RN-BSN

Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses Seeking a First Bachelor's Degree

Individuals apply to the University and indicate "Nursing Entry (BSN)" as a major on the application. On admission to the University, students are classified as nursing-entry majors and meet with academic advisors in University Academic Advising. 

The program is four years in length. The first four semesters consist of lower-division prerequisite courses that meet the University core curriculum and courses which are the essential foundation for nursing education. Upper-division nursing courses are taught in the last four semesters and are offered only in Dallas and Houston. Academic advisors are available to assist students in the evaluation of prior course work, selection of equivalent courses, and verification of eligibility.  The following list constitutes the lower-division prerequisite courses. Courses with a corresponding lab component must be completed at the same institution.

Substitutions will be made, when applicable, to TWU core curriculum requirements if those requirements are met at another Texas public institution of higher learning. Transfer students who have completed a Texas core curriculum from a Texas public institution are not required to complete additional courses at TWU to meet the TWU core curriculum.

Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses with a Prior Bachelor's Degree in Another Field

Individuals with a prior bachelor's degree are not required to meet the TWU core curriculum. Prerequisites for those with a prior bachelor's degree are limited to the nursing foundation courses and the state-required history and government courses, as listed below. Courses taken for the first degree will not have to be repeated if they are determined to be equivalent. Courses with a corresponding lab component must be completed at the same institution.

Transfer Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses from Another Nursing Program

Non-nurses previously enrolled in another nursing program must meet the same prerequisite and admission requirements as other TWU pre-licensure students and be accepted both by Texas Woman's University and the TWU College of Nursing. Additionally, the following requirements must be met.

1. Nursing courses were completed within a nursing program that has national nursing accreditation.
2. A grade of C or higher was earned in all nursing courses (including pathophysiology).
3. Nursing courses transferred in for credit must have been completed within the last five years.
4. Eligibility to continue in or return to the previous nursing program must be verified by a letter of good standing from the dean of the previous program. The letter of good standing should be uploaded to your NursingCAS application or sent to the Manager of Nursing Student Services.
5. Applicants must submit to the College of Nursing a course syllabus for each completed nursing course for evaluation. If the course(s) is/are determined to be equivalent to TWU nursing courses, credit may be granted.
6. At least 30 of the last 62 SCHs have to be completed at TWU for a degree from TWU.
7. A minimum of 45 SCH has to be completed at TWU to graduate with honors.
8. Successful completion of a minimum of 25% of the total SCH required for the degree must be taken at TWU.
9. If a transfer student has not been enrolled in a nursing program for more than one year, placement test(s) and clinical skills assessment may be required to determine the level of entry into the nursing program.

Application for Upper-Division Nursing: Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses

Only students accepted to the College of Nursing may enroll in upper-division nursing courses. Class space in nursing courses is limited, and admission to the College of Nursing is competitive. Admission to the upper-division nursing program is based on a Holistic admissions process to include grade point averages for prerequisite coursework, admission assessment test scores, and the faculty’s evaluation of responses submitted to all sections of the admissions application, including short answers to questions posed to applicants about their leadership experiences and self-assessment of their personal traits of caring/compassion and resilience. Preferential consideration will be given to students who have completed 32 or more SCH of the required non-nursing lower-division courses at TWU. A prior degree is considered favorably.

To be eligible to be considered for progression into upper-division (3000-4000 level) nursing courses, students must have:

1. been admitted to TWU using the Texas Common Online application. Students completing prerequisites at another institution should submit all TWU general admission materials at least 6 weeks prior to the upper-division nursing application deadlines. Official transcripts of courses taken to date during the semester of application to TWU must be sent to the Office of Admissions.
2. successfully completed the following 25 SCH of nursing foundation courses by the nursing application deadline: Anatomy & Physiology I, with lab; Anatomy & Physiology II, with lab; Microbiology, with lab; Chemistry, with lab; Developmental Psychology; Nutrition; and Statistics;
3. successfully completed an additional 21 SCH of core requirements for a total of 46 completed SCH of prerequisite courses by the nursing application deadline (first bachelor's degree students only);
4. completed all remaining lower-division prerequisite courses, with the exception of Multicultural Women's Studies, before beginning the nursing courses;
5. a minimum grade of C in anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and microbiology, including all labs. Anatomy and physiology prerequisites must be the courses offered for science majors.

6. a minimum cumulative GPA AND a nursing prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0 on the required non-nursing lower-division courses. If a course is taken more than once, the most recent grade received will be counted in calculating the GPA. Other courses that an applicant may have taken are not calculated in the GPA for admission. Students with guaranteed admission are required to have a 3.5 GPA.

   (Note: The nursing prerequisite courses are as follows: Any college-level Chemistry with lab, Microbiology (BACT 1003) with lab (BACT 1001), Human Anatomy and Physiology I (ZOOL 2013 and ZOOL 2011), Human Anatomy and Physiology II (ZOOL 2023) with lab (ZOOL 2021), Introduction to Nutrition (NFS 2323), Developmental Psychology (PSY 1603), and Elementary Statistics I (MATH 1703).

7. successfully passed the required nursing entrance exam (TEAS). The TEAS must be taken with scores uploaded to your NursingCAS application by the nursing application deadline. See our entrance exam policy on the TEAS Testing at TWU webpage.

8. submitted a complete application for upper-division nursing through NursingCAS, including the application fee, to the College of Nursing by the application deadline.
9. submitted the background check through a College of Nursing-approved vendor (e.g., Castlebranch). In order to be admitted, students must have a clean background check. 
10. Applicants are highly encouraged to schedule a prospective student advising appointment in the Pioneer Center or attend an information session prior to applying to discuss admissions requirements and how to apply.

Application Deadlines

College of Nursing applications for upper-division nursing must be received by the following yearly dates in order to be considered for admission:

• February 1, to begin nursing coursework in a Fall semester
• August 15, to begin nursing coursework in a Spring semester

Eligibility for Licensure as a Registered Nurse

Requirements for Course Enrollment

Prior to the start of any course within the Upper Division in the College of Nursing, the student must provide proof of:

1. If applicable, based on the above statement about eligibility to be licensed as a Registered Nurse in the state of Texas, a clearance of a Declaratory Order from the Texas Board of Nursing;
2. negative drug testing and a cleared criminal background screening by a company designated by the College of Nursing, as mandated by TWU’s clinical partners;
3. health insurance as mandated by TWU’s clinical partners.
4. Professional liability insurance and blood-borne pathogen exposure insurance (covered by course fees) are provided for each student enrolled in a clinical nursing course through the TWU student professional liability group policy.

Requirements for a Clinical Course

Prior to the start of any clinical course within the Upper Division in the College of Nursing, the student must provide proof of:

1. Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association.
2. Current required immunizations, as specified by TWU College of Nursing approved vendor (e.g. Castlebranch).
3. Negative drug testing and cleared criminal background screening by a company designated by the College of Nursing.
4. Proof of personal health insurance (required by clinical facilities).
5. Completion of HIPAA training.
6. Social Security Number.
7. U.S. Government-issued Photo Identification. 

Professional liability insurance (covered by course fees) is provided for each student through the TWU student professional liability group policy.