Additional Basic Education Requirements.
Applicability of Certain Courses
ROTC Courses
The dean has the authority to substitute an equivalent air force science, military science, or naval science course or courses for a course or courses prescribed by the School of Nursing; core curriculum courses cannot be substituted. The dean can also make adjustments to compensate for any differences in semester hour value. The total number of semester hours required for the degree remains unchanged.
Correspondence and Extension Courses
Credit earned by correspondence or extension from the University or elsewhere will be counted toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree if approved by either the assistant dean for student services or the assistant dean for undergraduate programs. A student planning to meet pre-professional course requirements with correspondence or extension courses should consult the Office of Student Services to ensure enrollment in appropriate courses. Credit for professional sequence courses may not be earned by correspondence or extension.
Credit by Examination
The faculty believes that each educational experience should build on previous achievements to encourage fulfillment of each student’s potential. Therefore, all students and registered nurses are urged to seek advice on arranging a logical sequence of work. The faculty subscribes to the principle that a candidate’s competence should be validated and that credit should be awarded on the basis of satisfactory achievement on examinations as well as in the classroom. Twenty-four of the last 30 semester hours of credit presented for the degree must be earned in residence, rather than by examination, correspondence, or transfer.
An examination for credit may not be taken in a course in which the student is enrolled, which the student has completed, or which the student has dropped with either a passing or a failing grade.
University policies regarding credit by examination are given in the General Information Catalog.