NURSING PROGRAM — BACHELOR OF SCIENCE CURRICULUM FOR PRELICENSURE STUDENTS
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences offers undergraduate students a challenging and carefully organized program of study that addresses both the theoretical and the clinical aspects of nursing. Full-time undergraduate students can complete the program in four academic years, a total of eight semesters.
Five semesters of clinical nursing courses require students to spend six to eight hours per day, two to three days a week at a health care agency. Many clinical courses require students to obtain their clinical assignment the day before the scheduled clinical time to insure quality preparation for their clinical assignment. Additional related expenses incurred by students include uniforms, transportation, parking, and the cost of obtaining clinical clearance documentation (see the section on “Clinical Clearance Requirements” above).
The nursing program is very time intensive due to clinical and class assignments. Students are strongly advised to limit employment to fewer than 20 hours per week. Working more than 20 hours per week may result in academic jeopardy.
: Due to agency availability and clinical clearance requirements, satisfactory fulfillment of admission criteria does not guarantee admission or immediate matriculation into the clinical nursing courses in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. This applies to freshman, transfer, and inter-college/second degree transfer applicants.
Freshman Year Credits
| first semester | ||
| ENGL 101 | Freshman English I | 3 |
| NURSNG G1071 | First Year Seminar | 4 |
| ESPE 150 | Nutrition for Health & Sport | 3 |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Statistics: Students may take any one of the following six courses 3 | ||
| ECON 205 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| MSIS 111 | Managerial Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 125 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| PSYCH Z270 | Statistics | 3 |
| SOCIOL 270 | Elements of Social Statistics | 3 |
| ESPE 310 | Statistics and Evaluation in Exercise Science and Physical Education | 3 |
| second semester | ||
| ENGL 102 | Freshman English II | 3 |
| CHEM 130 | Physiological Chemistry 3 | 4 |
| SOCIOL 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Arts/Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| World Languages/World Cultures | 3 | |
Sophomore Year Credits
| first semester | ||
| BIOL 207 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL 209 | Medical Microbiology | 4 |
| NURSNG 212 | Health Promotion and Teaching (Intermediate Sem) | 3 |
| NURSNG 230 | Life Span Growth and Development | 3 |
| World Languages/World Cultures | 3 | |
| second semester | ||
| BIOL 208 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| NURSNG 201 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| NURSNG 220 | Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURSNG 226 | Introduction to Nursing Practice | 6 |
| Writing Proficiency Requirement - Prerequisite for NU 310 | ||
Junior Year Credits
| first semester | ||
| NURSNG 310 | Adult Health Nursing I | 9 |
| NURSNG 312 | Health Care Informatics | 3 |
| NURSNG 314 | Pharmacology | 3 |
| second semester | ||
| NURSNG 320 | Research | 3 |
| NURSNG 332 | Legal, Ethical, and Health Policy Issues | 2 |
| NURSNG 335 | Maternity and Women’s Health Nursing | 6 |
| NURSNG 345 | Mental Health Nursing | 5 |
Senior Year Credits
| first semester | ||
| NURSNG 425 | Adult Health Nursing II | 6 |
| NURSNG 435 | Nursing Care of Children | 6 |
| second semester | ||
| NURSNG 440 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 2 |
| NURSNG 445 | Community Health Nursing and Capstone | 9 |
| NURSNG 450 | Preparation for Professional Licensure and Practice (PreLicensure students only) |
1 |
| Arts/Humanities Elective | 3 | |
:
1. Students are encouraged to take NURSNG G 107, but may take any other G 100-level course.
2. Note: BIOL 111 General Biology is a prerequisite for BIOL 207, 208 & 209. BIOL 111 can be used to satisfy the elective requirement.
3. CHEM 130 requires students to place into statistics on the required Math Placement exam. Check catalog for specific statistics course prerequisites.
Required Exams
Upon admission to the nursing major all students are required to take the Math B and English placement exams. Most courses in the undergraduate curriculum require both generic and RN students to successfully pass Safe Administration of Medications Exams (SAME). Generic students are also required to successfully pass standardized exams and competencies as directed by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Examinations for Course Credit
CLEP Examinations: Options for All Nursing Students
Nursing students may satisfy certain program
equirements by attaining a score at the 50th percentile or better on the following CLEP examinations:
CLEP Examination Credits In Lieu of
General Biology 4 BIOL 111
Introductory Sociology 3 SOCIOL 101
English 3 ENGL 101
Humanities 6 Two CLA
Humanities
Electives
More information on CLEP Examinations is available from the University Advising Center at 617.287.5500.
