Nursing-For Basic and Transfer Students (Nursing B.S.N.) (Major Code 701)

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) Degree

Refer to the “Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees ” section of this catalog.

Majors in Nursing

Major in Nursing—Accelerated Licensed Vocational Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse Degree Completion (Major Code: 715)
Major in Nursing—Basic and Transfer Students (Major Code: 701)
Major in Nursing—Licensed Vocational Nurse Degree Completion (Major Code: 713)
Major in Nursing—Registered Nurse Degree Completion (Major Code: 718)

University Core Curriculum Requirements

Refer to the “University Core Curriculum ” section of this catalog.

Note:

BIOL 2401 and BIOL 2402 with concurrent lab, required for nursing majors, meets University Core Curriculum science requirements.

Additional Nursing Requirements

BIOL 2420 - Applied Microbiology (HAZ) 4 or
BIOL 2572 - Microbiology (HAZ) 5
with concurrent lab
PSYC 2301 - General Psychology 3
PSYC 2314 - Lifespan Growth and Development 3 or
PSYC 2308 - Child Development 3
SOCI 1301 - Introduction to Sociology 3

Basic chemistry course with lab

Admission Requirements for the Department of Nursing

Formal application and admission to WTAMU (application fee required).
A separate, competitive application process is required for admission into the Department of Nursing. Admission is required prior to 3000-level nursing courses for basic students, LVN degree-completion students, and RN degree-completion students. For Basic and Transfer Students: Current license to practice as LVN or RN is required for LVN- and RN-degree completion students requesting advanced standing (application fee required).
Completion of nursing core curriculum and additional requirements as listed on the following page.
Minimum grade point average of 2.8 and minimum grade of “C” in biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology and mathematics courses.
Science GPA of 2.8 preferred; three of four sciences courses completed; HESI A2 scores of 80 minimum in math, reading and vocabulary for Basic and Transfer Students (Major Code 701) and for Licensed Vocational Nurses/Practical Nurses (Major Code 713).
To be considered for admission, the following items must be submitted with the application: application fee, immunization records, all transcripts and background check.
A transfer student must submit copies of all transcripts, and if transferring from another school of nursing, recommendation letters from the dean and detailed descriptions of nursing courses.
Applications to the Department of Nursing should be submitted by Feb. 15 for fall semester and Sept. 15 for spring semester admission.

Note:

Students may appeal Admissions Committee decisions, first to the committee and then to the head of the Department of Nursing. Exceptions, resulting in conditional admission, will be considered on an individual basis by the head of the Department of Nursing.

Advanced Standing

Registered nurses or others with previous experience and education in nursing must be admitted to the Department of Nursing through the same procedure as all students. Advanced standing will be determined after evaluation of transcripts. For further information, refer to “Advanced Placement and Credit by Examination ” in this catalog.

Re-Admission to the Department of Nursing

Re-admission to the Department of Nursing is not automatic. Students must re-apply to the department in writing to the Admissions and Progression Committee after withdrawal or failure in any semester. Students who make grades of “D” or below two times in nursing courses will not be allowed to continue in the program. A student who leaves the program for any other reason may be permitted to re-enroll based on (1) individual qualifications and (2) available space. The student’s record of dropped courses or withdrawals from the University will be considered. Satisfactory scores on comprehensive examinations covering nursing theory and clinical course work previously completed will be required for basic students who have not been enrolled in nursing courses at WTAMU for five or more years.

Transfer Students

Transfer students must:

Be in good academic standing and eligible for readmission at the last nursing program attended.
Provide documentatin from the dean or appropriate department head of the last nursing program attended that states readmission eligibility and academic standing.
Submit official transcripts from each institution attended to the Department of Nursing.

Senior College

Students transferring from a senior college into the basic nursing progrm must submit copies of nursing course syllabi. If the transferring courses are less than five year old, courses will be evaluated for transfer on an individual basis. If courses are more than five years old, see “Returning Basic WTAMU Students and Transferring Basic Students” in this section.

Community College

Students transferring from a community college into the basic nursing program may transfer selected nursing courses after copies of all course syllabi have been submitted, reviewed and approved. If the transferring courses are not more than five years old, courses will be evaluated for transfer on an individual basis. If courses are greater than five years old, see “Returning Basic WTAMU Students and Transferring Basic Students” in this section.

Returning Basic WTAMU Students and Transferring Basic Students

Any basic/traditional student, WTAMU or transferring, who has not been enrolled in clinical nursing courses in the past five years, must demonstrate competency by examination prior to being rescheduled into the nursing curriculum. A course-specific exam, which will be a standardized test, will be given. The exam may be taken one time. A fee is charged for each exam. If the student is unsuccessful, the student will be scheduled into that/those clinical course(s) as space is available. For further information, refer to “Advanced Placement and Credit by Examination” in this catalog.

Advising Services Degree Checklist

The following Degree Checklists are available by linking to Advising Services Degree Checklists:

Pre-Nursing - Pre-Admission Requirements
Nursing - For Basic and transfer Students B.S.N.

Progression and Graduation

A degree plan must be filed with the dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences after 30 hours have been completed.
A minimum grade of “C” must be maintained in all biology, chemistry, sociology, psychology and mathematics courses.
A grade of “C” or above is required to pass a nursing course and progress through the curriculum on schedule. Progression will be determined on an individual basis for a student who earns a grade of “D” or below in a nursing course.
Of the final 36 hours toward a degree, 30 hours must be residence credit. (CLEP, Challenge and correspondence courses are not resident credit courses.)
Students must comply with all rules and policies as set forth in the Department of Nursing Handbook and in the West Texas A&M University Code of Student Life.
Students who withdraw before the 12th class day (fourth class day for summer sessions) will have a record of the semester on their transcript with a notation, “Student withdrew without earning credit (date).” Students withdrawing after the 12th class day, but before midterm, will receive a grade of “X” (withdraw passing). If a student withdraws after midterm, a grade of “X” (withdraw passing) or “XF” (withdraw failing) will be recorded. Students leaving the University without making arrangements to withdraw through the Office of the Registrar will automatically receive a “F” in all classes.
Basic and transfer senior students must pass a comprehensive nursing examination prior to graduation. Students who do not pass the comprehensive exam must complete an individualized plan of study, which may include enrollment in additional courses, before graduation.

Note:

For information about the master of science in nursing (M.S.N.) degree, refer to the “Graduate Catalog”.