continued

Graduation

Special Requirements of the School of Nursing

All students must fulfill the general requirements for graduation given in chapter 1. Students in the School of Nursing must also fulfill the following requirements.

1. All University students must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 to graduate. In the School of Nursing, students must also have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the coursework used to fulfill the upper-division requirement.
2. A candidate must complete the prescribed curriculum and must meet all other requirements of the School of Nursing.
3. A student must supply the School of Nursing with transcripts of courses taken outside the school as the courses are completed.

Degree Audit

A degree audit is prepared in the dean's office when the student begins the junior year of nursing courses. The student is then notified of the courses he or she must take and the requirements he or she must fulfill to receive the degree. The degree audit is normally done according to the catalog in effect when the student was admitted to the School of Nursing, but the student may choose to have it done according to any catalog under which he or she is eligible to graduate. Rules on graduation under a particular catalog are given in chapter 1.

In advising and in registering students, the dean and advisers try to prevent errors. Avoidance of errors is the main purpose of the degree audit, but it remains the responsibility of the student to fulfill all catalog requirements.

Graduation Application Form

In the long-session semester or summer session in which the degree is to be awarded, the candidate must be registered at the University and must file a Graduation Application Form in the School of Nursing Office of Student Affairs. The form must be filed by the deadline to apply for an undergraduate degree, which is given in the official academic calendar.

Registration as a Professional Nurse

Each student seeking registration as a professional nurse must pass the National Council Licensure Examination, administered by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the state of Texas. The Board of Nurse Examiners may refuse to admit persons to its examinations or may refuse to issue a license or certificate of registration for any of the following reasons:

1. Prior denial of a license by a licensing authority for nurses.
2. Disciplinary action by a licensing/certifying authority.
3. Conviction of a crime, other than a minor traffic violation.
4. Diagnosis or treatment or hospitalization for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder during the past five years.
5. Addiction or treatment for chemical dependency during the past five years.

Information about these factors is required on the application for the licensure exam.

To avoid delay or denial of licensure following the expense of completing a nursing education program, or possible disciplinary action and criminal prosecution for later discovery of falsified records, those with a history of any of the noted factors are strongly urged to apply for a determination of eligibility for licensure. A request for a determination should be made as early as possible before or after enrolling in the nursing program. Such a determination, called a Declaratory Order, is issued by the Board of Nurse Examiners. For more information, send a written request for a Declaratory Order packet to the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas, Education Department, P O Box 430, Austin, Texas 78767-0430.

Issuance of a Declaratory Order may take six months or more. Information obtained during the investigation phase of the petition process is confidential. Once issued, Declaratory Orders are subject to the Texas Open Records Act.

Application for registration as a professional nurse by examination requires submission of a complete application and transcripts of all work completed at least one month before the National Council Licensure Examination. Students receive the application form and instructions for completion about two months before graduation. The application must be completed, notarized, and returned to the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing with the registration fee. All hours required for the degree must be completed before the student is eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination and to obtain a temporary permit to practice professional nursing.

Students planning to take the National Council Licensure Examination in another state must obtain information about procedures from the agency responsible for professional nurse registration in that state.

For the purpose of assuming graduate nurse status, the official date of completion of the nursing program is the publicly announced date of graduation.

Degrees

Programs in the School of Nursing

The School of Nursing offers an undergraduate program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing and graduate programs leading to the Master of Science in Nursing degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in nursing. The undergraduate program is designed for students who wish to enter the profession of nursing. Students who have earned an associate's degree or a diploma in nursing and wish to obtain the baccalaureate degree may apply to the accelerated track leading to the BSN. The master's and doctoral degree programs are designed to prepare professionals for advanced clinical practice and research in nursing.

The baccalaureate program is accredited by the National League for Nursing and the State of Texas Board of Nurse Examiners.

Purpose of the School of Nursing

The purpose of the School of Nursing is to contribute to the teaching, research, and service missions of the University of Texas at Austin through

1. Preparing generalists in professional nursing practice at the baccalaureate level.
2. Preparing specialists at the graduate level in nursing to assume roles in practice, administration, education, and research.
3. Promoting excellence in nursing scholarship.
4. Contributing to the body of nursing knowledge.
5. Offering educational, consultative, and other health care services to the community.

Objectives of the Bachelor's Degree Program

The graduate of the baccalaureate program in nursing is expected to

1. Use critical thinking to integrate knowledge from nursing, biological and behavioral sciences, and the humanities in planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care.
2. Use critical thinking and clinical judgement within a problem-solving process to meet the health care needs of individuals, families, aggregates, and communities in a variety of settings.
3. Accept responsibility and accountability for one's own actions as a health care professional.
4. Participate in the delivery of health care through case management, interdisciplinary collaboration, delegation, coordination, and consultation.
5. Participate in nursing and interdisciplinary efforts to improve the delivery of high-quality health care to diverse individuals, families, aggregates, and communities.
6. Demonstrate core professional values to complement continued personal and professional growth.
7. Practice nursing according to professional and ethical standards.
8. Critically appraise and apply research findings to demonstrate evidence-based nursing practice.
9. Examine health policy and its effects on individuals, families, aggregates, communities, and health agencies.
10. Integrate the appropriate use of information and health care technology in nursing practice, administration, education, and research.

