Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Website: https://twu.edu/nursing/undergraduate-programs/bachelor-of-science-in-nursing-bsn/

The TWU Baccalaureate Curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) builds upon a foundation of liberal arts and sciences to produce a graduate who will be able to:

  • Deliver nursing care focused on caring and competency in professional knowledge, skills, and values for culturally diverse populations across the lifespan and health continuum.
  • Exhibit professional and personal responsibility and accountability in the provision of nursing care.
  • Demonstrate critical thinking and clinical decision-making in the delivery, coordination, and collaboration of nursing care.
  • Utilize effective systematic inquiry based on research and best evidence to provide safe patient-centered care and continuous quality improvement.
  • Incorporate effective communication, collaboration, and advocacy in working with patients, families, groups, communities, and the health care team to improve health care outcomes.
  • Demonstrate beginning leadership and patient-centered care in a healthcare system that is influenced by health policy, finance, and regulatory environment.

Our 4-year curriculum is split into two parts. Foundation-forming prerequisite courses are taught at the Denton campus for the first two years. Upper-division program courses are offered in the last two years at medical centers in either Dallas or Houston.

Marketable Skills

Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."

  1. Function in multidisciplinary teams.
  2. Apply ethical principles to provide leadership in promoting advocacy, collaboration, and social justice within the health care system and to act in a manner reflective of professional values and value-based behavior.
  3. Use written, verbal, non-verbal, and emerging technology to communicate effectively and deliver quality patient care in a variety of healthcare settings.
  4. Apply basic organizational and systems leadership for quality health care and patient safety.
  5. Identify, evaluate, and apply scientific evidence, clinical judgment, interprofessional perspective, and patient preference to the practice of nursing.
  6. ​Knowledge of healthcare policies, both financial and regulatory, and how they impact nursing practice and the healthcare system.
  7. Clinical reasoning within the context of patient-centered care across the lifespan, to diverse patients, that reflects ethical values.

Admissions

All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.

Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses Seeking a First Bachelor's Degree

Individuals apply to the University and indicate "Nursing Entry (BSN)" as a major on the application. On admission to the University, students are classified as nursing-entry majors and meet with academic advisors in University Academic Advising. 

The program is four years in length. The first four semesters consist of lower-division prerequisite courses that meet the University core curriculum and courses which are the essential foundation for nursing education. Upper-division nursing courses are taught in the last four semesters and are offered only in Dallas and Houston. Academic advisors are available to assist students in the evaluation of prior course work, selection of equivalent courses, and verification of eligibility.  The following list constitutes the lower-division prerequisite courses. Courses with a corresponding lab component must be completed at the same institution.

UNIV 1231Learning Frameworks: First-Year Seminar (Required only of students who start as freshmen at TWU)1
ENG 1013Composition I3
ENG 1023Composition II3
HIST 1013History of the United States, 1492-18653
HIST 1023History of the United States, 1865 to the Present3
POLS 2013U.S. National Government3
POLS 2023Texas Government3
PSY 1013Introduction to General Psychology3
PSY 1603Developmental Psychology (Lifespan)3
MATH 1703Elementary Statistics I3
NFS 2323Introduction to Nutrition3
Chemistry with corresponding laboratory from same institution4
BACT 1003
BACT 1001
Microbiology
and Microbiology Laboratory
4
ZOOL 2013
ZOOL 2011
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
4
ZOOL 2023
ZOOL 2021
Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
4
Select 3 semester credit hours (SCH) from each of the following9
Language, Philosophy and Culture core
Creative Arts core
Multicultural Women's Studies core
Select 2-3 SCH from the following2-3
Additional Mathematics or Wellness core
Total SCHs58-59

Substitutions will be made, when applicable, to TWU core curriculum requirements if those requirements are met at another Texas public institution of higher learning. Transfer students who have completed a Texas core curriculum from a Texas public institution are not required to complete additional courses at TWU to meet the TWU core curriculum.

Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses with a Prior Bachelor's Degree in Another Field

Individuals with a prior bachelor's degree are not required to meet the TWU core curriculum. Prerequisites for those with a prior bachelor's degree are limited to the nursing foundation courses and the state-required history and government courses, as listed below. Courses taken for the first degree will not have to be repeated if they are determined to be equivalent. Courses with a corresponding lab component must be completed at the same institution.

HIST 1013
HIST 1023
History of the United States, 1492-1865
and History of the United States, 1865 to the Present
6
POLS 2013
POLS 2023
U.S. National Government
and Texas Government
6
PSY 1603Developmental Psychology (Lifespan)3
MATH 1703Elementary Statistics I3
NFS 2323Introduction to Nutrition3
Chemistry with corresponding laboratory from same institution4
BACT 1003
BACT 1001
Microbiology
and Microbiology Laboratory
4
ZOOL 2013
ZOOL 2011
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
4
ZOOL 2023
ZOOL 2021
Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
4
Total SCHs37

Transfer Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses from Another Nursing Program

Non-nurses previously enrolled in another nursing program must meet the same prerequisite and admission requirements as other TWU pre-licensure students and be accepted both by Texas Woman's University and the TWU College of Nursing. Additionally, the following requirements must be met.

  1. Nursing courses were completed within a nursing program that has national nursing accreditation.
  2. A grade of C or higher was earned in all nursing courses (including pathophysiology).
  3. Nursing courses transferred in for credit must have been completed within the last five years.
  4. Eligibility to continue in or return to the previous nursing program must be verified by a letter of good standing from the dean of the previous program. The letter of good standing should be uploaded to your NursingCAS application or sent to the Manager of Nursing Student Services.
  5. Applicants must submit to the College of Nursing a course syllabus for each completed nursing course for evaluation. If the course(s) is/are determined to be equivalent to TWU nursing courses, credit may be granted.
  6. At least 30 of the last 62 SCHs have to be completed at TWU for a degree from TWU.
  7. A minimum of 45 SCH has to be completed at TWU to graduate with honors.
  8. Successful completion of a minimum of 25% of the total SCH required for the degree must be taken at TWU.
  9. If a transfer student has not been enrolled in a nursing program for more than one year, placement test(s) and clinical skills assessment may be required to determine the level of entry into the nursing program.

Application for Upper-Division Nursing: Pre-Licensure/Non-Nurses

Only students accepted to the College of Nursing may enroll in upper-division nursing courses. Class space in nursing courses is limited, and admission to the College of Nursing is competitive. Admission to the upper-division nursing program is based on a Holistic admissions process to include grade point averages for prerequisite coursework, admission assessment test scores, and the faculty’s evaluation of responses submitted to all sections of the admissions application, including short answers to questions posed to applicants about their leadership experiences and self-assessment of their personal traits of caring/compassion and resilience. Preferential consideration will be given to students who have completed 32 or more SCH of the required non-nursing lower-division courses at TWU. A prior degree is considered favorably.

To be eligible to be considered for progression into upper-division (3000-4000 level) nursing courses, students must have:

  1. been admitted to TWU using the Texas Common Online application. Students completing prerequisites at another institution should submit all TWU general admission materials at least 6 weeks prior to the upper-division nursing application deadlines. Official transcripts of courses taken to date during the semester of application to TWU must be sent to the Office of Admissions.
  2. successfully completed the following 25 SCH of nursing foundation courses by the nursing application deadline: Anatomy & Physiology I, with lab; Anatomy & Physiology II, with lab; Microbiology, with lab; Chemistry, with lab; Developmental Psychology; Nutrition; and Statistics;
  3. successfully completed an additional 21 SCH of core requirements for a total of 46 completed SCH of prerequisite courses by the nursing application deadline (first bachelor's degree students only);
  4. completed all remaining lower-division prerequisite courses, with the exception of Multicultural Women's Studies, before beginning the nursing courses;
  5. a minimum grade of C in anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and microbiology, including all labs. Anatomy and physiology prerequisites must be the courses offered for science majors.
  6. a minimum cumulative GPA AND a nursing prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0 on the required non-nursing lower-division courses. If a course is taken more than once, the most recent grade received will be counted in calculating the GPA. Other courses that an applicant may have taken are not calculated in the GPA for admission. Students with guaranteed admission are required to have a 3.5 GPA.

