University General Course Catalog 2022-2023 
    
    Apr 19, 2024  
University General Course Catalog 2022-2023 ARCHIVED CATALOG: LINKS AND CONTENT ARE OUT OF DATE. CHECK WITH YOUR ADVISOR.

Nursing, Accelerated B.A./B.S. to B.S.N.


The Orvis School of Nursing accelerated second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ASBSN) is a 12-month accelerated program requiring one Wintermester and three consecutive semesters of coursework.  

The ASBSN is designed for individuals with a bachelor of arts or science or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution in a non-nursing major.  After completing the program and passing the NCLEX-RN licensure examination, graduates are eligible to practice in entry-level nursing positions in public health agencies, schools, hospitals, health care organizations, and more.  

Admission is a competitive process that involves GPA and TEAS scores.  The Orvis School of Nursing admits 32 students once annually to this program.

Contact Information


Gracee Tout,
Program Officer, Academic Advisement
ASBSN, RN-BSN
University of Nevada, Reno
Orvis School of Nursing
Reno, NV 89557
(775) 682-7249
ASBSN_OSNadmissions@unr.edu 

Aubree Carlson, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor 
Track Leader, ASBSN Program
University of Nevada, Reno
Orvis School of Nursing
Reno, NV 89557

Admission Requirements


Students must meet the following requirements to apply to the nursing major.
  1. Must be a graduate of an accredited institution with a baccalaureate degree. The degree must be posted by July 1 of the year the application is submitted. 
  2. Must be an active student at UNR by July 1, with all transcripts submitted and evaluated.
  3. Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.
  4. Submit a formal application to the Orvis School of Nursing. Deadlines are posted on the Orvis School of Nursing website.
  5. All prerequisite courses must be taken for a grade (not S/U). Transfer credits taken for S/U credit from an institution that does not offer letter grades are evaluated on an individual basis.
  6. The following courses are required to be completed with a grade of C or higher from an accredited college with a minimum GPA of 3.0 to qualify for application to the program. All prerequisites must be completed and final grades posted to transcripts on or before July 1 of the current application cycle.  Science Courses (A&P I and II, Microbiology) must have been taken within 7 years of the application date. 
    • Anatomy & Physiology: 12 quarter credits or 8-semester credits; a full sequence of human anatomy and physiology with laboratory, inclusive of all body systems. This sequence must be taken in its entirety at the same institution. (UNR equivalent: BIOL 223 A/L and BIOL 224 A/L)
    • Microbiology with lab: 3 to 4 quarter/semester credits: Basic Microbiology with a laboratory component. (UNR equivalent: BIOL 251)
    • Nutrition: 3 quarter/semester credits: Class should cover nutrition at the cellular level, biological functions, dietary sources of essential nutrients, and the relationship of diet to health (UNR equivalent: NUTR 223)
    • Human Development: 3 quarter/semester credits: Class should cover the social and psychological developmental process of human life including the full life span (birth through death). Courses covering only part of the life span will not be accepted. (UNR equivalent: HDFS 201)
    • Statistics: 3 or 4 quarter/semester credits: Class must include both descriptive and inferential components. Statistics may be taken in any department (e.g. Math, Psychology, Business, etc) (UNR equivalent: STATS 152)
    • Math: 3 quarter/semester credits: Course must be a college pre-calculus course or higher (UNR equivalent: MATH ≥ 126)
  7. All applicants to the Orvis School of Nursing are required to take the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) exam. This exam is an assessment tool used to evaluate prospective students’ potential for success in a rigorous nursing program. Please see the ASBSN website for information and further instructions.
  8. The Orvis School of Nursing actively supports the University of Nevada, Reno’s policies that ensure equal opportunity/ affirmative action and diversity.
  9. Selection to the nursing major is accomplished by a rank order list of qualified applicants based on a point matrix. This matrix includes points for GPA for selected prerequisite courses, the TEAS admission exam, and ASBSN program admission preferences, (see the ASBSN website for additional information regarding admission selection criteria).
Prelicensure Program Application Process
  1. Applications are reviewed by the ASBSN Program Officer, the ASBSN Track Leader, and the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs,
  2. Applications that do not meet minimum requirements will not be considered. The applicant will receive a letter stating the reason(s) the application was not reviewed.
  3. Applications that meet minimum requirements will be evaluated through a point-based matrix (see below).
  4. Applicants will be ranked from highest to lowest based on the application matrix. Applicants with the top 32 matrix scores will be offered provisional admission to the OSN Accelerated Second Baccalaureate program.

Carefully review the application information available at https://www.unr.edu/degrees/nursing/bsn. Information on the website is most current.

Graduation Requirements


  • Total Units | 120
  • Cumulative GPA | 2.0
  • University GPA | 2.0
  • Major GPA | 2.0 and earn at least a “C” in required NURS courses
  • University Residency Requirement | 30 Upper-Division Units at UNR
  • Major Residency Requirement | 15 units in major requirements at UNR
  • Upper-Division Requirement | 60 upper-division units
  • Half Program Units/4-Year Institution | 60 units

I. Core General Education Requirements (3 units)


A. Composition & Communication; Critical Analysis & Use of Information - CO1, CO3


CO1, CO3 waived for previous bachelor’s degree. 

B. Quantitative Reasoning - CO2


CO2 waived for previous bachelor’s degree. 

C. Physical & Natural Phenomena - CO4, CO4L


CO4 and CO4L waived for previous bachelor’s degree. 

D. Cultures, Societies, & Individuals - CO6


CO6 waived for previous bachelor’s degree. 

E. Artistic Composition, Interpretation, & Expression - CO7


CO7 waived for previous bachelor’s degree. 

F. History & Culture; Constitution (3 units) - CO5, CO8


CO5 waived for previous bachelor’s degree.

A U.S. and Nevada Constitutions course is required for students who have not previously completed the Constitutions requirements.

Refer to the Core Curriculum chapter for a list of approved CO8 courses .

II. Additional Core Requirements


Students must take courses that satisfy the following Core Objectives. Some or all of these Core Objectives may be satisfied in the Major Requirements (Section IV).  Refer to the Core Curriculum  chapter in this catalog.

A. Science, Technology & Society Course - CO9


CO9 waived for previous bachelor’s degree.

B. Diversity & Equity Course - CO10


C. Global Context Course - CO11


CO11 waived for previous bachelor’s degree.

D. Ethics Course - CO12


CO12 waived for previous bachelor’s degree.

E. Capstone Integration & Synthesis Course - CO13


CO13 waived for previous bachelor’s degree.

F. Application Course - CO14


III. Prerequisite Requirements (24 units)


Complete prerequisite courses with at least a “C”.

IV. Major Requirements (51 units)


Admission to the ASBSN Program is competitive. Requirements include a bachelor’s degree or higher in a non-nursing field from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 and successful completion of the prerequisite courses listed above.

Complete NURS courses with at least a “C”.

V. Recommended Schedule


This schedule does not include prerequisite courses which must be completed prior to admission to the ASBSN Program. Outstanding Silver Core requirements must also be met prior to the completion of the program.