Online RN to B.S. Classes and Requirements
As you pursue your B.S. with a major in nursing, you’ll have support from enrollment to graduation. OHSU faculty mentors, advisers and tutors are here to guide you and help you meet your learning goals.
RN to B.S. program curriculum
To earn your bachelor of science with a major in nursing, you'll take upper-division nursing classes online from OHSU. These courses expand upon your knowledge as an RN and help you build health care leadership skills for the future.
- Location: 100% online. Complete classes and clinical activities asynchronously to fit your schedule.
- Length: Nine months (full-time) or up to five years (part-time)
- GPA: Minimum OHSU GPA of 2.0
Sample RN to B.S. classes and programs of study
Get a glimpse of program classes and timelines for full- and part-time RN to B.S. pathways.
RN to B.S. student learning outcomes
Completing your RN to B.S. at OHSU prepares you for the next step of your career. The curriculum helps you build your skills as a competent nurse and learn to:
- Base personal and professional actions on a set of shared core nursing values.
- Use reflection, self-analysis and self-care to develop insight.
- Engage in intentional learning.
- Demonstrate leadership in nursing and health care.
- Collaborate as part of a health care team.
- Practice within, utilize, and contribute to all health care systems.
- Practice relationship-centered care.
- Communicate effectively.
- Make sound clinical judgments.
- Locate, evaluate and use the best available evidence.
RN to B.S. degree requirements
You need 180 credits to complete the RN to B.S. program. That includes prerequisites and credits taken at an accredited college or university and OHSU.
Credits required to enroll
You meet these requirements with an associate degree/A.A.S. before enrolling in the RN to B.S. program. You must also have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
| Prerequisite courses | Quarter credits |
|---|---|
| Lower-division nursing classes | 60 |
| Anatomy and physiology, biology, human development, microbiology, nutrition and statistics classes | 28 |
Credits required to graduate
Upon completing the OHSU School of Nursing RN to B.S. program, you will meet these graduation requirements.
| Program course requirements | Quarter credits | GPA requirements |
|---|---|---|
| General education and elective classes* | 59 | Minimum 3.0 |
| Upper-division nursing classes | 33 | Minimum 2.0 |
*These courses may be met by a bachelor’s degree or classes from an accredited college or university other than OHSU:
- Humanities classes: 9 credits
- Social science classes: 6 credits
- Writing: 8 credits
- Upper-division electives: 15 credits
- Lower-division electives: 21 credits
Course equivalency guides
OHSU RN to B.S. program classes
During the RN to B.S. program, you’ll take upper-division nursing classes (300-400 level) at OHSU, totaling 33 credits. You must complete all OHSU courses with a minimum GPA of 2.0.
NRS 427 Practice Integration
3 credits. This course is the first course of the OCNE baccalaureate completion program for RNs. The course transitions students into baccalaureate nursing education. Students will examine aspects of their nursing practice and set professional goals. They will also gain experience using available evidence to inform their practice.
The course is structured around the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education fundamentals: evidence-based practice, leadership, relationship-centered care and clinical judgment. Forum discussions, reflective portfolios, case studies and other course assignments address each of these fundamentals.
NRS 410A Population Health Practice
3 credits. This course along with NRS 410B prepares nurses in community and population health. Students are given an opportunity to apply population health principles to address health disparities. Community and population health are examined as a synthesis of knowledge from nursing, public health, the social sciences and epidemiology.
Students analyze prevalent population health issues, explore population interventions and participate with the community to promote quality, culturally proficient, and preventive health care. Frameworks of community and public health are examined, and community assessments are conducted using a systems approach that promotes health literacy and embraces cultural diversity.
NRS 410B Population Health Practice
6 credits. This course along with NRS 410A prepares nurses in community and population health. Students are given an opportunity to apply population health principles to address health disparities. Community and population health are examined as a synthesis of knowledge from nursing, public health, the social sciences and epidemiology.
Students analyze prevalent population health issues, explore population interventions and participate with the community to promote quality, culturally proficient, and preventive health care. Frameworks of community and public health are examined, and community assessments are conducted using a systems approach that promotes health literacy and embraces cultural diversity. Prerequisites: 410A prior or concurrent.
NRS 411 Epidemiology
3 credits. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of death, disease and disability in human populations. In this course, students will learn the basic principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation; examine studies of the distribution and dynamic behavior of health determinants; understand etiologic factors, modes of transmission and pathogenesis; and explore concepts in social epidemiology. Applying epidemiologic case studies, students will engage systems and complex thinking to evaluate programs and policies in population health and nursing.
412RA: Professional Nursing in Health Policy and Health Care Delivery Systems
3 credits. The course examines the role of the nurse as a leader in nursing and in health care. Focus is on the role of the professional nurse in the broader health care delivery system. Legal, ethical, regulatory, and political factors influencing patient/population health provide context to the learning.
412RB: Nursing Leadership: Health Care Culture and Collaborative Practice
3 credits. This course examines the professional nurse's role within health care teams and the broader health care system. Emphasis placed on the influence of the nurse on health care culture, interprofessional team dynamics, and overall quality and safety of complex systems. Examination of concepts such as complex adaptive systems, Just Culture, interprofessional collaboration and accountability will occur.
412RC: Nursing Leadership and Management in Health Care
3 credits. In this course the learner considers their role as a leader in nursing and in complex health care systems. Students will examine nursing leadership competencies, behaviors, and skills including their own leadership and followership styles. Self-reflection on leadership behaviors and strategies for professional development will be explored.
412RD: Nursing Leadership Practice in Quality Improvement
3 credits. In this course, the learner will analyze their role in nursing and health care. Focus is on the knowledge and skills required to improve health care delivery and client outcomes from quality and safely perspectives. The learner will lead, collaborate and implement a quality improvement project (QIP) in a health care organizational system. The clinical prepares the learner for their role as a baccalaureate prepared registered nurse in any health care setting.
NRS 426A Integrative Practicum
6 credits. This course provides the student with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of and competence in the nursing care of the selected population. Emphasis is on the health care needs of selected populations, and the associated systems and policy issues surrounding them. Includes self-directed study and clinical learning experiences.
RN to B.S. program faculty
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RN to B.S. program leaders
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Hear from students
"Every time I interacted with an instructor or other program staff member, they demonstrated that they are here to support my success in the program."
— Delia Lagos, RN
QM-certified online learning
OHSU RN to B.S. courses meet Quality Matters’ rigorous standards for quality, design and accessibility in online education.
Accreditation
OHSU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) an institutional accrediting body approved by the U.S. Department of Education.