    (Note: The nursing prerequisite courses are as follows: Any college-level Chemistry with lab, Microbiology (BACT 1003) with lab (BACT 1001), Human Anatomy and Physiology I (ZOOL 2013 and ZOOL 2011), Human Anatomy and Physiology II (ZOOL 2023) with lab (ZOOL 2021), Introduction to Nutrition (NFS 2323), Developmental Psychology (PSY 1603), and Elementary Statistics I (MATH 1703).

  7. successfully passed the required nursing entrance exam (TEAS). The TEAS must be taken with scores uploaded to your NursingCAS application by the nursing application deadline. See our entrance exam policy on the TEAS Testing at TWU webpage.

  8. submitted a complete application for upper-division nursing through NursingCAS, including the application fee, to the College of Nursing by the application deadline.
  9. submitted the background check through a College of Nursing-approved vendor (e.g., Castlebranch). In order to be admitted, students must have a clean background check. 
  10. Applicants are highly encouraged to schedule a prospective student advising appointment in the Pioneer Center or attend an information session prior to applying to discuss admissions requirements and how to apply.

Application Deadlines

College of Nursing applications for upper-division nursing must be received by the following yearly dates in order to be considered for admission:

  • February 1, to begin nursing coursework in a Fall semester
  • August 15, to begin nursing coursework in a Spring semester

Eligibility for Licensure as a Registered Nurse

Upon admission to upper-division courses in the College of Nursing, each student is required to review specific rules and regulations of the Texas Board of Nursing. Every student is responsible for reading information regarding application for licensure in the state of Texas. The Texas Board of Nursing determines criteria for eligibility for licensure. Students should access the Board of Nursing website to examine the Nurse Practice Act and its regulations. Detailed information about critical issues in a student’s background may affect eligibility, and the student should contact the Board for information regarding submission of a Declaratory Order. Board approval is required of candidates who apply for the NCLEX-RN examination to be licensed in the state of Texas.

Requirements for Course Enrollment

Prior to the start of any course within the Upper Division in the College of Nursing, the student must provide proof of:

  1. If applicable, based on the above statement about eligibility to be licensed as a Registered Nurse in the state of Texas, a clearance of a Declaratory Order from the Texas Board of Nursing;
  2. negative drug testing and a cleared criminal background screening by a company designated by the College of Nursing, as mandated by TWU’s clinical partners;
  3. health insurance as mandated by TWU’s clinical partners.
  4. Professional liability insurance and blood-borne pathogen exposure insurance (covered by course fees) are provided for each student enrolled in a clinical nursing course through the TWU student professional liability group policy.

Requirements for a Clinical Course

Prior to the start of any clinical course within the Upper Division in the College of Nursing, the student must provide proof of:

  1. Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association.
  2. Current required immunizations, as specified by TWU College of Nursing approved vendor (e.g. Castlebranch).
  3. Negative drug testing and cleared criminal background screening by a company designated by the College of Nursing.
  4. Proof of personal health insurance (required by clinical facilities).
  5. Completion of HIPAA training.
  6. Social Security Number.
  7. U.S. Government-issued Photo Identification. 

Professional liability insurance (covered by course fees) is provided for each student through the TWU student professional liability group policy.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours (SCH): 120-121  

Major: 62 SCH

Program Code: NURS.BSN   CIP Code: 51.3801.00

Texas Core Curriculum

ENG 1013Composition I3
ENG 1023Composition II3
Mathematics3
Life & Physical Sciences6
Language, Philosophy, & Culture3
Creative Arts3
HIST 1013History of the United States, 1492-18653
HIST 1023History of the United States, 1865 to the Present3
POLS 2013U.S. National Government3
POLS 2023Texas Government3
Social & Behavioral Sciences3
CAO: Women's Studies3
CAO: First Year Seminar, Wellness or Mathematics3
Total SCHs42

