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 have additional educational and/or non-educational requirements to complete prior to applying for the RN license.

Prior to enrollment, prospective students are advised to review the educational requirements for RN licensure in any state other than California. The nursing department can help applicants and students navigate the out-of-state licensure process. Contact the program director to discuss the process of obtaining an out-of-state RN license.

TBSN Admission Requirements

To gain acceptance into the BSN Program, applicants must not only meet the general admission requirements but also undergo evaluation by the BSN Admission Committee. This evaluation focuses on the student’s academic performance. Students planning to major in nursing are encouraged to complete high school chemistry.

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must first secure admission to the University and fulfill all nursing admission prerequisites. Admission to sophomore nursing courses is available exclusively for the fall semester and is evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Cumulative GPA: 3.0 or higher

• Science GPA: 2.7 or higher

• English GPA

• Entrance Exam Scores

• Social Science GPA

Students may repeat a nursing major-required course only once. Failure in any two required science or prerequisite courses (earning a grade of C- or below) results in disqualification from admission.

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 MSMU or 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 High School Student Direct Entry Admission

 

High school students seeking admission to Mount Saint Mary’s University Baccalaureate Nursing Program may be eligible for direct entry consideration if they meet specific requirements. However, fulfilling these requirements does not guarantee a direct admission spot. To be eligible for direct entry, prospective high school students must

1. Complete
   1. Two science advanced placement courses with AP or IB test scores of four or five or
   2. 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.
      1. Of these three years, 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 that include either per-calculus or stats.

After being accepted into the University through the direct entry admission program, students will declare nursing as their baccalaureate major and officially join the Department of Nursing. To advance to nursing courses, they must fulfill all of the following requirements:

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 2.7 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 direct entry admission student successfully completes the nursing prerequisites and meets the stated requirements, they will advance to the sophomore nursing courses.

If a direct entry admission student does not meet the minimum requirements during their freshman year, they will not progress to the sophomore nursing courses. Instead, they may be considered for inclusion in the general pool of pre-nursing admission candidates for that academic year, provided they fulfill the BSN admission criteria.

Should a student fail to meet the BSN admission requirements, they have the option to remain as a pre-nursing major for a second year and reapply to the program in the following spring.