Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Prelicensure)
The School of Nursing offers prelicensure (RN) bachelor’s degree programs at the San Francisco campus and in the Peninsula/SF State Baccalaureate Nursing Program at the College of San Mateo. The Peninsula/SF State Baccalaureate Nursing program is an accelerated four-semester program that includes the summer session. It is offered through the College of Professional & Global Education at SF State and is supported by San Mateo Community College District and the CSU. The course of study is the same for both sites. Students are encouraged to explore the specific requirements on the School of Nursing website as they may vary from year to year.
Applicants to the baccalaureate nursing program may be current students at SF State, transfers, or second baccalaureates. As freshmen applicants are not admitted to the University as nursing majors, students can be admitted as Undeclared with an Intrest in Nursing or to an alternate major. The Undeclared with an Intrest in Nursing designation does not guarantee admission to the nursing major; students admitted as Undeclared with an Intrest in Nursing must seek advising from the Student Resource Center in the College of Health and Social Sciences. All students applying to the nursing program must meet the minimum University requirements (see earlier sections of the Bulletin) and satisfy specific prerequisites for the program.
Admission/Application Information
- The program offers regular Spring and Fall admissions. The accelerated track is also available through summer admission. Application-specific dates and application process guidance will be posted on the School of Nursing website.
- Both the School of Nursing and University applications must be submitted for those who are not already SF State students.
- Optional supplemental criteria: Documentation of multi-linguistic proficiency, health-related work, and volunteer experiences, and service to the underserved community.
- Applicants will be notified of the decision regarding acceptance into the program in the spring and fall before the program starts.
Admission Criteria
Transfer applicants must be admissible to the University in accordance with existing criteria as stated in the undergraduate admission requirements section of the University Bulletin. Second baccalaureate applicants must be admissible as per the CSU Graduate Admission Eligibility section of the Bulletin. In addition, students seeking to major in nursing must meet the following criteria and prerequisites:
- Be California residents or eligible for CSU in-state tuition.
- Have a nursing Prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or better at the time of the School of Nursing supplemental application.
- Receive a grade of C or better in all Nursing prerequisites.
- Complete University General Education requirements.
- TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) score of 78 or better is required within three attempts.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient's preferences, values, and needs.
- Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
- Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
- Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of healthcare systems.
- Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
- Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
Students completing the B.S.N. program will achieve the School of Nursing’s B.S.N. Expected Student Learning Outcomes as outlined below:
- Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient's preferences, values, and needs.
- Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
- Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
- Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of healthcare systems.
- Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
- Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
General Education Requirements Met in Undeclared with an Intrest in Nursing Courses
The requirements below are deemed “met in the major” upon completion of the courses listed (even though the courses and their prerequisites are not approved for GE). This is true whether or not the student completes the major.
- Area B2 (Life Science) is satisfied upon completion of either BIOL 210 and BIOL 212, or BIOL 210 and BIOL 220.
Nursing Prerequisites — 28 units
The courses listed below or those which are comparable as listed on assist.org are required for acceptance into the Nursing major. Seven of the eight prerequisites must have been completed at the time of School of Nursing supplemental application.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 210 & BIOL 211 | General Microbiology and Public Health and General Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 220 | Principles of Human Anatomy 1 | 4 |
| or BIOL 328 | Human Anatomy | |
| BIOL 212 & BIOL 213 | Principles of Human Physiology and Principles of Human Physiology Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 101 & CHEM 102 | Survey of Chemistry and Survey of Chemistry Laboratory 2 | 4 |
| COMM 150 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| ENG 114 | Writing the First Year: Finding Your Voice (Written Communication I) | 3 |
| MATH 124 | Elementary Statistics (quantitative reasoning) | 3 |
| PHIL 110 | Introduction to Critical Thinking I | 3 |
- 1
Either anatomy course must include a laboratory component if taken at another university.
- 2
This is an integrated course in which students are introduced to topics in general, organic, and biochemistry. Stand alone general, inorganic, or organic chemistry courses will also fulfill the chemistry requirement.
Nursing GWAR Course Information
All undergraduate Nursing students must have completed GE Area A2 prior to enrolling in NURS 312GW during the first semester of the Nursing major.
Courses Required for RN Licensure in California
Prior to applying for RN licensure, the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) requires students to have completed a minimum of 16 semester units comprising natural, behavioral, and social sciences. To complement the anatomy, physiology, and microbiology prerequisites, it is highly recommended that students complete a general or developmental psychology course prior to taking NURS 328, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Theory, and any additional behavioral or social science course as needed to fulfill the BRN's requirement. An Anthropology or Sociology course is suggested.
Note: These courses may also satisfy GE requirements.
General Education Requirements Met in Nursing Courses
The requirements below are deemed “met in the major” upon completion of the courses listed (even though the courses and their prerequisites are not approved for GE). This is true whether or not the student completes the major.
- UD–D (Social Sciences) and SF Studies American Ethnic and Racial Minorities (AERM) and Social Justice (SJ) are satisfied upon completion of NURS 522 and NURS 530.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.) — 56 units
| First Semester | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 310 | Human Development and Health Assessment Theory | 3 |
| NURS 311 | Human Development and Health Assessment Lab (5) | 2 |
| NURS 312GW | Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing - GWAR (3) | 3 |
| NURS 314 | Health Promotion in Nursing (3) | 3 |
| NURS 315 | Health Promotions in Nursing - Practicum (2) | 2 |
| Units | 13 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| NURS 326 | Reproductive Health Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 327 | Reproductive Health Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 328 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 329 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 350 | Nursing Interventions Practicum I (2) | 2 |
| Units | 14 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| NURS 410 | Nursing Care of Children Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 411 | Nursing Care of Children Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 420 | Nursing Care of Adults Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 421 | Nursing Care of Adults Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 450 | Nursing Interventions Lab II (2) | 2 |
| Units | 14 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| NURS 520 | Advanced Medical Surgical and Critical Care Nursing (3) | 3 |
| NURS 521 | Advanced Medical Surgical and Critical Care Nursing Capstone Practicum (3) | 3 |
| NURS 522 | Chronic Care and End of Life Care Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 530 | Community Health and Global Perspectives Theory (3) | 3 |
| NURS 531 | Community Health and Global Perspectives Practicum (3) | 3 |
| Units | 15 | |
| Total Units | 56 | |
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.