Courses Required for Major

BIOL 4344Pathophysiology4
NURS 3193Foundations of Nursing Practice3
NURS 3191Foundations of Nursing Practice Clinical1
NURS 3181Foundations of Nursing Practice Laboratory1
NURS 3153
NURS 3151
Health Assessment
and Health Assessment Laboratory
4
NURS 3233Collaborative Nursing Care of the Adult Population 3
NURS 3232Collaborative Nursing Care of the Adult Population Clinical2
NURS 3612Introduction to Nursing Research2
NURS 3243Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family3
NURS 3241Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family Clinical1
NURS 3813Pharmacology3
NURS 4001Nursing Practice Integration Lab I1
NURS 4022Nursing Practice Integration Lab II2
NURS 4032Nursing Practice Integration Lab III2
NURS 4043Nursing Care of the Adult with Complex Health Needs3
NURS 4042Nursing Care of the Adult with Complex Health Needs Clinical2
NURS 4053Concepts of Pediatric Nursing3
NURS 4091Concepts of Pediatric Nursing Clinical1
NURS 4602The Nursing Experience with Groups2
NURS 4612Promoting Wellness in the Aging Family2
NURS 4012Community Health Nursing in Population Health2
NURS 4111Community Health Nursing in Population Health Clinical1
NURS 4063Mental Health Nursing3
NURS 4041Mental Health Nursing Clinical1
NURS 4052Integrated Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice2
NURS 4023Integrated Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice Clinical3
NURS 4803The Nursing Leadership and Management Experience3
NURS Elective - Choose one of the following:2
Advanced Nursing Assessment
Power of Nursing
Healthcare Disparities and People of Color
Nursing Student Success
Care of the Veteran and Family
Nursing Advocacy
Nursing Implications of Dysrhythmias
Clinical Ethics in Professional Nursing
Palliative Care Nursing
Experiential Learning in Nursing
Total SCHs62

Departmental Requirements

BACT 1003
BACT 1001
Microbiology
and Microbiology Laboratory
4
CHEM (Lecture and Laboratory, may be applied from core) 4
MATH 1703Elementary Statistics I (may be applied from core )3
NFS 2323Introduction to Nutrition3
PSY 1013Introduction to General Psychology3
PSY 1603Developmental Psychology3
ZOOL 2013
ZOOL 2011
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory (may be applied from core)
4
ZOOL 2023
ZOOL 2021
Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
4
Total SCHs28

Traditional Plan of Study

This is the suggested plan for those seeking a first bachelor's degree and initial licensure as a registered nurse (RN).

Courses with a corresponding lab component must be completed at the same institution.

First Year
Semester 1TCCNSCHs
ENG 1013Composition I ENGL 13013
HIST 1013History of the United States, 1492-1865 HIST 13013
PSY 1013Introduction to General Psychology PSYC 23013
CHEM (Lecture and Laboratory) 4
UNIV 1231Learning Frameworks: First-Year Seminar EDUC 1100, EDUC 1200, EDUC 13001
 SCHs 14
Semester 2TCCN
ENG 1023Composition II ENGL 13023
NFS 2323Introduction to Nutrition BIOL 13223
PSY 1603Developmental Psychology PSYC 23143
Wellness or Mathematics CAO Core2-3
ZOOL 2013
ZOOL 2011
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
BIOL 2401
& BIOL 2101
4
 SCHs 15-16
Second Year
Semester 3TCCN
BACT 1003
BACT 1001
Microbiology
and Microbiology Laboratory
BIOL 2420
& BIOL 2120
4
Language, Philosophy, and Culture Core3
MATH 1703Elementary Statistics I MATH 13423
POLS 2013U.S. National Government GOVT 23053
ZOOL 2023
ZOOL 2021
Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
BIOL 2402
& BIOL 2102
4
 SCHs 17
Semester 4TCCN
Creative Arts Core3
HIST 1023History of the United States, 1865 to the Present HIST 13023
Multicultural Women's Studies CAO Core3
POLS 2023Texas Government GOVT 23063
 SCHs 12
Third Year
Semester 5TCCN
BIOL 4344Pathophysiology 4
NURS 3193Foundations of Nursing Practice 3
NURS 3191Foundations of Nursing Practice Clinical 1
NURS 3181Foundations of Nursing Practice Laboratory 1
NURS 3153
NURS 3151
Health Assessment
and Health Assessment Laboratory
4
NURS 3813Pharmacology 3
 SCHs 16
Semester 6TCCN
NURS 3243Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family 3
NURS 3241Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family Clinical 1
NURS 3233Collaborative Nursing Care of the Adult Population 3
NURS 3232Collaborative Nursing Care of the Adult Population Clinical 2
NURS 4001Nursing Practice Integration Lab I 1
NURS 3612Introduction to Nursing Research 2
NURS 4602The Nursing Experience with Groups 2
NURS 4612Promoting Wellness in the Aging Family 2
 SCHs 16
Fourth Year
Semester 7TCCN
NURS 4043Nursing Care of the Adult with Complex Health Needs 3
NURS 4042Nursing Care of the Adult with Complex Health Needs Clinical 2
NURS 4053Concepts of Pediatric Nursing 3
NURS 4091Concepts of Pediatric Nursing Clinical 1
NURS 4063Mental Health Nursing 3
NURS 4041Mental Health Nursing Clinical 1
NURS 4022Nursing Practice Integration Lab II 2
Nursing Elective2
 SCHs 17
Semester 8TCCN
NURS 4052Integrated Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice 2
NURS 4023Integrated Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice Clinical 3
NURS 4012Community Health Nursing in Population Health 2
NURS 4111Community Health Nursing in Population Health Clinical 1
NURS 4803The Nursing Leadership and Management Experience 3
NURS 4032Nursing Practice Integration Lab III 2
 SCHs 13
 Total SCHs:  120-121

