The undergraduate nursing degree consists of two programs: Prelicensure BSN and post-licensure RN to BSN or RN to MSN. We offer two delivery options: traditional Campus-based (CB) Program and Accelerated Online (AO) Program. The Accelerated Online Program (AO BSN and AO RN-BSN) is an online format developed by UT Arlington's College of Nursing and Health Innovation to serve nurses in Texas and beyond by offering high quality, affordable, and convenient nursing programs. AO outside of Texas is for the RN to BSN or RN to MSN students only. As there are some differences in policies between the programs, there may also be differences between the CB program and the AO Program; those will be noted throughout the catalog.
The faculty of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation takes academic honesty and ethical behavior very seriously. Nurses are entrusted with the health, safety, and well-being of the public. Students found guilty of academic dishonesty will be punished to the full extent permitted by the rules and regulations of UT Arlington.
This is a program consisting of nursing courses, university core courses and other required prerequisite courses. Upon successful completion of the program, the student is awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and is eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for licensure as a Registered Nurse. The BSN Prelicensure program is a competitive admission, limited-access program offered as a campus-based or accelerated online option.
This program is designed for Registered Nurses who have completed an accredited Associate Degree or Diploma nursing program. Full-time students may complete the Upper-Division nursing courses in one academic year. Upon successful completion of the program, the student is awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. This program is not limited-access and is offered as a campus-based or accelerated online option.
The RN to MSN program is an option for RNs who want to move seamlessly between the RN to BSN program and the MSN program. The university calls this a Fast-Track program. The Fast-Track RN to MSN program will enable outstanding undergraduate students who are registered nurses to satisfy degree requirements leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and master's degree (MSN) in Nursing Administration, Nursing Education or Nurse Practitioner.
The University of Texas at Arlington Undergraduate Nursing Program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing prepares graduates to provide professional nursing care to persons/clients (individuals, families, groups, and communities) in diverse settings through the roles of provider of care, coordinator of care, and member of the profession.
On completion of the BSN degree, the graduate will be able to:
It is the philosophy of the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation that the Undergraduate Nursing Program is designed to prepare a competent, self-directed, general practitioner of nursing who can assume increasing responsibility and leadership in the delivery of nursing care. In consideration of the preparation of a general practitioner, all individuals who apply for admission and are enrolled in the BSN Prelicensure Program must be able to perform the essential functions of a student of nursing.
The College of Nursing and Health Innovation has identified essential nursing skills: communication, cognitive, motor, and sensory, observation, tactile, hearing, smell, psychomotor and ethical and professional integrity. The student enrolled in the program must demonstrate mastery of these components. Because providing direct patient care is physically demanding, students need to meet the physical requirements of a staff nurse in the same setting in which they are completing a clinical rotation. Upon BSN program acceptance, students must attest to their ability to meet these standards with or without an accommodation. If at that time a student requests an accommodation, the Student Access & Resource Center (SARC) and the CONHI must determine if the accommodation is reasonable PRIOR to the student beginning Upper-Division coursework.
If a student requires an accommodation to meet these standards, the student must initiate the review process with SARC within five (5) business days of being accepted to prevent a delay in the start of the program.
Qualified applicants are admitted without discrimination with regard to race, color, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability (reasonable accommodations will be made within the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines).
More detailed information related to the core performance standards is available in the Undergraduate Nursing Program Policy Library.
Students may be admitted to UT Arlington upon meeting the admission requirements established by the University. Official transcripts must be submitted to the UT Arlington Office of Admissions.
The BSN Prelicensure program is a competitive admission program; students interested in admission to the BSN Prelicensure program will be placed in the Nursing and Health program—a preparatory health professions program designed to prepare students for application to the Undergraduate Nursing Program (BSN Nursing) or admission the Public Health Program (BS Public Health). Nursing and Health students will be advised by the CONHI Office of Enrollment and Student Services.
