Nursing Program
Department Information:
500 KMBL
801-422-4144
Advisement Center:
551 KMBL
801-422-4173
nursing_advisement@byu.edu
Program:
Information about the College of Nursing
The college nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Brigham Young University's baccalaureate nursing program prepares general clinicians with the knowledge, competencies, leadership abilities, and values commensurate with professional nursing practice. Nursing education builds on the AACN Bacculareaute Essentials, sciences, humanities, and religious studies to develop a strong theoretical and practical base necessary to promote health and wellness of individuals, families and communities in various acute and population-based health care settings.
Learning comes alive as students move from the classroom through the clinical simulation laboratory to actual patient care. Students assess, interpret, and respond to actual and simulated patient scenarios in an effort to promote, restore, or maintain health. Baccalaureate graduates develop their ability to be sensitive to the welfare of others, communicate effectively, evaluate and apply research findings, think critically, solve problems, and utilize appropriate technology as they provide quality nursing care to people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds.
Career Opportunities
Graduates have career opportunities in various healthcare settings. Those include but are not limited to case management, critical care, discharge planning, emergency/trauma, environmental health, forensics, gerontology, health promotion, home health, hospice, maternal/newborn, medical/surgical, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, perioperative, population and community health, psychiatric, and rehabilitation.
Undergraduate Admittance Requirements
Acceptance into the nursing major is competitive and enrollment is limited. Therefore, not all students who meet the minimum requirements are guaranteed acceptance into the program. The following criteria have been established for consideration for admittance into the baccalaureate nursing program.
Be fully matriculated at BYU.
Complete the following pre-requisite courses: Chem 285, NDFS 100, CELL 220 or CELL 210 (with a virtual lab), and SFL 210 or Psych 220. In addition, complete a minimum of at least 16 hours from the university core.
Grades must be posted on the BYU transcript for all pre-requisite courses by the application deadline. For transfer students, all equivalent pre-requisite classes being transferred to BYU must be posted on BYU transcripts prior to application deadline. All Independent Study classes (if taken) need to have grades posted on transcript by application deadline.
No mid-term grades will be accepted.
In order to be eligible to apply to the College of Nursing, a student must have at least 25 total credit hours (including pre-requisites), no more than 75 BYU credit hours, and no more than 100 total credit hours (transfer + BYU).
Students desiring to complete a full-time LDS mission should apply to the nursing program after they have completed their missionary service.
Complete an online application as described on the BYU College of Nursing website. Applicants are evaluated on a variety of criteria.
GPA; ACT/SAT, TOEFL (if needed);
Written communication skills; resume; healthcare experience (for example: healthcare related jobs and/or volunteer experience); recommendations from employers and/or educators; interview; and the professional judgment of the admissions committee.
The admissions committee will review each application and choose the most appropriate candidates for advancement in the admission process (see application for details).
Students with English as a second language additional requirements:
Have a TOEFL over-all score of at least a 93 (internet-based) with at least 24 sub-scores in both reading and listening.
Take the OPI/IELTS package exams from BYU English Language Center (this cannot be started until you have the minimum score needed for the TOEFL). Please see Nursing Advisement Center for more details.
Maintain a "C" grade or above in all nursing courses, including prerequisite and supporting courses. A grade of "C–" does not allow advancement to the next course in the sequence and a minimum of a 3.0 Nursing and Overall GPA per semester must be maintained in order to graduate.
For re-admission during the program: Students who defer during the Nursing program for longer than one semester (for any reason) will be asked to pass a competency test which may result in repeating coursework until competency has been assured. Students should contact the Nursing Advisement Center to schedule the exam prior to the start of the semester.
Educational Experiences
Educational experiences are generally located in the Wasatch Front. Didactic (classroom) courses are taught in Provo or online in various instruction modes. Each student needs access to a computer with stable internet connection and a quiet, private study area. The College of Nursing makes extensive cooperative use of hospitals and healthcare facilities in many sites in Utah and selected rural sites, including some international experiences. Visits to agencies and client homes may also be required. To achieve the best possible clinical education, students will need to travel throughout their course work. Access to a car is highly recommended. Students are responsible for their own transportation. Multicultural and international clinical experiences are also available during a specific spring term in the program.
