Generic BSN Program (2+2 Format)
Applications Accepted
Acceptance Cohort | Application Period | Classes Begin |
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 Generic BSN Program is designed for students desiring a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and, as such, is an ideal program for high school, transfer, and change-of-major students who want that “classic” college experience. Currently, students are only admitted into this program during the Fall semester. Courses within this program are primarily taken 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
The Generic BSN Program is offered as a “2+2 program,” in which the student spends their first 2 years at the University completing the Core curriculum and their second 2 years completing nursing courses exclusively. Freshmen will enter ASU as a Health and Human Performance major with a “Pre-Nursing” attribute, which MUST be specified upon application to the University. During their first 2 academic years (that is, their freshman and sophomore years), students complete the Core curriculum while taking the nine (9) courses necessary to become eligible to apply for the nursing program beginning in the following Fall semester. After being accepted into the nursing program, the Generic BSN program lasts for two academic years.
Throughout the nursing curriculum, students are exposed to the various fields and specializations within the field, including Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, and many others. This program culminates with the student earning a Bachelor 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, nurse manager, or leader within various healthcare settings. Additionally, our BSN graduates are prepared to enter graduate nursing programs in order to advance their careers, two of which are offered at this institution!
Admission Criteria
Applicants must:
- FIRST, submit an application to Albany State University and be admitted in good standing.
- AFTER being accepted as a student at Albany State University, submit the completed application, a $20.00 application
fee money order, and a printed copy of their TEAS exam scores by the application deadline.
- In addition to a printed copy, applicants who take the TEAS exam at a testing site other than ASU’s West Campus Testing Center must also have their official TEAS scores transferred to Albany State University via ATI Testing’s “TEAS Transcript.”
- Pass the standardized entrance exam for admission to nursing at or above the established
percentage rate within no more than two (2) attempts within 12 months of application
submission. As TEAS scores are valid for 12 months after the published testing date,
scores older than 12 months of age at the time of application submission will not
be considered.
- Currently, the entrance exam is the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), and the minimum qualifying score is 70.0%.
- Successfully complete and exit all learning support courses.
- Complete the entirety of the baccalaureate Core curriculum (including the “Above the
Core” requirements) prior to Fall admission with a minimum letter grade of “C” in
all coursework.
- Applicants with six (6) or less credit hours of outstanding Core curriculum may still be considered for program admission, provided no other criteria are outstanding and none of the outstanding courses impact the calculation of an applicant’s Nursing GPA, as discussed below. However, if admitted, any outstanding Core must be completed within two (2) semesters of program enrollment.
- Have a minimum cumulative Nursing Grade Point Average (NGPA) of 2.8 in the following
nine (9) Core courses: English Composition I & II, two (2) sequential courses in an
Area D science (either Biology I & II or Chemistry I & II), Microbiology, Human Anatomy
and Physiology I & II, Human Growth and Development, and Pre-Nursing Seminar.
- Only the grades from the above nine (9) courses will be used to compute the student’s NGPA. All passing, failing, and repeated course grades from within the past 10 years will be included in this calculation.
- Complete all required science courses with a grade of “C” or higher in each course. Only one (1) science course failure is allowed, and this course must be repeated prior to entry into the nursing program. If the science failure(s) occurred more than 3 years ago, the student has the opportunity to repeat the course(s) one (1) time.
- Successfully complete Human Anatomy and Physiology course(s) that are less than 6 years old at the time of potential admission to the nursing program. Any Human Anatomy & Physiology courses that are older than 6 years of age must be retaken and passed with a letter grade of “C” or higher.
- Following admission to the nursing program, students will be required to submit documentation
evidencing satisfaction (and/or maintenance) of the following requirements prior to
the established pre-clinical deadline for each nursing course with a clinical/laboratory
component:
- Annual flu vaccinations
- Complete criminal background check and 10-panel drug screening (via PreCheck)
- Students are subjected to compulsory background checks per clinical agency requirements and may also be required to submit to random tests for illegal use of controlled substances as a provision by the law or regulations of the contracting agency. If the site refuses to allow a student to attend clinical experiences, the nursing program is not obligated to find another clinical site, and the student will not be able to complete the nursing program at ASU. Therefore, it is important to conduct personal record checks prior to admission to the nursing program.
- Active health insurance (or enrollment in the Student Health Insurance Plan)
- Immunization record documenting the following: measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, varicella, and any other immunization(s) deemed necessary by the University and/or the clinical site. Hepatitis B vaccination is also recommended for clinical settings but is not required.
- Active malpractice insurance (University-provided)
- Basic life support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers card (must be certified by the American Heart Association)
- Tuberculosis screening
NOTE: A student who has failed (“D,” “F,” “WF,” or “U”) two (2) nursing courses, whether at a 2-year or 4-year institution (including ASU) will not be eligible for admission or continuation in the nursing program at ASU. Students with no more than two (2) nursing failures may be considered for entry (or reentry) into the nursing program on a case-by-case basis only after a 3-year period has passed from the most recently-earned failure. Only one (1) nursing failure may be forgiven.
