Traditional BSN Program

The Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing meets the standards for and has been approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, leading to a California Registered Nurse (RN) license. Students who wish to practice in a state other than California may or may not have additional requirements to complete prior to applying for the RN license. Mount Saint Mary’s University is in the process of researching program professional licensure standards in other states. Contact Marie Seitz at mseitz@msmu.edu to discuss additional requirements that may be needed to obtain an RN license in a state outside of California.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the general admission requirements, acceptance into the BSN Program is determined by the BSN Admission Committee. Admission is based upon a consideration of the student's academic achievement. There is a formal review of the student's high school achievement record, grade point average, University Entrance Examination scores, previous college experience (if any). Students who intend to major in nursing are advised to take high school chemistry. A student may repeat a course required for the nursing major no more than once. Failure (C- and below) of any two required science or pre-requisite courses results in non-admission.

In order to be eligible for review, applicants must be admitted to the University and then fulfill the nursing admission requirements. Admission to the sophomore nursing courses is considered for the fall semester only and is based on:

  • Cumulative GPA: 3.0 or higher
  • Science GPA: 2.7 or higher
  • English GPA
  • Entrance Exam
  • Social Science GPA

LVN to BSN Admission Policy

LVNs that have been accepted by the University and have completed the general education requirements of the first two years may challenge sophomore level nursing courses and move directly into junior level nursing courses.

LVN to RN Non-Matriculation 26 unit Option

A non-degree R.N. option is available for applicants licensed as LVN’s in California. After completing 26 units of prescribed courses, the student is eligible to take the California examination for the R.N. Licensure. The student is not a graduate of the BSN Program and does not receive a Degree. This option is available in any of the pre-licensure programs at Mount Saint Mary’s University. Practice as a Registered Nurse with a CA license outside the State of California may be limited.

RN to BSN Admission Policy

Registered Nurses who apply to the BSN program may be given transfer credit for previous nursing courses equivalent to the sophomore and junior level nursing courses. Validation of clinical competence is required prior to entry into the program. In addition, applicants need to meet university admission requirements and BSN program admission policies for RN to BSN applicants.

Criteria for Guaranteed Admission for High School Students

 

Mount Saint Mary’s University Traditional Baccalaureate Nursing Program extends eligibility, to be reviewed for admission, to high school student applicants who qualify for guaranteed (direct) admission consideration by meeting the following requirements. Meeting the following requirements does not necessarily constitute a guaranteed (direct) admission spot.

  1. Complete two science advanced placement courses with AP or IB test scores of four or five or complete three years of science in high school with a GPA of 3.5 or greater on a four point scale or 4.25 or greater on a five point scale. Of these three years of science requirements, the student must complete at least one year of chemistry and one year of biology.
  2. Achieve an overall high school GPA of 3.8 or greater on a four point scale or 4.25 or greater on a five point scale.
  3. Complete three years of math with pre-calculus as the minimum attainment.
  4. Achieve a total score greater than 1170 on the new SAT, including a minimum score of 600 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (SAT-EBRW) and a minimum score of 570 in Math (SAT-M) OR an ACT composite score of 24 or greater. For applicants submitting old SAT scores, they must achieve a total score greater than 1650, including a minimum score of 550 in Critical Thinking (SAT-CR), a minimum score of 550 in Math (SAT-M), and a minimum score of 550 in Writing (SAT-WR). 
Once the student is accepted and enters the University under the guaranteed (direct) admission program, they will declare nursing as their baccalaureate major and be considered a part of the Department of Nursing. To progress into nursing courses, the student must do all of the following:

  1. Complete and pass (C or higher) all nursing prerequisite courses at the University during the first (freshman) year.
  2. Maintain an overall Science GPA of 3.2 and Cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  3. Obtain a minimum score of 70 or above on the Kaplan evaluation taken during the freshman year.
Once a guaranteed (direct) admission student has completed nursing pre-requisites and achieves the above requirements, the student will move into the sophomore nursing courses.

Should a guaranteed (direct) admission student fail to meet the minimum requirements above in the freshman year, she or he will not progress to the sophomore nursing courses. The student will then be eligible to be added to the general pool of pre-nursing admission candidates for that academic year, provided they meet the Traditional BSN admission requirements.

