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

Your academic advisor is a critical partner in fostering your success at IU South Bend and beyond. Your advisor will help you explore academic majors and careers, plan your degree, choose classes, learn about internships and study abroad, and much more. To see who is assigned as your advisor, visit your Student Online Advising Record in one.iu.edu. For more information about advising at IU South Bend, visit the website for the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Final responsibility for meeting degree requirements rests with the student.

Questions about advising? Email sbadvise@iu.edu or call (574) 520-4550.

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.)

• CHEM-C 102 Elementary Chemistry 2
• HSC-L 230 Health Care Delivery Systems
• 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 Division of Nursing Science designates each semester and must complete each level before progressing.

Year 3, Semester 1 (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.)

Year 3, Semester 2 (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 1 (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 2 (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