NOTE: All freshmen are advised by the University Advising Center . A designated CONHI advisor will advise students in the Freshman Nursing Scholars and Maverick Nursing Scholars Programs.
Students applying for admission to the BSN Prelicensure Program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing must:
Admission to the BSN Prelicensure program is by ranking order based on space availability. A student who accepts their spot but decides not to start will get 2 (two) times to do this before they must wait 1 year (two application cycles) to reapply.
Additional consideration will be given to applicants who complete the following by the application deadline:
NOTE: Students entering the AO BSN program must complete the full Nursing and Health curriculum including the upper-division elective prior to beginning the program. Priority will be given to AO applicants employed by partner hospital systems offering clinical sites during that semester of admission. Partner hospital clinical sites vary each semester. To receive AO priority, an applicant must be employed at the time of application through the first day of class. For consideration, applicants must submit documentation of employment at time of application. Employment at a partner hospital is not a guarantee of admission into the BSN Program.
The Nursing and Health policies are updated yearly and can be found on the CONHI website. Students are expected to understand the policies and procedures prior to enrollment in the program.
Students must successfully complete the full Nursing and Health curriculum as noted in the plan of study. Specific courses are subject to the Two Attempt policy. Under the Two-Attempt Policy each course taken at UT Arlington and/or any other approved institution may be attempted a maximum of two times to earn a passing grade. By the second attempt a grade of “C” or better must be earned.
The Grade Improvement Policy is unique to the BSN Prelicensure program and is used for the selection process only. This policy differs from the BSN Prelicensure program's Two Attempt Policy and from the University’s Grade Replacement, Exclusion, and Forgiveness policies. Grades of C or above may be replaced to improve GPAs for the selection process with the following limitations:
Upper-division Nursing preparatory courses include NURS 3366 Pathophysiologic Processes: Implication for Nursing, is subject to the Failure of Nursing Preparatory Course Policy.
One failed grade = probationary status with the BSN Prelicensure program indefinitely
Two failed grades = inability to continue with BSN Prelicensure program for a period of three years. Upon return, a student is eligible to apply under the conditions of the BSN Prelicensure program Re-entry policy.
Re-entry policy refers to a student who is ineligible to continue a BSN Prelicensure program due to academic failure. This includes a student who was accepted into a prelicensure program and has not completed an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. During this three-year timeframe, a student may not enroll in the University as a BSN Prelicensure student or apply to the BSN Prelicensure program from another major for three years.
Students who withdraw from the UT Arlington BSN Prelicensure program for more than one semester in good standing who wish to return to complete the program must submit a written request for readmission to the Office of Enrollment and Student Services by the following deadlines:
Returning spring – September 1st Returning summer - March 1st Returning fall - June 1st
Time out of the Program:
Two Long Semesters CB or Two Semesters AO (based on course availability):
More than two long semesters CB or Two Semesters AO:
Transfer students who have successfully completed prerequisite courses with a C or above and Junior I courses for the BSN Program: Holistic Health Assessment and Clinical Nursing Foundations at another college or university may be eligible to apply to the BSN Prelicensure program. Students who have not completed the required courses will be ranked with the incoming junior class. Admission as a transfer student to the Undergraduate Nursing Program is contingent upon available space. Transfer students must attend orientation. Transfer students ready to start as a Junior 2 can be admitted in either the CB or AO programs.
Processing of the transfer admission review will not be initiated until the student has also applied to the BSN Prelicensure program in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
ORIENTATIONS
All students are required to complete the general online orientation in the Learning Management System and attend the mandatory in-person orientation held prior to the fall and spring semesters.
Clinical orientation is mandatory for all Undergraduate Nursing students, as established by the Dallas/Fort Worth Hospital Council. Undergraduate Nursing students are required to complete the Standard Hospital Student Orientation annually. Clinical requirements must be valid through the entire semester. If the annual orientation will expire during the current semester, it must be updated.
