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The School of Nursing
 
 

Associate Degree in Nursing to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

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The ADN to BSN program is designed for registered nurses with an Associate Degree or Diploma in Nursing who want to advance in the profession. The completion of a bachelor's degree in Nursing is the gateway to graduate-level education and advanced practice nursing roles. 

The ADN-BSN program is flexible in order to accommodate the working nurse’s schedule:

  • Prerequisites can be taken at a university or community college
  • Prerequisites can be taken through correspondence, extension, or distance education with prior approval
  • Credit-by-exam and transfer credit are available for some previous nursing coursework
  • Full-time or part-time enrollment is available
  • Most upper-division courses are scheduled on two consecutive days
  • Six credit hours of graduate coursework may be taken in the final semester of the ADN-BSN program and reserved for a graduate degree

The ADN-BSN program consists of 56 prerequisite credit hours, 35 credit-by-exam credit hours, and 33 upper-division credit hours (see ADN-BSN Degree Plan PDF Fomat). Students must be formally admitted to the University of Texas at Austin and the ADN-BSN program in order to complete the required upper-division coursework and, ultimately, the BSN degree. For more information on applying to the University and the School of Nursing, please visit the ADN-BSN Admissions page.

Prospective students are encouraged to meet with the ADN-BSN advisor prior to applying to the program. To schedule an appointment, please call the Student Affairs Office at 512-232-4780. Interested persons may also directly contact the student advisor, Teri Chavira.

Prerequisite Course Requirements

The School of Nursing is currently in the process of updating prerequisite course requirements for the ADN-BSN program. Please contact the student advisor Teri Chavira for further information.

A number of the ADN-BSN prerequisites are common to many ADN programs and thus may be transferred in to the School of Nursing through the completion of Advanced Placement (AP) or College Level Examination Placement (CLEP) tests. A maximum of 21 prerequisite credit hours may be earned by satisfactory scores on these exams.

Prerequisite courses for ADN-BSN prgram
Courses Credit Hours
Chemistry* 3
Biology 3
Nutrition 3
Math 3
Microbiology 3
Pharmacology 3
Anatomy & Physiology 8
English 6
Government* 6
US History* 6
Psychology 3
Growth & Development 3
Statistics* 3
Elective  3

*Course not typically required in ADN programs

Please note that these prerequisites are satisfied by specific pre-approved courses only.  For more information on these specific courses, including course numbers, please see the ADN-BSN Degree Plan (PDF Format).

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Credit-by-Exam Courses

Credit for previous enrollment in nursing courses may be earned through the National League of Nursing (NLN) Acceleration Challenge Examinations (ACE II), also called the Mobility Exams. A maximum of 33 credit hours may be earned by satisfactory scores on the NLN Mobility Exams.

Please note: Mobility exams are offered once a year in July. Students must register for exams 6 weeks prior to the exam date.

The NLN Mobility Exams and their equivalent courses in the School of Nursing are:

Care of the Adult Client (exam title)
Courses Credit Hours
Adult Health Nursing I 3
Adult Health Nursing I (Practicum) 3
Adult Health Nursing II 4
Adult Health Nursing II (Practicum) 3
Clinical Nursing Skills I (Practicum) 1
Clinical Nursing Skills II (Practicum) 1

Care of the Client During Childbearing (exam title)
Courses Credit Hours
Nursing Care of Childbearing Families  2
Nursing Care of Childbearing Families (Practicum)  3

Care of the Child (exam title)
Courses Credit Hours
Nursing Care of Children & Families 2
Nursing Care of Children & Families (Practicum) 3

Care of the Client with a Mental Disorder (exam title)
Courses Credit Hours
Mental Health Nursing Across the Lifespan I 2
Mental Health Nursing Across the Lifespan II 3
Problems in Mental Health Nursing (Practicum) 3

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Upper-Division Courses

In order to begin the upper-division sequence, students must first be formally admitted to the University and the ADN-BSN program, and have completed the prerequisite and credit-by-exam courses. A minimum of 33 upper-division credit hours must be successfully completed in order to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN).

The upper-division courses are:
Courses Credit Hours
Transition to Professional Nursing 3
Conceptual Foundations-RN 3
Leadership & Management of Nursing Care  3
Clinical Care Management (Practicum) 3
Conceptual Bases of Aging 2
Nursing research 2
Public Health Nursing 2
Public Health Nursing (Practicum)  3
Genetics in Health Care 3
Spanish for Healthcare Professionals 3

Two of the following courses:
Courses Credit Hours
Specialized Topics in Nursing 3
Women’s Reproductive Health 3
Ethics of Health Care 3
Independent Study-RN 3

For more detailed information on the upper-division courses in the ADN-BSN program, please see the ADN-BSN Degree Plan (PDF Format).

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