Albany Traditional Program

Application Periods

Acceptance Cohort Application Period Classes Begin
Spring (Even Years) June 2 - November 1 (Odd Years) January (Even Years)
Summer November 2 - April 1 May
Fall January 1 - June 1 August

NOTE: It is strongly advised that new applicants apply to the University AT LEAST ONE MONTH PRIOR to submitting an application for the program. This will allow the University time to fully evaluate the student’s application/supporting documentation and perform any necessary transfer articulations. 

Background

The ASN Program is designed for students desiring an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and, as such, is an ideal program of high school, transfer, and change-of-major students. We in the department refer to this program as part of our "working professional" track, as this program both allows students to enter the nursing workforce quickly and offers more accessibility for individuals already working full-time positions (especially in reference to our Evening and Hybrid track variants).

Currently, students are accepted into this program each semester (Spring, Summer, and Fall), excluding the Spring semester of every odd year, during which the Evening ASN Program replaces this offering. Courses within this program are primarily on-campus (that is, on Albany State University's East and West Campuses) with the potential for some courses to be offered as online or hybridized, but please be aware that this is not guaranteed.

Clinical experiences are held in our clinical skills lab(s), Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and other facilities in the surrounding area as needed. All students will be expected to comply with all requirements set forth by the clinical institution, including their code of conduct. The institution reserves the right to prevent entry or request withdrawal from the clinical site any student the institution believes constitutes a risk of harm to patients, visitors, or employees or who fails to follow the institution’s policies and procedures. If students are precluded from a clinical site by an institution, the Department of Nursing has no obligation to find an alternative clinical site for the student, and this may prevent the student from progressing in the Nursing Program.

Program Format

Freshmen desiring to attend this program will enter ASU as a Health Science major with a secondary major/degree indicator of "AS in Nursing," which MUST be specified upon application to the University. During the student's first semester, he/she will complete (at a minimum) the three (3) courses necessary to become eligible to apply for the nursing program beginning the following semester. After being accepted into the nursing program, this track comprises five (5) additional consecutive semesters with the remaining Core curriculum courses incorporated into the curriculum pattern.

Throughout the nursing curriculum, students are exposed to the various fields and specializations within the nursing profession, including Women's Health, Pediatrics, Adult Medical-Surgical, and many others. This program culminates with the student earning an Associate of Science in Nursing, which, following successful completion of the state licensing exam for Registered Nurses (the NCLEX-RN), prepares students with the knowledge and clinical skills to function as a beginning nurse. Additionally, our ASN graduates are prepared to enter baccalaureate- and (in the case of RN-to-MSN programs) graduate-level nursing programs to order to advance their careers!

Admission Criteria

Traditional ASN Admission Criteria

Admission to the nursing program is competitive, and the number of students is limited by the number of faculty and clinical facilities available. Meeting minimal requirements does NOT guarantee acceptance. When faculty-to-student ratio limits the acceptance of all qualified students, students will be granted admission according to their qualifications and the completeness of their application packet.

Applicants must:

  1. PRIOR to program application, satisfy the following criteria:
    • Be admitted into Albany State University in good standing.
    • Pass the standardized nursing entrance exam at or above the established percentage rate within no more than two (2) attempts within 12 months of application submission. The ASN program currently requires a minimum overall score of 65.0% on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS).
      • NOTE: Applicants who take the TEAS via a method other than on-site testing at Albany State University’s West Campus Testing Center must have their scores OFFICIALLY transferred to Albany State University via ATI Testing’s TEAS Transcript.
  2. AFTER receiving University acceptance, submit the electronic nursing program application, which includes payment of the application fee and submission of a copy of TEAS exam results.
    • Applications submitted prior to official University acceptance and/or without OFFICIAL TEAS scores will be automatically denied without further review.
  3. Successfully complete and exit all learning support courses.
  4. Complete 10 hours of the associate program's Core Curriculum with a minimum grade of "C" in each of the following courses: Anatomy and Physiology I, English Composition I, and an approved math course (Quantitative Reasoning, College Algebra, or higher-level math course).
  5. Have a minimum cumulative Nursing Grade Point Average (NGPA) of 2.80 in Anatomy and Physiology I, English Composition I, and the approved math course. Only the HIGHEST grades received within the past 10 years from these courses will be used to calculate applicants’ NGPA.
    • NOTE: While not required for program admission, the highest grades from the following five (5) courses may be factored into an applicant's NGPA calculation if the 2.80 NGPA benchmark was not met from the above coursework: Anatomy and Physiology II, Microbiology, General Psychology, American Government, and an elective in Humanities/Fine Arts (either a Literature, Foreign Language, or Appreciation course).
  6. Successfully complete a Human Anatomy and Physiology I course with a grade of "C" or higher that is less than 5 years old (if the applicant is NOT an active LPN or paramedic) or less than 8 years old (if the applicant IS an active LPN or paramedic) at the time of potential program admission. Please note the following:
    Circumstance Result
    ONLY A&P1 completed but expired A&P1 must be repeated prior to admission
    BOTH A&P1 and A&P2 completed but ONLY A&P1 expired No repeats required
    BOTH A&P1 and A&P2 completed but ONLY A&P2 expired A&P2 must be repeated (may be done in-program)
    BOTH A&P1 and A&P2 completed and BOTH expired A&P2 must be repeated (may be done in-program)
  7. Have no more than one (1) nursing course failure from prior nursing program enrollment (whether at a 2- or 4-year institution, including Albany State University or the former Darton State College)
    • Students with no more than two (2) nursing failures ("D," "F," "WF," "U") may be considered for admission (or readmission only after a 3-year period has passed from the most recently-earned failure.