All students enrolled in the CONHI must have internet access and a laptop computer meeting minimum computing recommendations. A list of computer specifications is outlined on the CONHI website. Students may be asked to purchase and download software to meet course and/or program requirements.
Smart Phone or similar device highly recommended.
The UT Arlington CONHI standards require that all students in the BSN Prelicensure program complete immunizations by the time of acceptance.
Students are encouraged to start the immunization process one year before applying to the BSN Prelicensure program.
Program eligibility is dependent upon valid documentation submitted and approved at the time of program acceptance.
View the website for more information on the vaccines, titers and valid documentation options.
If you know you will be applying to our BSN Prelicensure program within the next year, you will need to start these now because some will take up to 6 months to complete.
To be eligible to start the program, you will need to submit valid documentation that you have completed the following by Friday of the 2nd full week in March for Fall starts or Friday of the 2nd full week in September for Spring starts.
View the website for more information on the vaccines, titers and valid documentation options.
Undergraduate nursing students are required to obtain American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLSC) CPR for Healthcare Providers.
Evidence of current CPR certification is required during clinical course enrollment from admission to graduation. Certification must be valid throughout an entire semester with a clinical. If the current card will expire during the semester, the student must retake the course and have a card that will not expire during the semester.
All UT Arlington nursing students enrolled in clinical course(s) will be required to provide verification of medical insurance coverage that includes Emergency Department evaluation and follow-up treatment for needle-stick and blood borne disease exposure. This mandatory clinical requirement has been authorized by The University of Texas System Board of Regents.
As such, UT Arlington will not cover initial and/or follow up treatment for needle-stick injuries and/or exposure to blood borne diseases which may occur while students are enrolled in clinical courses.
While the UT Arlington CONHI recognizes the financial impact this clinical requirement presents for students, we also support the need for students to have health coverage for sudden illness, accidents, emergencies, and exposure treatments that may occur in the clinical setting in a variety of clinical agencies.
All students accepted to the BSN P relicensure AO or CB programs will complete a drug screen.
At any time if there is a confirmation of a positive drug screening, the student will be removed from clinical courses for a period of one calendar year. Upon returning to the program, random drug screenings will be conducted throughout the program. A second positive test will result in immediate dismissal from the nursing program.
Random and / or for cause drug screens are at the student's expense and must be completed as required. Failure/refusal to undergo a drug screen on the designated day will result in immediate dismissal from the nursing program. Full Policy
Accepted students complete two criminal background checks (CBC): Texas Board of Nursing (BON) and a 3rd party provider as designated by CONHI.
Students accepted into the BSN Prelicensure program must complete the Texas BON CBC prior to program application. Students who have completed or are currently enrolled in NURS 3364, Introduction to Professional Nursing, should submit their BON CBC during that course. Students, who have not taken NURS 3364 by the application deadline, should contact CONHIadmin@uta.edu, provide the necessary information, give permission to send the information to the BON, and schedule the fingerprinting appointment within one month of the application deadline. Full Policy
The second CBC is completed after program acceptance.
A student with a positive criminal background screen will not be admitted into the BSN Prelicensure program without a Declaratory Order from the Texas Board of Nursing stating that the individual has been granted permission to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN Examination) upon completion of the requirements for graduation and payment of any required fees. Eligibility to take the NCLEX-RN Examination may be affected by any inaccuracies in the petition, and any subsequent violations of the Nursing Practice Act that may affect eligibility to sit for the examination or the later revocation of a license obtained through misrepresentation.
The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has set out guidelines and criteria on the eligibility of persons with criminal convictions to obtain a license as a registered nurse. The BON may refuse to admit persons to its licensure examinations, may refuse to issue a license or certificate of registration, or may refuse to issue a temporary permit to any individual who has any criminal offense. Detailed information related to determining eligibility and required processes to determine eligibility for your specific circumstances is available from the Texas Board of Nursing and on their website. Students who are unable to obtain clearance from the BON will not be allowed to begin the nursing program.