Program of Study
- *NOTE: Regarding the Core curriculum, please be aware of the following:
- Area A2: For this Area, only MATH 1001 (Quantitative Reasoning) or MATH 1111 (College Algebra) will satisfy this Area for Nursing majors, with College Algebra being the recommended course
- Area D: For the sequential science portion of this Area, only BIOL 1111K & 1112K (Intro to Biological Science), BIOL 2107K & 2108K (Principles of Biology), CHEM 1151K & 1152K (Survey of Chemistry), or CHEM 1211K & 1212K (Principles of Chemistry) will satisfy this Area for Nursing major. PHYS courses will not satisfy this area.
- Area D: For the math/computer science elective portion of this Area, only MATH 2411 (Introduction to Statistics) will satisfy this area for Nursing majors.
- Area E: For the social science elective portion of this Area (which includes various ECON, GEOG, HIST, POLS, PSYC, and SOCI courses), one of the electives taken must be PSYC 1101 (General Psychology) for Nursing majors, with SOCI 1101 (Introduction to Sociology) being the recommended second elective.
Curriculum Pattern Example
First Academic Year
Fall Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
ASU 1101: First Year Experience | 1.00 |
* BIOL/CHEM ####K: Area D Sequential Science I | 4.00 |
* ENGL 1101: English Composition I | 3.00 |
HEDP/WELL ####: Health/Wellness Elective | 1.00 or 2.00 |
MATH 1001: Quantitative Reasoning, OR MATH 1111: College Algebra (recommended) |
3.00 |
* NURS 1232: Pre-Nursing Seminar | 2.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 14.00 or 15.00 |
* Course performance utilized in the calculation of student's Nursing GPA |
Spring Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
Area E Elective: Social Science (SOCI 1101 recommended) | 3.00 |
* BIOL/CHEM ####K: Area D Sequential Science II | 4.00 |
COMM 1000:Cultural Diversity in Communication, OR HIST 1002: Intro to African Diaspora, OR POLS 1105: Current World Problems |
2.00 |
* ENGL 1102: English Composition II | 3.00 |
PSYC 1101: General Psychology | 3.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 15.00 |
* Course performance utilized in the calculation of student's Nursing GPA |
Summer Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
* BIOL 2211K: Microbiology | 4.00 |
* COHP 2120: Growth and Development for Health Professions, OR * PSYC 2103: Human Growth and Development |
3.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 7.00 |
* Course performance utilized in the calculation of student's Nursing GPA |
Second Academic Year
Fall Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
Area C Elective: Literature | 3.00 |
Area E Elective: World or U.S. History | 3.00 |
* BIOL 2411K: Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 4.00 |
HEDP/WELL ####: Health/Wellness Elective (if applicable) | 0.00 or 1.00 |
POLS 1101: American Government | 3.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 13.00 or 14.00 |
* Course performance utilized in the calculation of student's Nursing GPA |
Spring Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
Area C Elective: Foreign Language or Appreciation | 3.00 |
* BIOL 2412K: Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 4.00 |
COMM 1100: Human Communication, OR COMM 1110: Public Speaking |
3.00 |
MATH 2411: Introduction to Statistics | 3.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 13.00 |
* Course performance utilized in the calculation of student's Nursing GPA |
THIRD ACADEMIC YEAR
Fall Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
NURS 2210: Pharmacology | 3.00 |
NURS 2231: Fundamental Concepts of Professional Nursing | 5.00 |
NURS 3510: Assessment in Health Care | 3.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 11.00* |
*Please be aware that 12.00 credit hours are required for full-time student status during non-summer semesters; speak with your faculty advisor for elective options that are applicable to your degree. |
Spring Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
NURS 2331: Adult Health Nursing I | 5.00 |
NURS 3134: Pediatric Nursing | 5.00 |
NURS 3320: Pathophysiology | 3.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 13.00 |
Summer Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
NURS 2601: Introduction to Geriatrics | 3.00 |
NURS 4131: Research | 3.00 |
NURS 4240: Community Health Nursing | 5.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 11.00 |
Fourth ACADEMIC YEAR
Fall Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
NURS 3335: Mental Health Nursing | 5.00 |
NURS 4140: Principles of Leadership and Management | 2.00 |
NURS 4342: Adult Health Nursing II | 5.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 12.00 |
Spring Semester
Course | Credit Hours |
NURS 3136: Women's Health Nursing | 5.00 |
NURS 4111: Directed Study (NCLEX Prep) | 3.00 |
NURS 4345: Senior Comprehensive Nursing | 5.00 |
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS | 13.00 |