Students are subjected to compulsory background checks and drug screenings per clinical agency requirements and may also be required to submit to random tests for illegal use of controlled substances as provided by the law and/or regulations of the contracting agency. Therefore, it is important to conduct personal record checks prior to program application.

If a site refuses to allow a student to attend clinical experiences for any reason, the nursing program is not obligated to find another clinical site, and the student will be unable to complete the nursing program at ASU. 

Advanced Placement & Credit by Examination

Applicants to the Traditional, Evening, and/or Hybrid ASN program who have already completed an LPN program or the Advanced Naval Corpsman Hospitalman Course (NER-HN-001) and have 1 year of active practice within the past 2 years may challenge NURS 1101: Fundamentals of Nursing, NURS 1105: Pharmacology for Nurses, and NURS 1111: Adult Health I for credit.

Appointments to challenge coursework for credit will be made after the applicant has received their acceptance letter from the Department of Nursing (but prior to the first day of classes) and will require the applicant to submit a copy of their PNE transcript and current, active licensure. Successful performance on the three components of the challenge examination—theory, clinical, and mathematics—allows the student to exempt the relevant course(s) and begin the program in advanced standing.

NURS 1101 will be challenged first, and successful performance will allow the student to either begin matriculating at the second semester or continue with challenging NURS 1105 and NURS 1111. Failure will result in the student beginning their matriculation with the first semester.

NURS 1105 and NURS 1111 can be challenged after successful exemption of NURS 1101. Successful performance on both courses' examinations will allow the student to begin their program matriculation with the third semester. Failure of one or both of these courses' challenge examinations will allow the student to begin their program matriculation at the second semester, completing the course(s) they did not successfully exempt.

Please note the following restrictions regarding advanced program placement:

  • Advanced program placement must occur BEFORE initial program enrollment (i.e., before the applicant's first semester in-program). Mid-semester and/or mid-matriculation challenges (i.e., taking the first semester and challenging to skip the second semester) is not permitted.
  • NO advanced program placement is permitted within the HCP-to-RN Bridge program.
  • NO advanced program placement is permitted for students wishing to transfer mid-matriculation from one of ASU's pre-licensure nursing programs to another (e.g., BSN to ASN, Bridge to ASN)
  • NO advanced program placement is permitted for students who were previously enrolled in a nursing program and either (1) withdrew from one or more nursing courses, (2) earned a nursing course failure ("D," "F," "WF," or "U"), or (3) were otherwise dismissed from the program (for any reason).

Curriculum Pattern

Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
BIOL 2411K Anatomy & Physiology I (4)
ENGL 1101 Engl. Comp. I (3)
MATH 1001/1111 (or higher-level MATH) (3)
POLS 1101 American Government (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 13		 BIOL 2412K Anatomy & Physiology II (4)
NURS 1101 Fundamentals of Nursing (6)
PSYC 1101 General Psychology (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 13		 BIOL 2211K Intro to Microbiology (4)
NURS 1105 Pharmacology for Nurses (2)
NURS 1111 Adult Health I (6)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 12
Semester 4 Semester 5 Semester 6
Area C Elective (Lit./Foreign Lang./Appreciation) (3)
NURS 1112 Adult Health II (7)
NURS 2113 Psychiatric Nursing (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 13		 NURS 2111 Nursing Care of Women/Children (8)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 8		 A-Term: NURS 2115 Adult Health III (8)
B-Term: NURS 2116 Capstone Review (3)
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 11