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Nursing is a diverse discipline that affords the opportunity for a challenging and rewarding career. Baccalaureate-prepared nurses are generalists who provide services for patients and their families in hospitals, clinics, businesses, homes, and a variety of other settings. Nursing involves activities related to health promotion and health restoration of individuals who are experiencing illness and/or disabilities throughout the lifespan. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the entry level professional degree in nursing and provides the foundation for graduate study.

Baccalaureate program

The College of Nursing at Ohio State provides one of the finest baccalaureate program in the United States and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. Like all baccalaureate programs at Ohio State, the curriculum includes general education course (GEC) requirements in foundational skills, the arts, sciences and humanities as well as courses in the nursing science major. The generic baccalaureate option includes a minimum of one year of prerequisite Pre-Nursing coursework, and after admission to the major, an additional three years of nursing and other related coursework.

The generic baccalaureate option can be completed in a minimum of four years, including the year of prerequisite coursework. Part-time study may be possible, however it is the exception and will lengthen the time to earn the degree. A minimum of 186 credit hours is required to earn the BSN. At the time of graduation, students are eligible to take the National Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) that must be passed to be able to practice as a registered nurse (RN). 

The expected outcomes for a graduate of the BSN program are listed below:
  • Is a professional nurse who embodies the values of the discipline of nursing, which include altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice.
  • Demonstrates critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, rational inquiry, problem-solving skills, and creativity in identifying, framing, and solving nursing problems.
  • Demonstrates effective communication, collaboration and negotiation skills with patients, families, and communities.
  • Collaborates and negotiates as a member and leader within interdisciplinary health care teams.
  • Performs comprehensive state-of-the-art assessment of patients, families, communities, and populations using current technologies and data from organizations and health care systems.
  • Uses the technical skills necessary to deliver safe and competent evidence-based nursing care.
  • Has the knowledge and skills to promote health, reduce risk and prevent disease.
  • Demonstrates cultural competence, compassion, and respect in the provision of health care.
  • Is a politically aware individual who participates in the profession and the practice of nursing with a global perspective.
  • Delivers quality nursing care that balances human, fiscal and material resources.
  • Uses traditional and developing methods of discovering, retrieving and managing information in nursing practice.
  • Commits to life-long learning and professional career development.
  • Designs, manages, evaluates and coordinates health care in diverse settings.
  • Can articulate a morally defensible position related to every day and complex health care issues.

Admission to the nursing major is required before a student is permitted to enroll in nursing courses. Students new to Ohio State as first-year or transfer students may enroll in the College of Nursing as Pre-Nursing students provided they meet the criteria (See Pre-Nursing). Students may complete the prerequisite courses in another college at Ohio State or at another university. Students at other Ohio schools can check course transferability at https://oh.transfer.org/cas/.

Applicants who have a non-nursing baccalaureate degree may be eligible to apply to the Graduate Entry option, a three-year, full-time program for non-nurses leading to a master’s degree in nursing. Contact the Graduate Outreach and Admissions Office at (614) 688-8145 or send an e-mail to mailto:nursing@osu.edu to learn more.

The College of Nursing also offers an RN to BSN option for registered nurses who are graduates of an associate degree or diploma nursing program and wish to earn a BSN. Contact the Office of Student Affairs at (614) 292-4041 for more information.
    
See BSN Admissions
See BSN Coursework
See BSN Honors program
See BSN Schedule a campus visit
See BSN Contact us