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2024-2025

Nursing, Bachelor of Science

VCU

Community college:
AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science (apply in first year) (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

AA&S in Science or AS in Health Sciences or AS in Science.

Complete admission prerequisites listed below and apply in first year at community college.

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) prepares students for a rewarding career in the healthcare field by providing a comprehensive education that combines rigorous academic coursework with hands-on clinical experiences. The program is designed to develop skilled, compassionate, and knowledgeable nursing professionals who are equipped to meet the diverse healthcare needs of individuals, families, and communities.


Key components of the BSN include foundational courses in the biological, physical, and social sciences, which provide a solid understanding of the principles underpinning nursing practice. Students also engage in specialized nursing courses that cover critical areas such as adult health, pediatrics, mental health, and community health nursing. The program emphasizes evidence-based practice, critical thinking, and effective communication skills.


Clinical rotations are integral to the BSN experience, allowing students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings under the supervision of experienced faculty and clinical preceptors. These rotations take place in a variety of healthcare environments, including hospitals, clinics, and community agencies, ensuring that students gain a broad and diverse clinical perspective.

Career opportunities

Graduates of the BSN are well-prepared to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) and embark on successful careers as registered nurses. They are also equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for lifelong learning and professional development in the ever-evolving field of nursing. Recent alumni find employment in public, private, and community settings and with employers like the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Corrections, Bon Secours, HCA Hospitals, and the Inova Health System.


The BSN fosters a commitment to ethical practice and cultural competence, ensuring that graduates can provide high-quality, patient-centered care in diverse settings. Faculty members are experienced nurses dedicated to mentoring students and supporting their academic and professional growth. With a strong network of alumni and clinical partners, the BSN offers robust career placement support, helping graduates transition smoothly into the nursing workforce. Alumni are recognized for their leadership, clinical expertise, and dedication to improving patient outcomes, making them valuable assets to healthcare teams across the country.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Nurse
  • Nurse Manager
  • Public Health Nurse
  • Registered Nurse
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Nurse Anesthetist
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
  • Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
  • No guaranteed admission.
  • Apply for admission in first year at community college. 
  • Review admission requirements here.
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 208 or STAT 210 or STAT 212
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.5+
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Nursing

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Nursing, Bachelor of Science

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science (apply in first year))

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Complete admission prerequisites for nursing in your first year and apply to VCU.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to maintain good grades.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your course plan.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
Experience Year 2
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Consider a back-up major at VCU if you are not admitted to the Nursing program.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Nursing, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Complete admission prerequisites for nursing in your first year and apply to VCU.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to maintain good grades.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your course plan.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Consider a back-up major at VCU if you are not admitted to the Nursing program.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Nursing, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Nursing, Bachelor of Science

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science (apply in first year))

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
By following the following course recommendations, students will be able to complete the admission prerequisites for the traditional Nursing program in one year. Students can then apply for admission in their first year at community college.
Year 1
SDV 100 or 101 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education (admission prerequisite)
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education (admission prerequisite)
BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (admission prerequisite)
BIO 141 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Major (admission prerequisite)
BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Major (admission prerequisite)
Nutrition Select 1: DIT 121 Nutrition I or HLT 230 Principles of Nutrition BIOL 217 3 Major (admission prerequisite)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major (admission prerequisite)
SOC 200 or SOC 211 Principles of Sociology or Cultural Anthropology SOCY 101 or ANTH 103 3 Major (admission prerequisite)
Year 2
MTH 155 (or MTH 245) Statistical Reasoning (or Statistics I) STAT 208 (or STAT 210) 3 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities/Fine Arts Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240. VCU equivalent 3 General education
Humanities/Fine Arts/Literature Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275 (the course must come from a different group than the previous requirement). VCU equivalent 3 General education
History Select one of the following (UCGS Block VI): HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 121, HIS 122. HIST 3 General education
BIO 150 Microbiology for Health Sciences BIOL/Z 209 4 Major (Ancillary)
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Major (Ancillary)
Complete requirements for associate degree. VCU equivalents 13 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU. 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
NURS 301 Nursing Informatics 3 Major
NURS 350 Introduction to Professional Nursing 2 Major
NURS 380 Applied Health Assessment Across the Lifespan 3 Major
NURS 403 Evidence-based Practice in Health Care 3 Major
NURS 408 Ethics, Law and Public Policy: Application to Nursing Practice 3 Major
NURS 450 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology I 4 Major
NURS 451 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology II 4 Major
NURS 478 Leadership and Management in Health Care: Theory and Application 3 Major
NURS 484 Entry Into the Nursing Profession 3 Major
NURS 494 Senior Synthesis 5 Major
NURS 523 Fundamental Nursing Concepts 3 Major
NURS 524 Applied Practice: Health Assessment Across the Lifespan and Fundamental Nursing Concepts 3 Major
NURS 535 Population Health, Prevention, and Wellness Concepts Across the Lifespan 4 Major
NURS 536 Applied Practice: Population Health, Prevention, and Wellness Across the Lifespan 2 Major
NURS 547 Chronic Care Concepts Across the Lifespan 4 Major
NURS 548 Applied Practice: Chronic Care Concepts Across the Lifespan 3 Major
NURS 550 Acute Care Concepts Across the Lifespan 4 Major
NURS 551 Applied Practice: Acute Care Concepts Across the Lifespan 3 Major
IPEC 501 Foundations of Interprofessional Practice 1 Major
IPEC 502 Interprofessional Quality Improvement and Patient Safety 1 Major
IPEC 560 Interprofessional Collaborative Care for Older Adults 1 Major
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Credits completed at VCU 62
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 121