Applicability of Certain Courses

Physical Activity Courses

Physical activity courses are offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. They may not be counted toward a degree in the School of Nursing; however, they are counted among courses for which the student is enrolled, and the grades in physical activity courses are included in the grade point average.

ROTC Courses

The dean has the authority to substitute an equivalent air force science, military science, or naval science course or courses for a course or courses prescribed by the School of Nursing and to make adjustments to compensate for any differences in semester hour value. The total number of semester hours required for the degree remains unchanged.

Three semester hours of upper-division coursework in air force science, military science, or naval science may be counted toward the nursing degree as electives by students who complete the ROTC program at the University.

Correspondence and Extension Courses

Credit that a University student in residence earns simultaneously by correspondence or extension from the University or elsewhere or in residence at another school will not be counted toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree unless specifically approved in advance by the dean. No more than nine of the semester hours required for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree may be taken by correspondence.

Degree Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing

This program consists of two and one-half academic years or four semesters and two summer sessions of nursing prerequisite courses (the preprofessional sequence) taken at an accredited college or university, followed by two and one-half years or four semesters and a summer session of upper-division nursing courses (the professional sequence) taken at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and have fulfilled the prescribed course of study and clinical practice required to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for licensure as a registered nurse.

Prescribed Work

Students may fulfill the foreign language component of the University's basic education requirements by completing two years of a single foreign language in high school, by earning an appropriate score on one of the placement examinations administered by the University, or by completing two semesters of college coursework in a single foreign language in addition to the degree requirements given below.

Preprofessional Sequence

Students must complete the seventy-two or seventy-three semester hours of coursework (preprofessional sequence) listed below. Completion usually requires two and one-half academic years (or four semesters and two summer sessions). All courses must be completed before the student enrolls in upper-division courses in nursing.

Courses			Semester Hours
Natural Sciences
	Anatomy and physiology: Zoology 314K, 316K, 116L		7
	Biology 302, 303, 126L, 226T		6
	Chemistry (including three hours of biochemistry): Chemistry 313N, 113P, 314N, 114P		8
	Mathematics 301, 302, 303D, 403K, or 305G		3 or 4
	Nutrition 311 (section for nonscience majors)		3
Liberal Arts
	Rhetoric and Composition 306, English 316K		6
	American government, including Texas government		6
	Human Development and Family Sciences 313		3
	American history		6
	Psychology 301		3
	Fine arts elective		3
Nursing
	Nursing 305, Health Promotion		3
	Nursing 310, Communication in Health Care Settings		3
	Nursing 311, Ethics of Health Care[1]		3
Other Courses
	Introductory statistics		3
	Pharmacy 338		3
		Total	72 or 73

Professional Sequence

The final sixty-four semester hours of coursework in nursing must be completed after the student has achieved upper-division standing. These hours consist of the courses listed below and Nursing 347, which many students choose to take in the summer. Each student must complete a three-semester-hour free elective, to provide the total of 139 or 140 hours required for the degree; the free elective may be taken during either the preprofessional or the professional sequence. A course used as a free elective must be one for which the student has received University credit, either in residence or by examination, correspondence, or transfer. Courses taken at another college or university but not transferable to the University may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Nursing courses and physical activity courses may not be used. A list of recommended elective courses is available from the School of Nursing Office of Student Affairs.

Third Year- Fall Semester

Third Year- Spring Semester

Fourth Year- Fall Semester

Fourth Year- Spring Semester

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree for Registered Nurses

The Accelerated Track, designed for registered nurses with associate's degrees or diplomas in nursing, builds on individuals' backgrounds while offering advanced preparation in areas such as community nursing, health promotion, decision making, leadership, and management. The BSN degree provides the basis for graduate preparation at the MSN and PhD levels.

Students should call the RN-BSN/MSN adviser at (512) 471-7311 for an appointment before registering for prerequisite courses for help in planning a program of study.

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Undergraduate catalog

Contents
Chapter 1 - The University
Chapter 2 - School of Architecture
Chapter 3 - Red McCombs School of Business
Chapter 4 - College of Communication
Chapter 5 - College of Education
Chapter 6 - College of Engineering
Chapter 7 - College of Fine Arts
Chapter 8 - College of Liberal Arts
Chapter 9 - College of Natural Sciences
Chapter 10 - School of Nursing
Chapter 11 - College of Pharmacy
Chapter 12 - School of Social Work
Chapter 13 - The Faculty
Texas Common Course Numbering System (Appendix A)
Appendix B

Related information

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