Please note: Graduation requirements stipulate that students must complete a minimum of 30 residency credits at UMass Boston. The above CLEP and NLN exams for course credit are not considered residency credits.
Admission
Applicants for admission to the university and to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are encouraged to apply as early as possible to UMass Boston’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Consideration for admission to the PreLicensure bachelor of science degree program in nursing requires a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 and an academic record indicating a strong background in mathematics and the natural and social sciences. SAT or ACT scores must be submitted by students seeking admission as freshmen, unless these students have been out of high school for three or more years.
Transfer Student Applicants
Students wishing to be considered for admission into UMass Boston’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ prelicensure bachelor of science degree program in nursing must have earned their transferable credits from an accredited college or university and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 or better and an academic record indicating a strong background in mathematics and the natural and social sciences.
Transfer students may be awarded credit for courses taken at other institutions if the courses are comparable to UMass Boston courses and if they have been completed with a grade of “C” or better. Transfer credit for the required science courses, however, is awarded only for courses with a grade of “C+” (2.25 or 77%) or better and taken within ten years of matriculation into the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. A grade of “C+” (2.25 or 77%) or better must also be achieved for a nursing course to be considered for transfer credit. After a student has matriculated into the nursing major they must take all nursing courses at CNHS.
Of the 123 credits required for graduation, a minimum of thirty must be earned in residence at UMass Boston. Upon matriculation into the nursing major a student must take all nursing courses at CNHS. Students may, however, request transfer of a limited number of non-clinical nursing course credits from another accredited collegiate institution prior to matriculation by petitioning the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Second Degree UMB students must complete an additional thirty residential credits. A student who has matriculated into the nursing major must take all nursing courses at CNHS.
Inter-College Transfer Students and Second UMB Degree Applicants
Students who have an earned bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston (Second UMB Degree Students), or who are enrolled in another college at UMass Boston, may apply for admission consideration to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences through the Inter-College Transfer/Second Degree UMB process. As with all candidates for admission consideration, Inter-College Transfer and Second UMB Degree Applicants should have an academic record indicating a strong background in mathematics and the natural and social sciences. Inter-college/second UMB degree transfer of credit to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences may be accepted if the courses are similar in content to those at the College and if they have been completed with a grade of “C” or better. Transfer credit for the required science courses, however, is awarded only for courses with a grade of “C+” (2.25 or 77%) or better and taken within ten years of matriculation into the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. A grade of “C+” (2.25 or 77%) or better must also be achieved for a nursing course to be considered for transfer credit. After a student has matriculated into the nursing major they must take all nursing courses at CNHS.
Criteria for Inter-College transfer admission consideration to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences include:
- A completed Inter-College Transfer Application. Note: A student may apply only once to CNHS as an Inter-College Transfer
- A minimum of 12 credits completed at UMass Boston with a minimum GPA of 2.75 or better (exclusive of ESL, OCAS, CRW, or MATHSK courses)
- One laboratory science course completed at UMass Boston with a grade of “C+” (2.25 or 77%) or better
- No more than one required science course with a grade ess than “C+” (2.25 or 77%) completed at UMass Boston
- Submission of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, including UMass Boston
Criteria for Second UMB Degree Student admission consideration to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences include:
- A completed Second UMB Degree Student application
- A minimum GPA of 2.75 at UMass Boston
- Submission of transcripts from all colleges and niversities attended, including UMass Boston.
UMass Boston graduates with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 to 2.74 may be conditionally admitted pending completion of 12 more credits at UMass Boston with a GPA of 2.75. Students who do not achieve the 2.75 GPA after completing 12 credits at UMass Boston will be dismissed from the nursing major.
The application deadline for all candidates is March 1; Inter-College Transfer and Second UMB Degree students are admitted only for the fall semester. Inter-College Transfer and Second UMB Degree forms are available at the Office of the Registrar. Students who have completed non-clinical nursing courses at an accredited institution may petition for transfer credit prior to matriculation.
Student Handbook
For more information about College programs, policies and procedures, please refer to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook at www.cnhs.umb.edu, which delineates all College of Nursing and Health Sciences policies and procedures, including
- all clinical requirements (uniform purchase, dress, and conduct; specifics for clinical clearance items);
- learning resources, tutoring, and scholarship information;
- student associations and activities;
- class representative and class officer responsibilities;
- participation in College of Nursing and Health Sciences committees;
- academic progress policies;
- appeal and readmission procedures;
- CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) requirements.