RN to BSN Online
Why Should You Earn a BSN?
The RN to BSN program at UT Health Sciences is designed for the licensed registered nurse (RN) who wants to advance his or her career. A nurse with a four-year degree makes $17,000 more per year than a nurse with a two-year degree, according to a recent article by the American Nurses Association. Over a 30-year career, that salary difference can be more than half a million dollars. In addition, a BSN degree or higher is often required for administrative nursing positions or nursing roles in research, consulting, and teaching, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And it is a requirement for nurse leaders or nurse managers at hospitals that hold American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Status to have a BSN or higher degree.
Why Choose UT Health Sciences
The RN to BSN program at UT Health Sciences is designed for the working registered nurse (RN). Students have the option of completing the 30 credit-hour program on a full-time or part-time schedule.
In addition, the BSN program at UT Health Sciences is among the most highly ranked in the United States. The College of Nursing ranked No. 18 among BSN programs at public universities and No. 28 overall on the U.S. News & World Report nationwide list of undergraduate nursing programs for 2026. This places the program in the top 4% nationwide.
Accreditation information: The baccalaureate degree in nursing program at UT Health Sciences is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Application Deadlines and Admissions Requirements
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Applications for the RN to BSN program open July 10. The application deadline is Nov. 1. Coursework begins in January 2027.
All application materials must be received by the deadline for an applicant to be considered for admission. The total academic performance is critically evaluated with attention given to the source, course load, and trends in performance, as well as to the general commitment to scholarship.
Minimum requirements for practicing registered nurses include a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and a science GPA of 2.0 or higher in Anatomy and Physiology I and II and Microbiology. Science grades of D or F are not accepted. Applicants must earn a grade of C or better in all prerequisite science coursework. The science GPA calculation is based on the highest grade earned on the first or second attempt. Professional recommendations and the applicant's personal statement are considered as part of the application review process. For practicing RNs, there is no age limit on prerequisite science courses.
General Education Courses
| Courses | Credit Hours |
| English Composition | 3 |
| English Literature* | 3 |
| Humanities/Fine Arts** | 3 |
| Social/Behavioral Sciences** | 3 |
| Natural Science/Mathematics Statistics | 3 |
| American History*** | 6 |
| Total | 21 |
Prerequisite Courses
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab**** | 4 |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab**** | 4 |
| MIcrobiology with Lab**** | 4 |
| Subtotal | 12 |
General Education Electives: This program requires 28 credit hours of general education elective courses.
*English Composition I and II and First-Year Writing coursework may be evaluated for the six-hour English Composition and Literature requirement. Literature courses may also be used to fulfill the Humanities/Fine Arts requirement.
**Students with a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field are considered to have met the general education requirements, but must complete the required statistics, microbiology, and human anatomy & physiology courses.
***Students who do not meet the required one unit, or one year, of American History in high school must complete six credit hours of American History or three credit hours of American History and three credit hours of Tennessee History to meet the General Education requirement. Students who completed one unit of American History in high school will need six additional elective credit hours to reach the 30 credit hours required in General Education. These six credit hours may be, but are not required to be, in American History.
****RN-to-BSN applicants who do not practice as an RN must have completed their science prerequisites within five years of the application date. For practicing RNs, there is no age limit on prerequisite science courses.
The prerequisite semester credit requirement represents post-high-school, non-nursing collegiate academic study completed with a grade of C or higher at regionally accredited colleges and universities. The UT Health Sciences College of Nursing does not offer the prerequisite courses listed in the tables.
Students must complete required immunizations, a criminal background check, and drug screening before matriculation. Students must also receive medical clearance to meet performance standards, provide evidence of current cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification, and maintain that certification throughout the program. In addition, registered nurses must hold and maintain an unencumbered nursing license with authority to practice in Tennessee for the duration of the program. Background checks and drug screens may be repeated during the student's program of study. Students must maintain health and professional liability insurance while enrolled in the program.
Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of English proficiency through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum qualifying scores are 550 on the paper-based examination, 213 on the computer-based examination, and 80 on the internet-based examination. TOEFL scores must have been earned within two years of the application date. Applicants may request an exemption from the TOEFL requirement, such as for completion of a U.S. secondary education program. Exemption requests must be submitted to the Director of Student Affairs before the application deadline.
RN to BSN Plan of Study (Full-time)
Students in the RN to BSN program have the option of completing the courses on a full-time or part-time schedule. The courses are the same, whether the student chooses the full-time or part-time plan. The courses are listed below as they would occur in the full-time plan.
| Term 1 | |||||
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit hours | Didactic | Clinical | Lab |
| NSG 440 | Professional Nursing Practice Concepts | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 442 | Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 | 2 | 0 |
1 |
| NSG TBD | Elective A | 3 | 3 | 0 |
0 |
| Term Total | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | |
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit hours | Didactic | Clinical | Lab |
| NSG 439 | Evidence-Based Practice | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG TBD | Elective B | 3 | 3 | ||
| NSG 452 | Population Health Nursing Concepts | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| NSG 458 | Care Coordination and Transition Management | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Term Total | 10 | 9 | 1 | ||
| Term 3 | |||||
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit hours | Didactic | Clinical | Lab |
| NSG 457 | Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG 456 | Nursing Internship: Leadership and Management Practice | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| NSG TBD | Elective C | ||||
| NSG 876* | May select this course as Elective C | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| NSG TBD | Professional Nursing Capstone | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Term Total | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | |
| Totals | 30 | 26 | 1 |
RN to BSN Program Outcomes
The graduate of the BSN Program will be able to:
- Engage in clinical reasoning to make decisions regarding patient care.
- Deliver safe, evidence-based, compassionate, holistic patient and family-centered care across the health and illness continuum.
- Advocate for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.
- Implement population-focused wellness promotion and illness prevention strategies that consider community drivers of health and available resources.
- Use effective communication and collaborative skills for professional practice.
- Demonstrate accountability for personal and professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.
- Evaluate quality improvement processes to optimize safe health care outcomes for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.
- Employ leadership principles to improve patient outcomes across healthcare systems.
- Exhibit a commitment to continuous self-evaluation and lifelong learning.
General Education Competencies
General education competencies for the BSN program are:
- Critical Thinking
Students will demonstrate their ability to solve problems, construct and present cogent arguments in support of their views, and understand and evaluate arguments presented by others. (NSG 449 Evidence-Based Practice Concepts of Scientific Inquiry and Evaluation) - Communication
Students will demonstrate appropriate skills in planning, preparing, and presenting effective oral and written presentations. (NSG 452 Population Health Nursing Concepts ) - Interprofessionalism
Students will be able to explain interprofessional practice to patients, clients, families, and/or other professionals, describe the areas of practice of other health professions, and express professional pinions competently, confidently, and respectfully while avoiding discipline specific language. (NSG 456: Nursing Internship: Leadership and Management Practice)
General education competencies will be measured via student performance on oral presentations written critiques of research papers, and papers written in capstone courses in the above italicized courses.