The online Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is open to registered nurses who have earned an associate degree in nursing and have a current, active, and unencumbered license. The mission of the American Public University System’s Nursing Program is to “provide quality, affordable, and accessible higher education for professional registered nurses to foster lifelong learning through a spirit of inquiry in order to prepare students for service and leadership roles in a diverse and global society.”
This online nursing program offers you a seamless transition from your associate degree to BSN degree, and provides a foundation for further graduate studies in nursing.
In this online RN to BSN program, you will work with credentialed and experientially qualified faculty to promote interprofessional collaboration and engagement. Online faculty-facilitated discussions and signature assignments provide you the opportunity to review and evaluate a variety of case studies and patient presentations.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at APUS is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Note: This R.N. to B.S. in Nursing program is currently not open for admission to Tennessee residents or Washington State residents and RN license holders.
This program has specific admission requirements.
Degree Program Outcomes
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Improve performance in the professional nursing role by developing leadership, management, sound clinical judgment and communication skills to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities.
- Use interprofessional communication and collaborative skills with patients, families, and members of healthcare teams to achieve effective and efficient coordination of care.
- Utilize evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and leadership principles to promote a culture of safety and achieve outcomes that are grounded in institutional values and professional ethics.
- Apply informatics and healthcare technologies to access critical information, to collaborate with other professionals, and to facilitate optimal patient-centered care.
- Apply scientific principles and the nursing process to evaluate responses to therapies and changes in patient health status.
- Integrate knowledge of human and organizational behavior to lead teams and promote cultures of safety.
- Analyze the impact of financial, regulatory, and political decisions on local, national and global health outcomes.
- Synthesize knowledge of ethical, socioeconomic, and cultural factors to decrease health disparities, to advocate for vulnerable populations, and to provide culturally relevant healthcare to individuals, groups, and communities.
- Employ a spirit of inquiry to embrace the value of lifelong learning and participate in professional activities that promote and shape the future of nursing.
Programmatic Admission Requirements
This program is currently not open for admission to residents of Washington or Tennessee.
To apply to this program, you must hold the following:
- Associate degree in nursing or diploma from an accredited or board approved institution in nursing.
- Current, active and unencumbered U.S. Registered Nursing (RN) license
Please visit our AMU or APU undergraduate admission page for more information on institutional admission requirements.
Note: You must complete this program within 5 years of starting your first nursing (NURS) course.
Need help?
If you have questions regarding a program’s admission requirements, please contact an admissions representative at 877-755-2787 or [email protected].
Degree at a Glance
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse License | 30 | |
| General Education Requirements | 30 | |
| Major Required | 27 | |
| Final Program Requirements | 3 | |
| Elective Requirements | 30 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 | |
Degree Program Requirements
Registered Nurse License (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Current active, unencumbered registered nursing license | 30 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
General Education Requirements (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (6 semester hours) | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Arabic I | ||
| Arabic II | ||
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop | ||
| French I | ||
| French II | ||
| German I | ||
| German II | ||
| Introduction to Japanese | ||
| Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion | ||
| From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature | ||
| British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland | ||
| Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period | ||
| Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| World Music and Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | ||
| Introduction to World Religions | ||
| Russian I | ||
| Spanish I | ||
| Spanish II | ||
| Thinking and Acting Ethically | ||
| Civics, Political and Social Sciences (6 semester hours) | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Social Media and Society | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Geography | ||
| Practical Food Safety and Awareness | ||
| International Relations I | ||
| Forgotten America--Under Represented Cultures in American Literature | ||
| Four Points of the Compass: Culture and Society Around the World | ||
| Introduction to Political Science | ||
| American Government I | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| American Popular Culture | ||
| Exploring Society and Cultures via Science Fiction | ||
| Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) | ||
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Proficiency in Writing | ||
| Argumentation and Rhetoric | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Scientific Writing | ||
| Effective Business Communication | ||
| Human Relations Communication | ||
| Information Literacy and Global Citizenship | ||
| Introduction to Information Technology Writing | ||
| Human Relations | ||
| History (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course From the following: | 3 | |
| American History to 1877 | ||
| American History since 1877 | ||
| World Civilization before 1650 | ||
| World Civilization since 1650 | ||
| Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | ||
| Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | ||
| African-American History before 1877 | ||
| African-American History since 1877 | ||
| History of the American Indian | ||
| History of Science | ||
| The History and Context of STEM | ||
| Mathematics (3 semester hours) | ||
| MATH120 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Natural Sciences (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Biology | ||
| Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Meteorology | ||
| Introduction to Geology | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Introduction to Physics | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Introduction to STEM Disciplines | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101 - Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110 - Making Writing Relevant. |
Major Required (27 semester hours)
All Nursing (NURS) courses must be completed within 5 years of taking NURS300 in order to be eligible for graduation.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS300 | Professional Transitions in Nursing (required as the first course in this program) 1 | 3 |
| NURS310 | Assessment, Evaluation and Clinical Decision-Making | 3 |
| NURS315 | Pathophysiology and Clinical Pharmacology | 3 |
| NURS340 | Science of Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS350 | Transformational Leadership and Cultures of Safety | 3 |
| NURS400 | Emerging Scholarship and Trends in Healthcare | 3 |
| NURS401 | Caring for Today's Veterans | 3 |
| NURS421 | Community Health I | 3 |
| NURS425 | Informatics and Technology in Healthcare | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 27 | |
| 1 | Only students who applied to and are accepted to the Nursing Program may enroll in nursing (NURS) courses. |
Final Program Requirements (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS498 | Senior Seminar in Nursing Studies (Must have a ‘B’ or better and to be taken as the last course before conferral) 1 | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |
| 1 | Prerequisite: Senior Standing and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. |
Elective Requirements (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select any courses not already taken to fulfill the requirements listed above. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major. | 30 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |