Accelerated BSN

Quick Facts

Requires five (5) semesters to complete.

Students are admitted in fall, spring, and summer semesters at our Kingsport and Sevierville campuses and Fall at the Johnson City campus. The curriculum consists of five semesters of major courses in an accelerated format -- including attending nursing courses in the summer semester/s.

Clinical experiences within the largest health systems in the region.

Our program, emphasis is placed upon clinical leadership, evidence-based nursing practice and culturally relevant care

The link below (Apply now) will take you to the Nursing CAS application. Please read the instructions carefully. We have 1 application for all of our programs and locations, except LPN-BSN has a separate application. Within the application you will be able to identify your preferences. All applicants must also apply and be accepted to ETSU: https://www.etsu.edu/admissions/#student_type

Learn More

BSN Information Packet

CAS Handout

Program Details

• Curriculum

  Course Name/Number	Course Hours
  First Semester
  NRSE 2016 Pathophysiology for Nursing	4
  NRSE 2020 Introduction to Professional Nursing	3
  NRSE 2310 Communication for Hlth Prof	2
  NRSE 2350 Patient Centered Care 1	3
  NRSE 2351 Patient Centered Care 1 Practicum	3*
  Total	15
  Second Semester
  NRSE 3010 Pharmacology for Nursing	3
  NRSE 3350 Nursing Informatics and Healthcare Systems	2
  NRSE 3500 Patient Centered Care 2	3
  NRSE 3501 Patient Centered Care 2 Practicum	4*
  NRSE 3525 Health Promotion and Research	3
  Total	15
  Third Semester
  NRSE 3090 Care of Persons with Mental Illness	3
  NRSE 3091 Care of Persons with Mental Illness Practicum	2
  NRSE 3510 Population, Community, and Public Health Nursing	3
  NRSE 3540 Adult Care 1	3
  NRSE 3541 Adult Care 1 Practicum	4
  Total	15
  Fourth Semester
  NRSE 4550 Adult Care 2	3
  NRSE 4551 Adult Care 2 Practicum	3
  NRSE 4561 Clinical Care for Women, Childbearing Families, and Children	4
  NRSE 4570 Childbearing Families and Reproductive Health	3
  NRSE 4580 Child Health Nursing	3
  Total	16
  Fifth Semester
  NRSE 4610 Adult Care 3	3
  NRSE 4611Adult Care 3 Practicum	4
  NRSE 4620 Leadership and Professional Practice	3
  NRSE 4621 Professional Practice Practicum	4
  Total	14
  Total BSN Hours	72

  *NRSE 2351 is changing for 4 credits to 3 credits Fall 2021 and NRSE 3501 is changing from 3 credits to 4 credits Spring 2022

• Admissions Criteria

  Policy

  Admission criteria is under review and expected to change sometime in 2022

  Admission - Admission to the university as a Health Professional-Nursing Interest (HPNU) major does not assure admission to the major.

  1. Applicants must be in progress or have completed all ETSU General Education courses* (or equivalent from a Transfer Institution) including the four (4) Nursing Pre-requisite classes:  Anatomy and Physiology I and II (with labs), Intro to Microbiology (with lab), and Probability and Statistics. At least three (3) of the four (4) pre-requisite math/science classes must be completed prior to the application deadline.

  * Applicants with greater than two (2) unsuccessful attempts to complete all required pre-requisite math/science courses will be ineligible for admission to the College of Nursing.  Grades below a “C” (C-, D+, D, and F) are considered unsuccessful attempts.

  * Applicants with completed Bachelor’s degrees are exempt from taking General Education Requirements (by virtue of the completed degree) but must complete the four pre-requisite math/science courses or equivalents with at least three (3) of the four (4) completed prior to the application deadline.

  *Transfer students are responsible for making sure courses taken at other institutions are equivalent to ETSU General Education courses. For further information about transfer equivalency, go to: https://www.etsu.edu/articulation/equivalencies.php . For a list of ETSU General Education requirements, go to: https://www.etsu.edu/uged/gened.php .

  2. A minimum cumulative College Level Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.6 as computed by East Tennessee State University (excluding developmental coursework) is required.
     
     
  3. Applicants must apply to the College of Nursing using the Centralized Application System (Nursing CAS).  RN to BSN applicants must apply to the College of Nursing using electronic application found on the College of Nursing website.  
     