Once admitted to the BSN Prelicensure program, any student that commits an offense that would require a Declaratory Order will be removed from current and future clinical courses until the Declaratory Order is obtained from the Texas BON and submitted to the College of Nursing and Health Innovation Director of Student Support.
Professional Liability Insurance
Students in the BSN Prelicensure program are required to have evidence of professional liability insurance coverage for a minimum of $1,000,000 limit each claim and $3,000,000 limit aggregate. The charge for coverage will be assessed as a mandatory fee at the time of registration.
Course fee information is available at www.uta.edu/fees. Additional costs beyond tuition, fees and books that may be incurred by a nursing student will include those items listed on the CONHI website. In addition, some clinical agencies charge a nominal fee for parking passes and utilizing their scrubs.
Oral proficiency is recognized to be a critical component of providing safe nursing care. In addition to content-specific presentations in various nursing courses, all students in the Undergraduate Nursing program are required to communicate effectively with clients, members of the health care team, and faculty. Contact the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Programs for more information.
Each student will be provided a UT Arlington e-mail address. Official communications from the CONHI will be distributed to this e-mail address and Learning Management System accounts required by many courses. Students will be held responsible for information distributed in this manner.
Students within the BSN Prelicensure program, enrolled in nursing courses are permitted to drop the course one time. Enrolling (on or after the census date) in a course for a second time is considered an attempt. The grade earned on the second attempt is retained. All drops including academic and non-academic drops are also considered an attempt. Compassionate withdrawals and withdrawal exceptions will be reviewed on an individual basis by Undergraduate Nursing Appeals Committee.
Students may drop no more than three upper-division NURS courses during their undergraduate career. Students may drop no more than three upper-division NURS courses during their undergraduate career. All drops for academic and non- academic reasons are considered. Drops due to corequisite and prerequisite violations are also counted in this policy.
Students are required to meet with their academic advisor before dropping/withdrawing. All drops are finalized by the BSN Academic Advisors. Exceptions to this policy may be entertained because of extraordinary non-academic circumstances by Undergraduate Nursing leadership.
Elective and nursing preparatory courses are exempt from this policy.
Movement between the AO and CB BSN Prelicensure programs is at the discretion of program administration. Students will be required to sign a Program Transfer Agreement.
Prelicensure BSN students who withdraw or fail a course can repeat the course the next available time the course is offered.
*If there are more students than seats available, the students will be placed in the order in which they request the move (first come, first placed).
To pass a clinical course, the student must pass both the didactic and the clinical components of that course. Clinical attendance expectations, Clinical Performance Requirements and Evidence of Clinical Competence information can be found in the Undergraduate Student Handbook.
Some programs in the CONHI, such as the AO BSN Program, may require students to attend clinical on evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays. Students are expected to attend their assigned clinical rotation as scheduled, even when the University is otherwise scheduled for closure, i.e., Spring Break.
Students in the Prelicensure BSN Program will not be permitted to continue in the program nor to enroll for additional courses if they:
If a student fails a course, they must take NURS2232 if they have not already taken it.
Nursing students who wish to graduate with an Honors Degree in Nursing must be members of the Honors College in good standing. Students must complete the Nursing degree requirements and the requirements of the Honors College. Contact the College of Nursing and Health Innovation Honors Coordinator for further information. Due to the accelerated nature of the AO program the Honors Degree is limited to students in the Campus-based program.
It is the philosophy of the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation (CONHI) that the baccalaureate program is designed to prepare a competent, self-directed, general practitioner of nursing who can assume increasing responsibility and leadership in the delivery of nursing care. In consideration of the preparation of a general practitioner, all individuals who apply for admission and are enrolled in the undergraduate program must be able to perform the essential functions of a student of nursing.
