Nursing Major - Pre-Licensure Track

Jodi J. Swain, DNP, RN, MBA, CNML, CPPS; Director of Nursing/Chief Nursing Administrator

This comprehensive, pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is designed to prepare aspiring nurses with the knowledge, skills, and clinical experience necessary to excel in the dynamic field of nursing. The pre-licensure BSN program is structured to provide a well-rounded education in both the theoretical and practical aspects of nursing. The curriculum integrates core nursing courses with liberal arts and sciences, ensuring that students develop critical thinking abilities and a holistic understanding of healthcare.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s (CCNE) parent organization, American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), publishes curricular standards entitled the 2021 Essentials, which drives BSN curricular mandates. Student learning outcomes are reflective of guidelines presented in “The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education” (2021). This document outlines ten major domains of student learning outcomes (knowledge of nursing practice, person-centered care, population health, scholarship for the nursing discipline, quality and safety, interprofessional partnerships, systems-based practice, informatics and healthcare technologies, professionalism, and personal, professional, and leadership development) and 8 concepts (clinical judgment, communication, compassionate care, diversity equity and inclusion, ethics, evidence-based practice, health policy, and social determinants of health) ) that programs are expected to integrate across four spheres of care: disease prevention/promotion of health and wellbeing, chronic disease care, regenerative or restorative care, and hospice/palliative/supportive care.

Admission Requirements

All students will first be admitted to The University of Olivet as health science majors specializing in pre-nursing coursework.

New nursing cohorts will begin each Spring and Fall semesters or twice per year starting in 2025. Year one for nursing classes (2025-2026 academic year will only have one new cohort).

Candidates will have preferential admission if all previous college credits were completed at Olivet.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program is a secondary admission program. An eligible applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above.
• Minimum cumulative college grade point average of 3.0 for science courses. 
• Have only repeated each science course once maximum (Biology, A&P, psychology, and chemistry).
• Essay describing past healthcare experiences/volunteer work and/or reason for pursuing nursing. 
• Have all admission prerequisite coursework successfully completed or in progress at the time of application. These 28 credits of coursework consist of the following (highlighted courses fulfill core requirements):
  • BIO 111 Principles of Biology - 3 semester hours
  • CEM 111 Introduction to Chemical Principles - 3 semester hours 
  • CEM 113 Introduction to Chemical Principles Laboratory - 1 semester hour
  • BIO 211 Human Anatomy - 3 semester hours  (BIO 111 Pre-req)
  • BIO 213 Human Anatomy Laboratory - 1 semester hour (Co-requisite 211)
  • BIO 212 Physiology - 3 semester hours  (BIO 211 and CEM 111 prerequisites)
  • BIO 214 Physiology Laboratory - 1 semester hour (Co-requisite 212)
  • WRT 111 Academic Writing - 3 semester hours
  • WRT 112 Writing and Research - 3 semester hours
  • MTH 130 College Algebra - 4 semester hours
  • PSY 201 Introduction to Psychology - 3 semester hours

Coursework transferred from another institution will be evaluated for determining acceptable equivalencies for the prerequisite coursework listed above.

Graduation Requirements

The following are requirements for graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing- Prelicensure degree at The University of Olivet:

• Must earn a minimum grade of 2.0 in all general education courses and a grade of 3.0 in all health science and nursing courses.
• Semester Credits required for Graduation: 120 Credits. 

Additional Considerations

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) gauges student success with three main indicators; the NCLEX (nursing licensure exam) pass rate is 80% or higher for all takers (first-time and repeaters who pass) over the three most recent calendar years, the employment rate is 70% or higher, and the graduation rate at 70% or higher over the three most recent calendar years when excluding students who have identified factors such as family obligations, relocation, financial barriers, and decisions to change major or to transfer to another institution of higher education.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Learning Outcomes

With the completion of this degree program, the following learning outcomes can be expected:

• Liberal Arts Foundation - The University of Olivet nursing graduate will transform concepts from liberal arts to enhance professional practice of nursing and lifelong learning.
• Professional Practice and Leadership - The University of Olivet nursing graduate will integrate health care policy, finance, and application of environments to develop knowledge and skills in leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety that are necessary to provide high quality health care.
• Research and Evidence-based Practice - The University of Olivet nursing graduate will effectively employ interdisciplinary frameworks, theories, concepts, models, and current nursing evidence-based practice to maximize health outcomes for individuals, families, groups, and communities.
• Advocacy - The University of Olivet nursing graduate will develop an understanding of the influence of health care policies, including financial and regulatory, directly and indirectly on the role of nurse advocate for the professional nurse.
• Technology and Informatics - The University of Olivet nursing graduates will formulate advanced knowledge and skill in information management as well as patient care technologies critical to the delivery of quality evidence-based patient care.
• Community Engagement and Social Responsibility - The University of Olivet nursing graduate will construct evidenced-based holistic disease prevention and health promotion nursing interventions and develop knowledge to improve local, state, national, and world health across the lifespan and across the continuum of healthcare environments.
• Collaboration and Inter-Professional Relationships - The University of Olivet nursing graduate will develop and apply values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice while implementing interdisciplinary collaborative relationships and communication aimed to provide high quality and safe patient care.