Weekend/Evening Plan of Study

The Weekend/Evening Nursing Track is an alternate nursing course plan available for pre-licensure students whose daytime obligations prevent them from pursuing traditional Monday-Friday daytime college classes.  Class activities are held in the evenings during the week from 5-9 PM.  Labs and clinical rotations are on Saturdays and Sundays.  Please note that only upper division nursing courses are offered on this schedule and pre-nursing classes as listed above will be completed at an alternate campus on alternate days and times prior to starting upper-division coursework. Courses with a corresponding lab component must be completed at the same institution.

Semester 1 FallTCCNSCHs
NURS 3153
NURS 3151
Health Assessment
and Health Assessment Laboratory
4
NURS 3813Pharmacology 3
BIOL 4344Pathophysiology 4
 SCHs 11
Semester 2 SpringTCCN
NURS 3612Introduction to Nursing Research 2
NURS 3193Foundations of Nursing Practice 3
NURS 3191Foundations of Nursing Practice Clinical 1
NURS 3181Foundations of Nursing Practice Laboratory 1
NURS 3243Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family 3
NURS 3241Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family Clinical 1
 SCHs 11
Semester 3 SummerTCCN
NURS 3233Collaborative Nursing Care of the Adult Population 3
NURS 3232Collaborative Nursing Care of the Adult Population Clinical 2
NURS 4001Nursing Practice Integration Lab I 1
NURS 4612Promoting Wellness in the Aging Family 2
Nursing Elective 2
 SCHs 10
Semester 4 FallTCCN
NURS 4053Concepts of Pediatric Nursing 3
NURS 4091Concepts of Pediatric Nursing Clinical 1
NURS 4022Nursing Practice Integration Lab II 2
NURS 4602The Nursing Experience with Groups 2
NURS 4012Community Health Nursing in Population Health 2
NURS 4111Community Health Nursing in Population Health Clinical 1
 SCHs 11
Semester 5 SpringTCCN
NURS 4032Nursing Practice Integration Lab III 2
NURS 4043Nursing Care of the Adult with Complex Health Needs 3
NURS 4042Nursing Care of the Adult with Complex Health Needs Clinical 2
NURS 4063Mental Health Nursing 3
NURS 4041Mental Health Nursing Clinical 1
 SCHs 11
Semester 6 SummerTCCN
NURS 4803The Nursing Leadership and Management Experience 3
NURS 4052Integrated Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice 2
NURS 4023Integrated Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice Clinical 3
 SCHs 8
 Total SCHs:  62