The CONHI has identified essential nursing skills: communication, cognitive, motor, and sensory, observation, tactile, hearing, smell, psychomotor and ethical and professional integrity. The student enrolled in the Undergraduate Nursing program must demonstrate mastery of these components. Because providing direct patient care is physically demanding, students need to meet the physical requirements of a staff nurse in the same setting in which they are completing a clinical rotation. Upon BSN program acceptance, students must attest to their ability to meet these standards with or without an accommodation. If at that time a student requests an accommodation, the Student Access & Resource Center (SARC) and the CONHI must determine if the accommodation is reasonable PRIOR to the student beginning Upper-Division coursework.
If a student requires an accommodation to meet these standards, the student must initiate the review process with SARC within five (5) business days of being accepted to prevent a delay in the start of the program.
Qualified applicants are admitted without discrimination with regard to race, color, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability (reasonable accommodations will be made within the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines).
Students may be admitted to UT Arlington upon meeting the admission requirements established by the university which are described in the university catalog and website. Official transcripts must be submitted to the university Office of Admissions.
Registered nurses desiring admission to the RN to BSN program must:
Transcripts of RN students are evaluated with consideration of the Coordinating Board Field of Study Curriculum guidelines. Credit is given for all courses listed in the Field of Study Curriculum as transferable as well as any additional courses that may be applicable for transfer for a total of 29 hours.
Certain other conditions apply:
Prior to entering their junior semester, all students are required to attend the general orientation.
The University grade replacement/exclusion policy is limited by the College of Nursing and Health Innovation and is not applicable to nursing courses.
Oral proficiency is recognized to be a critical component of providing safe nursing care. In addition to content-specific presentations in various nursing courses, all Undergraduate Nursing students are required to communicate effectively with clients, members of the health care team, and faculty. Contact RN-BSN Program Director for more information.
Each student will be provided a UT Arlington e-mail address. Official communications from the College of Nursing and Health Innovation will be distributed to this e-mail address and Learning Management System accounts required by many courses. Students will be held responsible for information distributed in this manner.
Movement between AO and CB RN-BSN program is at the discretion of program administration.
Students may be admitted to UT Arlington upon meeting the admission requirements established by the University. Students will be advised by the CONHI Office of Enrollment and Student Services. Official transcripts must be submitted to the UT Arlington Office of Admissions.
The following semester hours must be completed prior to enrollment in upper-division nursing courses except as noted:
Natural Sciences | ||
HEED 1301 | NUTRITION | 3 |
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II 1,2,3,4,7 | 8 | |
Microbiology 2,4,7 | 4 | |
General Chemistry and Biological Chemistry 2,4,7 | 4 | |
Behavioral Sciences | ||
Introduction to Psychology 4,7 | 3 | |
Public Health: Principles and Populations, Sociology or Anthropology 3,4,5 | 3 | |
Developmental Psychology (Lifespan) 4,7 | 3 | |
Nursing | ||
NURS 3364 | INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSIONAL AND CLINICAL CONCEPTS IN NURSING 7 | 3 |
NURS 3366 | PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC PROCESSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING 4,7 | 3 |
Other | ||
Creative Arts (architecture, art, dance, music or theatre arts) 3,5 | 3 | |
Upper Division Elective 5 | 3 | |
Math | ||
MATH 1301 | CONTEMPORARY MATHEMATICS (An applicant taking math at UT Arlington is encouraged to complete Contemporary Mathematics (MATH 1301)) 3 | 3 |
Statistics 3,4,7 | 3 | |
History and Government | ||
U.S. History I and II 3,5,6 | 6 | |
U.S. and Texas Government 3,5,6 | 6 | |
English | ||
English Composition I and II 3 | 6 | |
English Literature 3,5 | 3 | |
Total Hours | 67 |
If part of a two-semester sequence, both courses are required.
Must contain a lab component.
Degree Plan Core Curriculum courses.
Degree Plan Program Specific courses.
CB students may complete after enrollment in junior nursing courses.
House Bill 935, passed by the Sixtieth Legislature, provides that no person may receive an undergraduate degree unless she/he has taken and passed six semester hours in American political science and six semester hours in United States history.
