The UMSL College of Nursing is committed to admitting a diverse group of students who will become nurse leaders responsive to the specific needs of the communities and populations we serve. We value diversity, intellectual discourse and rigor, caring, professionalism, mutual respect and support, innovation, collaboration, and transparency. Applicants will be selected using inclusive and balanced admission criteria that measure their potential in nursing practice, education, research, and scholarship. We measure our success by graduates who become lifelong learners and leaders in their communities and in the profession of nursing.
Applicants to the accelerated nursing clinical program will be holistically reviewed using criteria such as GPA, academic performance in required pre-nursing courses, a personal statement, an essay, extra-curricular activities, honors, award recognitions, leadership roles, work/volunteer experiences.
Clinical Admission Criteria: Accelerated BSN
Clinical spaces are awarded on a competitive and space-available basis for each admission period. Admission to the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the College of Nursing (as a pre-clinical student) does not guarantee admission into the clinical track of any of the Pre-Licensure BSN Options (Traditional Full-Time, Traditional Part-Time or Accelerated), unless a student is admitted to the Traditional Full-Time Option under the Freshman Guaranteed Clinical Criteria (see the Traditional BSN information).
- Admission to the University by completing the UMSL Undergraduate Application
- A bachelor’s or graduate degree or a minimum of 100 hours towards a bachelor’s degree in another field.
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 (including all transferable courses), regardless of whether or not the applicant holds a baccalaureate degree in another field of study.
- Satisfactory completion of all general education course requirements
- Grade of B- or higher within 5 years of clinical enrollment in the following courses: Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology I, Anatomy & Physiology II, Microbiology
- Grade of C- or higher in all prerequisite courses except in the case of the above-listed science courses
General Education Course Requirements
General Education Course Requirements for Students with a Bachelor’s Degree
Nursing majors who enter the Accelerated BSN program with a Bachelor’s Degree will have met the general course requirements for UMSL admission. Students must still have completed the following courses prior to enrollment with a grade of B- or higher within 5 years of clinical enrollment: Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology I, Anatomy & Physiology II, and Microbiology.
General Education Course Requirements for Students without a Bachelor’s Degree
Nursing majors must complete all general education requirements of the university as outlined in this Bulletin.
As part of meeting the university's general education requirements, the prerequisite courses listed under 1) Natural science course work, 2) Behavioral and social science course work, 3) Communication proficiency, 4) Information literacy, and 5) Humanities, must be completed prior to beginning the clinical track. See a curriculum planning guide for specific courses and proper sequencing.
| 1) Natural science course work | ||
| BIOL 1131 | Human Physiology and Anatomy I | 4 |
| BIOL 1141 | Human Physiology and Anatomy II | 4 |
| BIOL 1162 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| CHEM 1052 | Chemistry for the Health Professions (MOTR CHEM 100) (or equivalent) | 4 |
| 2) Behavioral and social science coursework | ||
| ECON 1000 | Economics in Everyday Life (MOTR ECON 100) (or equivalent) | 3 |
| HOME EC 1110 | Nutrition and Health | 3 |
| PSYCH 1003 | General Psychology (MOTR PSYC 100) | 3 |
| PSYCH 1268 | ||
| 3) Communication proficiency | ||
| COMM 1030 | Interpersonal Communication I (MOTR COMM 120) | 3 |
| 4) Information literacy | ||
| MATH 1105 | Basic Probability and Statistics (or equivalent) | 3 |
| 5) Humanities | ||
| Any Philosophy course (as part of the University's 3 humanities requirement) | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
Nursing Course Requirements
PRE-LICENSURE: Accelerated Option
| NURSE 3120 | Foundations of Nursing | 7 |
| NURSE 3121 | Clinical Foundations of Nursing 1 | 3 |
| NURSE 3330 | Nursing of Adults I | 5 |
| NURSE 3331 | Clinical Nursing of Adults I 1 | 3 |
| NURSE 3340 | Behavioral Health Nursing | 2.5 |
| NURSE 3341 | Clinical Behavioral Health Nursing 1 | 1.5 |
| NURSE 3350 | Nursing of Adults II | 5 |
| NURSE 3351 | Clinical Nursing of Adults II 1 | 3 |
| NURSE 3360 | Maternal-Child Nursing | 5 |
| NURSE 3361 | Clinical Maternal-Child Nursing 1 | 3 |
| NURSE 3804 | Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURSE 3820 | Introduction to Evidence-Based Nursing Practice and Informatics | 5 |
| NURSE 4520 | Population Focused Nursing | 2 |
| NURSE 4521 | Clinical Population Focused Nursing 1 | 2 |
| NURSE 4530 | Leadership Development and Professional Nursing Practice | 4 |
| NURSE 4531 | Clinical Leadership Development and Professional Nursing 1 | 4 |
| 1 | Includes a laboratory and/or clinical component. |
All undergraduate nursing students must have access to transportation to their clinical practice experiences. Students must provide their own transportation to and from clinical agencies, which may be scheduled throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Jefferson County and Illinois. Students who must use public transportation must inform their Program Director.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (Pass/Fail) Grading
Undergraduate nursing majors may not take required prerequisite general education or nursing courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
Credit by Transfer Examination
Credit may be granted for selected general studies. Please contact an advisor for information.
Latin Honors Requirements
In accordance with the University's Latin Honors policy, candidates graduating from the College of Nursing in the 2019-2020 Academic Year must meet the following GPA qualifications:
| Summa Cum Laude | 3.973 | |
| Magna Cum Laude | 3.907 | |
| Cum Laude | 3.762 |
Learning Outcomes
- Integrate into practice theories and evidence-based concepts from nursing, the arts, sciences, and humanities to provide comprehensive nursing care in a variety of settings.
- Integrate clinical reasoning and problem solving in professional practice.
- Administer culturally competent, compassionate, holistic care to promote healthy outcomes for diverse individuals, families, communities, and populations during all life phases.
- Use evidence-based practices to promote health, manage illness, and prevent injury among individuals, families, communities, and populations.
- Utilize communication skills to enhance relationships with patients and families and collaboration among members of the health care team.
- Assume responsibility and accountability for decisions and actions based on professional intrapersonal values, ethical and legal obligations, standards of practice, social justice, and economics.
- Integrate principles of health education, management, leadership, quality care, and patient safety when organizing, coordinating, and engaging in professional practice.
- Demonstrate knowledge of health care policies and finance in a regulatory environment and their influence on health care access and quality.
- Exhibit motivation and self-direction in activities that contribute to lifelong personal, professional, and intellectual development.
- Utilize health care technology and information management systems to promote quality care and patient safety.
Sample Plan of Study
This plan assumes that a student has completed all prerequisites for admission.
Prerequisite courses: 62-63 credit hours
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| N/A | N/A | NURSE 3120 | 7 | ||
| NURSE 3820 | 5 | ||||
| NURSE 3121 | 3 | ||||
| 0 | 0 | 15 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| NURSE 3341 | 1.5 | NURSE 3350 | 5 | NURSE 4520 | 2 |
| NURSE 3340 | 2.5 | NURSE 3360 | 5 | NURSE 4521 | 2 |
| NURSE 3331 | 3 | NURSE 3361 | 3 | NURSE 4530 | 4 |
| NURSE 3330 | 5 | NURSE 3351 | 3 | NURSE 4531 | 4 |
| NURSE 3804 | 3 | ||||
| 15 | 16 | 12 | |||
| Total Hours: 58 | |||||
PLEASE NOTE: This plan is an example of what an academic plan could look like for a typical student. Placement exam scores in math as well as the completion of coursework may change the plan. It should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor. All requirements are subject to change.