     
  4. Official Transcripts from all higher education institutions must be sent to CAS with the exception of RN to BSN. RN to BSN applicants must submit official transcripts with the electronic or paper application. Students must also apply for General Admission to ETSU.  This should be done well in advance of the application deadline. Detailed instructions and information are available at: https://www.etsu.edu/admissions/#student_type
  5. Applicants, with the exception of LPN to BSN and RN to BSN, must submit (electronically) all scores from the standardized entrance exam. (TEAS) The standardized entrance exam may be taken twice within a two year period, but not twice in the same semester.  Scores are valid for two (2) years.
     
     
  6. ETSU College of Nursing does NOT require references, a personal statement or professional experience for admission.
     
     
  7. Applicants, with the exception of LPN to BSN and RN to BSN, are ranked by a point system which includes 100 possible points in four (4) areas: Overall GPA, Math/Science Nursing Pre-requisite GPA, Adjusted Individual Total Score, and Adjusted Individual Reading section score of the standard entrance exam for a total of 400 possible points.  Applicants are admitted in point order. LPN to BSN and RN to BSN applicants are ranked by overall Grade Point Average (GPA) and admitted in ascending order.
     
     
  8. Applicants who are admitted to ETSU as freshman with a high school GPA of 3.5 or above, ACT cumulative score of 29 or above, and maintain an ETSU overall GPA of 3.2 or higher, will be guaranteed admission to the nursing major.  Students must complete the College of Nursing application process and meet all other established admissions criteria.
• Application Process & Selection

  Admissions Criteria

  Admission criteria is under review and expected to change sometime in 2022 

  Traditional and Accelerated BSN Programs

  
  Application Deadlines: February 1 for Summer Accelerated 2nd Degree Program in Johnson City and Summer Accelerated Kingsport and Sevierville programs. June 1 for Traditional and Accelerated Fall Johnson City Campus, and Accelerated Kingsport and Sevierville programs. October 1 for Spring Traditional Johnson City Campus, and Accelerated Kingsport and Sevierville programs.

  
  1. Students must be in progress or have completed all ETSU General Education courses* (or equivalent from a Transfer Institution) including the 4 Nursing Pre-requisite classes:  Anatomy and Physiology I and II (with labs), Intro to Microbiology (with lab), and Probability and Statistics. At least 3 of the 4 pre-requisite math/science classes must be completed prior to the application deadline.
  Students with greater than 2 unsuccessful attempts to complete all required pre-requisite math/science courses will be ineligible for admission to the College of Nursing.  Grades below a “C” (C-, D+, D, and F) are considered unsuccessful attempts.
  *Transfer students are responsible for making sure courses taken at other institutions are equivalent to ETSU General Education courses. For further information about transfer equivalency, go to http://www.etsu.edu/articulation/equivalencies.aspx . For a list of ETSU General Education requirements go to: https://www.etsu.edu/uged/gened.php

  2. A minimum cumulative College Level GPA of 2.6 as computed by East Tennessee State University (excluding developmental coursework) is required.

  3. Students, with the exception of RN-BSN, must apply to the College of Nursing using the Centralized Application System (Nursing CAS).  Official Transcripts from all colleges attended (including dual enrollment during high school) must be sent to CAS.  Transfer students must also apply for General Admission to ETSU as a Health Professions Nursing Interest (HPNU) applicant.  This should be done well in advance of the application deadline.

  4. Applicants, with the exception of RN-BSN and LPN-BSN, must submit (electronically) all scores from the TEAS standardized entrance exam.  Scores are valid for two years.  The TEAS exam is given on the ETSU campus for our applicants on a regular basis. Information about scheduling and preparing for the TEAS can be found at www.atitesting.comand at the bottom of this page.

  5. ETSU College of Nursing does NOT require references, a personal statement or professional experience for admission.

  6. Applicants, with the exception of RN-BSN and LPN-BSN, are ranked by a point system which includes 100 possible points in 4 areas: Overall GPA, Math/Science Nursing Pre-requisite GPA, Adjusted Individual Total Score, and Adjusted Individual Reading section score of the TEAS for a total of 400 possible points.  Applicants are admitted in point order.

  7. First Time Freshmen admitted to ETSU with a high school GPA of 3.5 or above and an ACT composite score of 29 or above (or an SAT math/critical reasoning composite score of 1350 or above),  and who maintain an ETSU overall GPA of 3.2 or above, will be guaranteed admission to the BSN program. Students must complete the College of Nursing application process and meet all other established admission criteria including the TEAS exam.