Must be passed with a grade of C or better and is subject to the Two-Attempt policy
Note: AO BSN students must complete all courses, including the upper division elective, prior to enrollment in junior nursing courses.
The following semester hours must be completed for graduation. These courses are prescriptive. A student may not move to the next semester without successfully completing the previous semester.
Third Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
NURS 3320 | 3 | NURS 3381 | 3 |
NURS 3632 | 6 | NURS 3661 | 6 |
NURS 3365 | 3 | NURS 3321 | 3 |
NURS 3261 | 2 | ||
12 | 14 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
NURS 4331 | 3 | NURS 4350 | 3 |
NURS 4341 | 3 | NURS 4462 | 4 |
NURS 4581 | 5 | NURS 4351 | 3 |
NURS 4199 | 1 | NURS 4323 | 3 |
12 | 13 | ||
Total Hours: 51 |
Natural Sciences | ||
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II 1,2,3,4,5 | 8 | |
Microbiology or Bacteriology 2,4,5 | 4 | |
English | ||
Composition I and II 3 | 6 | |
Literature 3,5 | 3 | |
History and Government | ||
American History I and II 3,5,7 | 6 | |
U.S. Government and Texas State and Local Government 3,5,7 | 6 | |
Behavioral Sciences | ||
Introduction to Psychology 4,5 | 3 | |
Sociology or Anthropology 3,4,5 | 3 | |
Development Psychology (Lifespan) 4,5 | 3 | |
Other | ||
Fine Arts (architecture, art, dance, music or theatre arts) 3,5 | 3 | |
MATH 1301 | CONTEMPORARY MATHEMATICS (An applicant taking math at UT Arlington is encouraged to complete Contemporary Mathematics (MATH 1301)) 3 | 3 |
Statistics 3,4,6 | 3 | |
Upper division elective 5,8 | 3 |
If part of a two-semester sequence, both courses are required.
Must contain a laboratory component.
Degree Plan Core Curriculum courses.
Degree Plan Program Specific courses.
May be completed after enrollment in nursing program.
Course must be completed with a grade of C or above prior to enrolling in the nursing program.
House Bill 935, passed by Sixtieth Legislature, provides that no person may receive an undergraduate degree unless she/he has taken and passed six semester hours in American political science and six semester hours in United States history.
The upper division elective course is in addition to the 3 credit hour upper division nursing elective requirement included in the 35 credit RN to BSN Nursing Course listing. This general 3 credit requirement can be met by taking any upper division elective course (including a second nursing elective), or by providing documentation of being certified through a nationally recognized nursing certification examination, or by completing a work-based project in the Nursing Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program
Third Year | Hours |
---|---|
NURS 3325 | 3 |
NURS 3345 | 3 |
NURS 3315 | 3 |
NURS 3375 | 3 |
NURS 3335 | 3 |
Upper-division nursing electives 1 | 3 |
Total Hours 2 | |
18 | |
Fourth Year | Hours |
NURS 4325 | 3 |
NURS 4455 | 4 |
NURS 4465 | 4 |
NURS 4685 | 6 |
17 | |
Total Hours: 35 |
Elective credit may be awarded for national certifications. Electives may be taken as a junior or as a senior.
Will accept up to 29 credit hours transferred from a diploma or Associate Degree in nursing.
This 9-semester credit hour certificate will prepare upper division undergraduate students from any related discipline to have fundamental skills needed for telehealth and health informatics. Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services via electronic and telecommunication technology. Health Informatics is the storage and use of health care information to foster better collaboration among various health-related providers.
The courses for this certificate are offered all online, but are campus based. They are not available in the accelerated online format. Students may enroll in the certificate alone or include the certificate as part of an undergraduate degree plan from any related major. There are 3 required courses in the certificate.
Required: | ||
NURS-HI 3359 | INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH INFORMATICS | 3 |
NURS-HI 3360 | INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE | 3 |
NURS-HI 3358 | FUNDAMENTAL TELEHEALTH SKILLS | 3 |
Total Hours | 9 |