Traditional BSN Program Overview
Prepare for Your Nursing Career
The traditional, four-year BSN program at Ashland University prepares you to practice the art and science of professional nursing. It is designed for the student who has completed high school-level education or has transfer credit.
Students complete core coursework in the first two academic years and begin clinical nursing coursework in their junior year.
Nursing majors are introduced to:
- A theoretical knowledge base for nursing.
- Research for evidence-based practice.
- International perspectives in healthcare.
- The nursing process for families and communities.
- The role of nurses as leaders and managers in legal, ethical and political settings.
- The highly technical and clinical skills needed to work with patients and their families.
Program Benefits
- Interactive simulations at Ashland University’s state-of-the-art Simulation Center.
- Clinical rotations take place within the state of Ohio.
- Direct entry program with no further application required for clinical coursework.
- 1:8 clinical instructor-to-student ratio.
How Do I Know if This Program Is Right for Me?
The traditional four-year program is designed for the student who has completed high school level education. Students in this program complete Ashland University core coursework in the first two academic years and begin clinical nursing coursework in their junior year.
Learning Experiences
Upon completion of the undergraduate nursing program, you will be able to:
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing and a liberal arts education as the basis for clinical judgment, reflective practice and decision making.
- Incorporate professional standards in the practice of nursing.
- Value integrity, caring, accountability, respect and excellence in nursing practice.
- Collaborate with patients and health professionals to develop and implement culturally appropriate health promotion, disease prevention and illness care methods.
- Select current theory and evidenced-based knowledge to guide and teach individuals families and populations regarding health promotion and illness prevention.
- Employ patient care technologies, information systems and communication devices that support safe nursing practice and development of nursing knowledge.
- Demonstrate knowledge of healthcare policy, finance and regulatory environments that impact patient care.
- Incorporate effective communication and collaboration skills, forming partnerships to provide care and to promote positive outcomes to a diverse society in a global context.
- Apply leadership concepts, principles of advocacy and decision making in the provision of quality patient care, healthcare team coordination and accountability for care delivery in a variety of settings.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to enhance quality improvement and safety initiatives at individual and system levels of care.
- Investigate health-related social justice concerns within legal, ethical and political contexts.
- Value lifelong learning for personal and professional growth to support excellence in nursing practice.
Sample Curriculum
Learn more about the Traditional Nursing (BSN) curriculum by viewing the Four-Year Curriculum Guide and Academic Catalog
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
| Licensure Disclosure: The Traditional BSN program curriculum meets educational requirements of all 50 states for graduates to apply for a Registered Nurse license. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides professional licensure requirements by state. Additionally, NCSBN identifies participating jurisdictions as part of the Nurse Licensure Compact. AU's traditional BSN program does NOT meet the educational requirements for licensure in the District of Columbia or the U.S. territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. If a student’s permanent residence is in a U.S. territory, they can only enroll in this program if they plan to work in a state where the AU program does meet the educational requirements for licensure. The program makes every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information; however, individual state licensure requirements may change. |
Additional BSN Tracks
Admission Requirements
Students who meet the admission criteria will be directly admitted to AU and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences for their freshman year.
- Graduated from an accredited high school or equivalent.
- Had a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or GED with achievement at a minimum of the 55th percentile in each of the sub core areas.
- Achieved an ACT composite of 20 or a combined SAT score of 950.
- Pass a background check prior to entering clinical coursework.
- Pass a drug screening.
- Meet the health status criteria for mental and physical health.
- Provide documentation of your ability to perform the essential functions for clinical coursework.
- Complete a record of required immunizations.
International students will also need to meet the following English proficiency requirements:
- TOEFL iBT score of 84 (Speaking subscore of 26)
- PBT score of 563
- IELTS 7.0 (Speaking subscore of 7.0) or PETA score of 59
For more information or to apply for admission as an International student, please visit International Student Services.
Students who do not meet the nursing criteria, but meet the requirements for admission to AU will be admitted to the university. They will be on a pre-nursing list for the traditional nursing program and evaluated at the end of the year for potential admission into the nursing program.
To be considered, students must:
- Achieve a 2.5 GPA in non-nursing required course work (10 credit hours).