  
  

  Students with questions about the admissions or selection processes are encouraged to schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Office of Student Services.

  Questions? Email an Advisor.

• Out of State Applications

  • Course and program availability varies by state and is established by each individual State Board of Nursing.

  • Students who reside outside of the state of Tennessee are responsible to contact their State Board of Nursing to confirm whether the course or program meets online degree program requirements in their state of residence prior to application.

• Application Deadlines

  October 1 for program beginning Spring Semester

  February 1 for program beginning Summer Semester

  June 1 for program beginning Fall Semester

  To receive full consideration, students must be admitted to East Tennessee State University by the nursing application deadline dates. Since admission to the university can take several weeks, students are encouraged to apply well in advance of the nursing deadlines. Consideration for the nursing major cannot be guaranteed if full admission to the university has not been obtained.

  Click here to apply for ETSU admission

FAQ's

Admission criteria is under review and expected to change sometime in 2022

How long does the program take to complete?

Five (5) semesters including summer semester/s. 

When is the application deadline?

October 1 for program beginning Spring Semester

February 1 for program beginning Summer Semester

June 1 for program beginning Fall Semester

To receive full consideration, students must be admitted to East Tennessee State University by the nursing application deadline dates. Since admission to the university can take several weeks, students are encouraged to apply well in advance of the nursing deadlines. Consideration for the nursing major cannot be guaranteed if full admission to the university has not been obtained.

When does the program begin?

There are three cohort start dates each academic year: one in mid-August, which is our Fall Semester; one in mid-January which is our Spring Semester; and one in May which is our Summer Semester.

What are the four Pre-requisite classes that need to be completed?

Two Anatomy and Physiology classes with labs. These can either be Anatomy and Physiology I and II OR a course in Human Anatomy and a course in Human Physiology. One Microbiology with lab: Introduction to Microbiology or General Microbiology course and one Statistics class. Many students take Probability and Statistics or Introduction to Statistics, but we also accept Statistics for any of the Social Sciences, Biostatistics, or any class that includes a large statistical emphasis. Also courses in Virology or Bacteriology can substitute for Microbiology. Providing a catalog course description is helpful for determining whether classes fulfill the requirement. We do accept online labs if the course are equivalent to our requirements.

Can I take the pre-requisite classes online or at a community college?

Yes, they can be taken at any accredited college or university, including accredited online programs.

My pre-requisites are older than five years, or ten years. Do I need to re-take them?

No. Pre-requisite classes do not “expire” although we recommend that the student has competent recall of the material, and suggest re-taking them if you do not feel confident about your grasp of the material.

Do all four of the pre-requisites need to be completed when I apply?

At least THREE out of the 4 classes need to be completed. You can have one pre-requisite course in progress when you apply. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

Do I still need to take the standardized entrance exam even though I already have a Bachelor’s Degree?

Yes. It is part of the admission score. The GRE is not accepted as an alternate test.

Is the program offered online, part time or nights/weekends?

No. The BSN program is on ground full time only.

Can I work and be successful in the program?

We strongly discourage working. Some students work part time in a health care related field, and are successful, but ideally, you should plan to be work free for the 18 months of the program.

Do I need to have shadowing experience to be eligible to apply?

No. However, we do encourage students to be sure that they understand what is involved in a nursing career before investing time and money into pre-requisite classes.

Do I need to provide letters of recommendation for the application process?

No.

Do you conduct interviews as part of the application process?

No. 

What is the difference between the traditional program and the accelerated program?

Both programs are five (5) semesters; however, accelerated programs attend summer semesters for earlier degree completion.

When will I be notified about acceptance to the program?

We evaluate all applications after the application deadline, and letters concerning the admission decision are usually sent within six (6) weeks after application deadline. If accepted students decline their spaces, we will admit additional students in point order.

What is the cost of the program?

ETSU charges per credit hour, so each semester will cost a different amount. There are also course fees, books and supplies that add to the cost. To calculate the approximate tuition (either in state or out of state) go to https://www.etsu.edu/paying-for-college/estimator/ to see the cost per credit hour.

Is financial aid or scholarship money available?

We suggest that you talk with a financial aid counselor about your individual qualifications for federal student aid. There are scholarships offered through the College of Nursing. There are no “full ride” scholarships available to any student through the College of Nursing.

Program Contacts

Email an Advisor