Pictured | Ariel Watts | Bachelor of Science in Nursing | South Bend, Indiana (hometown)
Student Government Association | Senator
Athletic Participation | IU South Bend Cheer
Volunteer Participation | Back the Bend
Club Affiliations | Black Student Union; Latino Student Union; Sustainability Club; Smash Club; IU South Bend Dart Club

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is a program that strives to offer a creative, evidence-based curriculum for meeting the current and future health needs of society. The curriculum prepares a generalist in professional nursing and serves as a basis for graduate study. The BSN program has been recently updated to reflect the ever-changing healthcare environment. The lower division courses include all the prerequisite sciences, liberal arts and general education courses that provide the solid foundation for the upper division nursing curriculum. The outcomes of the BSN nursing curriculum provide the generalist entry-level professional nurse with the abilities to holistically and critically think using evidence- based practice and clinical reasoning skills within a theoretical framework.

The BSN degree prepares graduates to successfully pass the national licensing examination (NCLEX) to become a Registered Nurse (RN). An RN is a licensed professional who protects, promotes, and optimizes individuals’ health and abilities, prevents illness and injury, and alleviates suffering through diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Registered Nurses are informed, caring advocates for individuals, families, and their communities. As an entry-level professional nurse, BSN RN graduates can and do work in a variety of settings, including traditional acute and tertiary hospital settings, to community-based and outpatient centers, and nontraditional positions such as research assistants and in medical sales.

Academic Advising

Advising holds are placed on all Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences newly admitted and transfer students and are released following advising appointments to guide registration. Students with a declared major are advised by their academic units. To determine who your advisor is and how to contact them, see One.IU.

Degree Requirements (120 cr.)

Degree Map >>

Students receiving the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree must complete 120 total credit hours including:

• IU South Campuswide General Education Curriculum (33 cr.)
• Additional requirements (28 cr.)
• Major concentration and elective requirements (59 cr.)

• A minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300– or 400–level
• Courses required for the major must be completed with a grade of C or higher. A minimum CGPA of 2.0 is required.
• All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted.

Additional Requirements (28 cr.)

• HSC-H 322 Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• HSC-L 230 Health Care Delivery Systems
• HSC-L 320 Health Care Delivery Systems (corrected 10/08/2024
• MICR-M 250 Microbial Cell Biology
• MICR-M 255 Microbiology Laboratory (2 cr.)
• NURS-B 231 Communication Skill for the Health Professionals
• PHSL-P 261 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 (4 cr.)
• PHSL-P 262 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 (4 cr.)
• PSY-P 103 General Psychology
• PSY-P 216 Life Span Developmental Psychology

Nursing Requirements (59 cr.)

The degree program has 59 credit hours of required nursing courses. Students must be formally admitted to the nursing major to enroll in the following nursing courses. The nursing course sequence is identified by semester numbers and is generally completed in the order shown below. Nursing courses begin with the junior year after formal admission. Students are required to successfully complete the entire set of courses which the School of Nursing designates each semester and must complete each level before progressing.

Year Three, Semester One (16 cr.)

• NURS-C 310 Discipline of Nursing: Theory, Research, and Practice
• NURS-C 315 Nursing Care Fundamentals (4 cr.)
• NURS-C 320 Health Assessment in Nursing (4 cr.)
• NURS-C 322 Pathopharmacology 1 (2 cr.)
• Nursing Elective (3 cr.)
• NURS-K 192 Topics in Nursing (corrected 10/08/2024)

Year 3 Semester Two (13 cr.)

• NURS-C 325 Nursing Care of Adults and Older Adults 1 (5 cr.)
• NURS-C 327 Mental Health Nursing Care
• NURS-C 330 Nursing Care of Peripartal Women, Neonates, and the Family
• NURS-C 332 Pathopharmacology 2 (2 cr.)

Year 4 Semester One (15 cr.)

• NURS-C 405 Nursing Care of Adults and Older Adults 2 (5 cr.)
• NURS-C 410 Nursing Care of Children
• NURS-C 415 Nursing Care of Communities (4 cr.)
• NURS-C 418 Nursing Inquiry

Year 4 Semester Two (15 cr.)

• NURS-C 422 Complex Nursing Care Across The Lifespan (5 cr.)
• NURS-C 427 Nursing Leadership and Management (4 cr.)
• NURS-C 430 Nursing Care Synthesis 
• NURS-S 483 Clinical Nursing Practice Capstone