If a student does not meet the Traditional BSN admission requirements, they have an option to do a second year as a pre-nursing major and reapply to the program the following spring.

 

TBSN Curriculum Requirements

Nursing Requirements

Freshman Year (Pre-requisite Requirements)

CHE 3Foundations of Chemistry

3

or

PHS 1Scientific Concepts

3

BIO 50AHuman Anatomy

3

BIO 50ALHuman Anatomy Laboratory

1

BIO 50BHuman Physiology

3

BIO 50BLHuman Physiology Laboratory

1

BIO 3General Microbiology

3

BIO 3LGeneral Microbiology Lab

1

PSY 1Introduction to Psychology

3

SOC 1Introduction to Sociology

3

ENG 1AFreshman English

3

ENG 1BFreshman English

3

SPE 10Introduction to Communication

2

FYS
FYS 1 and FYS 2

MTH 10Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Ideas

3

CHE 3/PHS 1, BIO 50A, BIO 50AL, BIO 50B, BIO 50BL, BIO 3, and BIO 3L: Must have been completed within 5 years prior to admission.

FYS 1/FYS 2: Not required for students entering MSMU with over 24 transferable units.

Sophomore Year

NUR 12TNutrition and Health

2

NUR 13TPharmacology I

1

NUR 14TPharmacology II

2

NUR 55TAdaptation Nursing: Foundations of Nursing and Roy Adaptation Model

7

NUR 55TPAdaptation Nursing: Foundations of Nursing and Roy Adaptation Model

0

NUR 56TPathophysiology

3

NUR 57TAdaptation Nursing: Fundamental Nursing Skills Lab

1

NUR 62TAdaptation Nursing: Adult Medical Surgical Nursing I

7.5

NUR 62TPAdaptation Nursing: Adult Medical Surgical Nursing I

0

 

LACE
Central Core Course

3

 

PHI 21Moral Values and Ethical Decisions

3

or

RST 41Introduction to Christian Ethics

3

 

PSY 12Lifespan/Human Development

3

or

PSY 15Global Lifespan Development

3

Junior Year

NUR 168TIntegrative Theory and Practices

1.5

NUR 169TPallative Care

1.5

NUR 170TAdaptation Nursing: Adult Medical Surgical II

4.5

NUR 170TPAdaptation Nursing: Adult Medical Surgical II

0

NUR 171TAdaptation Nursing: Childbearing Families and Women's Health

4.5

NUR 171TPAdaptation Nursing: Childbearing Families and Women's Health

0

NUR 172TAdaptation Nursing: Children and Families

4.5

NUR 172TPAdaptation Nursing: Children and Families

0

NUR 173TAdaptation Nursing: Mental Health

4.5

NUR 173TPAdaptation Nursing: Mental Health

0

 

PHI 168AContemporary Moral Problems

3

or

PHI 168BBioethics

3

or

RST 149Biomedical Issues in Christian Ethics

3

 

PHI 5Introduction to Logic

3

or

PHI 10Critical Thinking

3

Senior Year

NUR 134TEvidence-Based Practice

3

NUR 184TAdaptation Nursing: Leadership and Policy

4.5

NUR 184TPAdaptation Nursing: Leadership and Policy

0

NUR 185TAdaptation Nursing: Gerontology

4.5

NUR 185TPAdaptation Nursing: Gerontology

0

NUR 186TAdaptation Nursing: Transition to Professional Practice

5

NUR 186TPAdaptation Nursing: Transition to Professional Practice

0

NUR 187TAdaptation Nursing: Community/Public Health

4.5

NUR 187TPAdaptation Nursing: Community/Public Health

0

NUR 188TAdaptation Nursing: Advanced Health Assesment

2

Integrative Scholarship (Any 2 courses that meets)

6

*SOC 1, PHI 21 or RST 41, and PHI 168A or PHI 168B or RST 149 are required as part of the LACE General Education requirements, starting with the Fall 2018 Catalog.

 

To graduate with a BSN degree, students will need to complete the LACE requirements. This will encompass a central core course sophomore year in addition to the courses noted above.

 

*NUR 186T and NUR 186TP fulfill the capstone requirement for TBSN.

 

Please note, those courses with Practicum units above are the clinical courses in the curriculum. They must be passed with a C or better. A C- or lower grade will result in program dismissal.