- Begin taking science and other courses that will apply toward their nursing degree.
- Begin taking courses that will satisfy their AU institutional requirements.
- Meet with an academic advisor to discuss their coursework plan.
- Developmental Psychology
- Nutrition
- Microbiology - with lab
- Inorganic Chemistry - with lab
- Organic or Biochemistry - with lab
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II - with lab
- Ethics
- Statistics
- English Composition I & II
Transfer Students
Students applying to transfer must file an AU transfer application.
Requirements:
- Attended an accredited college or university. Students who have completed fewer than 30 semester hours of coursework from an accredited high school or equivalent must provide acceptable ACT scores and high school transcripts for acceptance.
- Achieved at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale cumulative grade point average in college coursework.
- Meet all program requirements for the four-year program:
- Pass a background check and drug screen prior to entering clinical coursework.
- Meet the health status criteria for mental and physical health.
- Provide documentation of your ability to perform the essential functions for clinical coursework.
- Complete a record of required immunizations.
Transfer credit for required non-nursing coursework, including science coursework, will only be applied toward the nursing degree if the grade is "C" or better. Courses with a grade of "C-" can be transferred and applied toward Ashland University's institutional degree requirements, but they will not apply toward the nursing program major requirements.
Students must submit official transcripts through the Admissions Office. Only coursework from accredited nursing programs will be considered for transfer credit. Students who are admitted to the nursing program are subject to the degree and graduation requirements in the AU catalog and nursing student handbook at the time of admission.
Requirements:
- Applicants must be in good academic standing in their current nursing program as evidenced by a letter from the dean of that program.
- Achieved at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale cumulative grade point average in college coursework.
- Meet all other program requirements listed in the four-year program:
- Pass a background check and drug screen prior to entering clinical coursework.
- Meet the health status criteria for mental and physical health.
- Provide documentation of your ability to perform the essential functions for clinical coursework.
- Complete a record of required immunizations.
Credit for Transfer Nursing Coursework:
- Nursing course credits from an accredited program may be granted transfer credits. The department chair, program director and/or Nursing Department Admission and Progression Committee review transcripts for clarification of course-related content and assessment of transfer credit.
- Transfer nursing coursework accepted to meet degree requirements for AU's nursing program must have met the nursing degree requirements of the institution where the course credit was completed.
- Clinical orientation, auditing of nursing courses or retaking of nursing courses may be required in the admission process.
- Students may be required to demonstrate safe practice in medication administration and other skills to progress even if transfer credit is granted.
Ashland University has been awarded a grant from the state of Ohio to provide Choose Ohio First Scholarships to outstanding students in a variety of majors. Our Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is eligible for these scholarships which support academically strong students who plan to continue to graduate school or employment in STEM industries after completing a bachelor’s degree. Students can receive $3,000 per academic year for four years.
Graduate Outcomes
Ashland’s BSN program has a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN® exam) pass rate of 88% or above in the last five years.
- Ashland University BSN: 88.54 percent
- Ohio: 86.73 percent
- National: 88.56 percent
Can You Give Me a Glimpse of My Future?
Your BSN credential will position you for advancement into roles such as nurse manager, clinical coordinator or specialty nurse practitioner, where you can take on leadership responsibilities, contribute to evidence-based practice and positively influence healthcare outcomes. Additionally, having a BSN may lead to increased earning potential and job security, while also providing a strong foundation for pursuing further education at the graduate level if desired.
The national average for nurses who have completed their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is $92,607 per year. (Indeed)
Nurses can obtain careers in a variety of areas not limited to:
- Occupational Health Nurse
- Operating Room Nurse or Manager
- Organ Transplant Coordinator
- Hospice Nurse
- Clinical Nurse
- Nurse Educator
- Director of Nursing
- Critical Care Nurse
- Emergency Room Nurse
- Neonatal Nurse
- Nurse Manager
Recent Employers of AU Graduates Include:
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- Akron Children’s Hospital
- Cleveland Clinic
- OhioHealth
- AVITA
- University Hospitals
- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
- Fisher Titus Medical Center
- Wooster Community Hospital
- Knox Community Hospital
- The Christ Hospital