An RN to BSN program is a degree completion program built for nurses who already hold a license and an associate degree or diploma in nursing. It builds on the clinical education and experience you already have with bachelor’s-level coursework in leadership, evidence-based practice, community and public health, and more. To start an RN to BSN, you need two things: an active, unencumbered RN license and a completed associate degree or diploma in nursing.
If you have those, you’re eligible to apply almost anywhere. What varies from there is how long the program takes, how many of your existing credits count, and what your clinical hours look like. This article walks you through the RN to BSN admission process from eligibility check to your first day of class, using 国产主播’s online RN to BSN program as the working example.
What 国产主播 Teams Ask For
Most RN to BSN programs ask applicants for the same requirements. These include:
- Proof of an active, unencumbered RN license. WCU accepts licensure in any U.S. state or territory, so a move or a travel assignment doesn’t reset your eligibility. All licensed RNs are welcome to apply.
- Proof of an associate degree or diploma in nursing. WCU asks for a 2.25 cumulative GPA or better. Applicants with a minimum 2.0 GPA may be considered for probational admission.
You can get proof of your licensure from the state board of nursing where you live. For your degree or diploma, you鈥檒l need to request official transcripts from every school you’ve attended. Transcript requests are the step that most often stalls an application. They matter because they determine whether you鈥檙e eligible for admission to the program in the first place and how much transfer credit you could apply to your degree.
How Enrollment and Transfer Credit Evaluation Work
Once you apply, the process moves in a predictable order. You talk with an admissions advisor, send your official transcripts, and wait for the transfer credit evaluation鈥攖he step that determines how many additional courses you need to take to earn your BSN.
WCU’s RN to BSN totals 120 credits. Up to 90 of those can come from eligible transfer credits: 39 for general education and 51 or your nursing coursework and RN license. That leaves 30 credits to complete at WCU.
After the evaluation, you choose a pace, register, and start in the next available term. Because WCU’s terms run in eight-week blocks with start dates throughout the year, the gap between “I got accepted” and “I’m starting class” tends to be short.
What You’ll Study
Again, your exact course plan at WCU will vary depending on how much transfer credit you have approved. However, at a minimum, you鈥檒l complete 30 credits across聽10 courses. These include:
- Principles of Leadership for Healthcare Organizations
- Pathophysiology
- Resiliency, Professionalism, and Career-Long Learning
- Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice
- Community and Public Health Nursing I and II
- Nursing Roles in Policy, Ethics, and Finance
- Advanced Nursing Technologies and Collaborative Care
- Health Promotion and Disease Management
- Health Literacy and Nursing Capstone
Your associate degree taught you to care for the patient in front of you. The BSN coursework widens the frame to populations, evidence, systems, and the leadership skills and confidence that come with them. The capstone at the end gives you the opportunity to pull all of it together in a single project.
Experiential Learning in the Online RN-BSN
You’re already practicing under an active license, so there鈥檚 no need for additional clinicals. Hands-on learning does matter, however. WCU’s RN to BSN program requires 90 community experience hours in a population-focused setting you select.
Settings can include a community organization or public health program near where you live and work. The hours are built around the community and public health coursework, so what you’re studying and where you’re standing line up.
Realistic Timelines
WCU runs the program in 8-week terms with start dates throughout the year, and offers three paces so you can choose a schedule that fits with your life:
- Accelerated Plus pace鈥攁s few as 8 months
- Accelerated pace鈥�12 months
- Working Professional pace鈥�20 months
All three paces cover the same 30 credits. What changes is how many courses you take per term. You can talk through what each pace looks like with your advisor. You can also read our guide to how long a BSN takes for more details.
Why RNs Go Back for Their BSN
The nursing profession has been moving toward baccalaureate preparation for years. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing , and has done so since 2010. Hospitals pursuing Magnet designation work under that require nurse managers and nurse leaders to hold a degree in nursing at the baccalaureate or graduate level.
As a result of these initiatives, the BSN is now a common credential for RNs: As of 2024, the National Nursing Workforce Survey found that . For RNs considering continuing their education, the message is clear: completing your BSN is the next step toward new opportunities in nursing.
Where Your BSN Can Take You
The BSN is the standard academic prerequisite for graduate nursing study, which makes it the door to the MSN and the DNP. The evidence-based practice and leadership coursework helps prepare you for what that level of study asks for. WCU’s online MSN offers six specializations including Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Leader and Nurse Educator, and the university also offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Accreditation matters here more than anywhere else in the process, because graduate programs look at where your BSN came from. WCU’s baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are (CCNE). 国产主播 also holds institutional accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep working while I earn my BSN?
Absolutely. That’s what a completion program is built for. WCU’s RN to BSN is delivered online, and the three paces鈥擜ccelerated Plus, Accelerated, and Working Professional鈥攍et you set the course load to fit with your schedule.
How long does an RN to BSN take?
At WCU, as few as 8 months at the Accelerated Plus pace, 12 months at the Accelerated pace, or 20 months at the Working Professional pace. Terms run eight weeks with start dates throughout the year, so you can start when you鈥檙e ready.
Do I have to complete hospital clinicals again?
In place of traditional clinical rotations, our RN to BSN students gain hands-on practice through 90 community experience hours. This experienced model is designed to help students advance their knowledge and expertise in a community area of practice. Practice Experience is required in order to graduate from the RN to BSN, RN to MSN, MSN, DNP degree and Post-Master’s Certificate Programs.
Will all of my associate degree credits transfer?
It depends. Your previous coursework will need to be evaluated to confirm which credits are transferable. Up to 90 eligible transfer credits can apply toward the 120-credit degree: 39 for general education and 51 for nursing coursework and your RN license.
What GPA do I need to get in?
WCU asks for completion of an associate degree or diploma in nursing with a 2.25 CGPA or better. Applicants with a minimum 2.0 GPA may be considered for probational admission.
Is an online RN to BSN accredited the same way a campus program is?
Accreditation applies to the program regardless of the format. WCU’s baccalaureate nursing program holds CCNE accreditation.
Where to Start
Ready to see where your credits land? Request information about WCU’s online RN to BSN program, and one of our advisors can walk you through a transfer credit evaluation and help you pick the pace that fits your schedule.
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
Call
Info Session