Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) are provided both the theory and clinical base to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate health care to meet the needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities. The BSN program is offered through the University of Alaska Anchorage and based in Anchorage, but admits students in Fairbanks, Kodiak, and Mat-Su. All students who apply to UAA and qualify for admission to the BSN program are admitted as pre-majors. 

Please note: Admission as a pre-major does not guarantee admission to the nursing program; a separate application process is required. 

• Pre-major Course Requirements

  For entry into the full-major portion of the program students must complete following prerequisites with a grade of 'C' or higher and an overall extracted GPA of a 3.0 or higher. We recommend seeing a College of Health advisor early in the process to create a personalized plan of study and determine the best timeline for your application. Additional courses may be required based on placement exams. 

  The following courses are required for applicants to the full-major BSN program in the 21/22 academic year. 

  Prerequisite Requirements (required prior to ranking)

  • BIOL A111 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
  • BIOL A112 Human Anatomy and Physiology II
  • 6 credits of Written Communication GERs
  • COMM A111, A235, A237, or A241 or 3 credits of Oral Communication GER
  • PSY A150 Lifespan Development (Social Science GER) or SON Reasoning Skills Requirement (PHIL A101 Introduction to Logic (Humanities GER), PHIL A201 Introduction to Philosophy (Humanities GER) or ENGL A120 Critical Thinking).
  • 6 additional credits of General Education Requirement (Fine Arts and Social Science GER recommended)
  • High School Chem or CHEM A054 (for 2021 applicants only) or higher
  • *MATH A151, CHEM A103, and CHEM A104 will be required to begin the full-major in spring 2023 and beyond
    
    A minimum of 26 credits is required to apply to the full-major BSN program.
    Click here for an up to date list of approved Baccalaureate Degree General Education Requirements (GER).
    
    

  Corequisite Requirements (must be completed prior to admission to full-major BSN program)

  • BIOL A240 Microbiology for Health Sciences
  • STAT A200 Elementary Statistics 
  • HLTH A151 Breaking Trails on your Health and Social Service Career
  • PSY A150 Lifespan Development or SON Reasoning Skills Requirement (PHIL A101 Introduction to Logic, PHIL A201 Introduction to Philosophy or ENGL A120 Critical Thinking)-- whichever is not complete, if applicable.
  • DN A203 Nutrition for Health Sciences
  • PHIL A301 Ethics, PHIL A302 Biomedical Ethics, or PHIL A305 Professional Ethics (301 and 305 are also Humanities GER)
    
    

  All courses must be completed with a C or higher (or Pass) and cannot be repeated unsuccessfully (D,F, NP, or No Credit) more than once.  Withdraws or audits do not count as an unsuccessful attempt.

  For a list which UAF and UAS pre-major courses meet UAA School of Nursing requirements please visit the Transfer page.

• Major Requirements

  Once you are admitted into the full-major Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, you will be required to complete courses in the following sequence. All students are enrolled in a specific local cohort. Students are expected to test, attend classes, labs, and clinical experiences with their cohort. Students are required to complete the program at the location they originally accepted placement.

  Plan of Study

  • 
    New Curriculum Starting Fall 2020

  PRIOR to Semester I

  • Complete all Pre-Major courses
    • Exception: Alaska Native-Themed GER & Diversity and Inclusion GER may be completed during the program.
  • Current CPR certification 
  • Health & Immunization Requirements
  • National Level Criminal Background Check

  Semester I Nursing Major

  • NS A230 Pathophysiology for Health Professions (3)
  • NS A332/L/P Fundamentals of Nursing (6)
  • NS A333/L Health Assessment and Promotion (4)
  • NS A334 Nursing Informatics and Intro to EBP (3)

  Semester II Nursing Major

  • NS A231/L Pharmacology for Health Professions (4)
  • NS A388/L/P Medical-Surgical Patients I (8)
  • NS A389/P Mental and Behavioral Health Disrupt. (4)

  Semester III Nursing Major

  • NS A400 Nursing Research and EBP (3)
  • NS A452/P Children and Their Families (4)
  • NS A453/P Childbearing Families/Sexual Health (4)
  • NS A471/P Medical-Surgical Patients II (5)

  Semester IV Nursing Major

  • NS A454/P Communities and Populations (5)
  • NS A472 Nursing Leadership and Management (3)
  • NS A473 NCLEX Review and Career Coaching (1)
  • NS A474P Nursing Practicum Immersion (3)
  • NS A475 Nursing Integrative Capstone (3)

  Minimum total credit hours for degree: 120
  All nursing major lecture courses must be complete with a grade of 'C' or higher and clinical courses with a 'Pass'. 
  *The NS or College of Health Elective may be taken in an earlier semesters if the prerequisites for the elective are met.

  Please note: Graduates of this program must perform successfully on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to receive RN licensure. SON's program is approved by the Alaska Board of Nursing and the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing.