Admission to Major
TRADITIONAL ENTRY LEVEL TRACK
Admission is selective and will be granted only after successful completion of prerequisite courses. The application process uses multiple methods to evaluate candidates including, but not limited to, essays, grade point average, references and interviews.
The prerequisites for entering the Traditional Entry Level Track include:
- A minimum overall GPA of 2.50
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.00 average in prerequisite courses are required to apply.
- A minimum of “B or higher” within two (2) attempts is required for College Mathematics, Anatomy & Physiology I and II, and Microbiology
- A minimum of “C or higher” within two (2) attempts is required for all other pre-requisite courses
- Applications to the School of Nursing for fall semester must be submitted by March 1. For Early Admission to the Fall cohort: Those students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and prerequisite GPA of at least 3.25 with no prerequisite grade lower than a B may apply for consideration of early admission status. The program admits twice a year (fall and spring). Deadline for receipt of applications for early admission is January 1. Application deadline for the spring is September 1.
RN TO BSN TRACK
Three semester program for registered nurses with an associate’s degree or diploma in nursing. All nursing courses for the RN are online. There are volunteer hours associated with the Gerontological Nursing course. The program admits all year round. The School of Nursing application deadline is June 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester and March 1 for the summer semester.
ACCELERATED TRACK
Admission is selective and will be granted only after successful completion of prerequisite courses. The application process uses multiple methods to evaluate candidates including, but not limited to, essays, grade point average, references and interviews. These students follow the same admission criteria and nursing sequence as the Traditional Entry Level track students. The Accelerated track will be offered both in person with cohorts beginning every January and online with cohorts beginning every August and January. The online (only) cohorts will have on campus clinical residencies that are a mandatory part of the students clinical course work. The application deadline is June 1 for the January IN PERSON cohort. The application deadline is April 1 for the Fall ONLINE cohort and September 1 for the January ONLINE cohort.
The prerequisites for entering the Accelerated Track include:
- Hold at least a bachelor’s degree
- A minimum overall GPA of 2.50
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.00 average in prerequisite courses are required to apply.
- A minimum of “B or higher” within two (2) attempts is required for College Mathematics, Anatomy & Physiology I and II, and Microbiology
- A minimum of “C or higher” within two (2) attempts is required for all other pre-requisite courses
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Selection of students for the Nursing major is based on a number of criteria including prerequisite and overall grade-point averages, essays, interviews and related health-care experience. The number of available spaces in the program is limited.
Students applying to the Traditional Entry Level Track are notified of their acceptance by the end of the spring semester for the fall cohort and by early October for the spring cohort. Those students with a previous undergraduate degree who are applying to the Accelerated Option track are notified of their acceptance approximately 3 months before their intended start date. Students who are accepted and who choose not to enter the program in the semester for which they have been accepted may request to be deferred to the following start term.
All admission requirements must be completed prior to beginning the Nursing major. Admission requirements include the following:
- Admission to Cleveland State University and the School of Nursing. CSU Admissions Applications are available through the Office of Admissions and should be submitted six weeks prior to the application deadline of the program for which they are applying. Students must be matriculated to CSU before they can be accepted by the School of Nursing.
- All application materials for fall-semester admission to the Traditional Entry Level Track nursing program must be submitted to the School of Nursing by March 1 of that year. The application deadline for the spring semester Traditional BSN track is September 1. Applications for all Nursing programs are available in the School of Nursing and on the School of Nursing’s website. All application materials for spring semester admission to the IN PERSON accelerated option track of the nursing program must be submitted to the School of Nursing by June 1st of the preceding year. All applications for the ON LINE accelerated option can be found here: https://onlinelearning.csuohio.edu/programs/online-accelerated-bsn-program?schoolsrc=44220
- Completion of all prerequisite courses by the start of the intended semester with a prerequisite grade-point average of 3.0. Students may repeat each course two times. The higher grade will be used.
- Successful completion of two of the following science courses (these CSU courses or their equivalent) by the application deadline prior to submitting an application: BIO 264/BIO 265, BIO 266/BIO 267, BIO 268/BIO 269, CHM 251/CHM 256, CHM 252/CHM 257.
- Traditional Entry Level BSN Program - A cumulative overall grade-point average of 2.50 or above in all coursework at CSU and all other schools of higher education. Accelerated BSN Program - requires a cumulative overall grade-point average of 2.5 or above on the previously earned Baccalaureate degree.
- Attending an advising session or speaking with the recruiter/adviser.
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL): Students who have received their secondary or tertiary education in a language other than English will be required to contact the English as a Second Language Program in the College of Public Affairs and Education and arrange for additional prerequisites that must be completed by the student prior to enrollment in the nursing program.
- Candidates who have satisfied all other requirements for admission and who are competitively placed for admission will be interviewed.
TRANSFERRING FROM OTHER NURSING PROGRAMS
Students previously enrolled in a nursing program at another institution who are interested in transferring to Cleveland State University should contact the recruiter/adviser to begin a transcript evaluation. Acceptance of transfer students into the university’s nursing program depends on the student’s profile, prior standing in the previous nursing school, a nursing GPA above 2.5 each term in the nursing major from the previous school, and space availability. The level of the program into which the student transfers (sophomore, junior, or senior) depends on the evaluation of previous nursing coursework by the Admission, Progression, and Academic Standard Committee of the School of Nursing.
Students accepted via transfer must complete a minimum of 20 semester credits in the Nursing major at CSU. Students who need to complete a nursing course at Cleveland State in order to graduate from another institution will be reviewed on an individual basis.
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES
LPNs follow the Traditional Entry Level student sequence but may have the opportunity to test out of selected skill portions of the curriculum.
REGISTERED NURSE STUDENTS
Admission requirements include:
- Completion of items 1 to 3, 5 to 7 from above list of admission requirements
- Current active Ohio license as a Registered Nurse (or in the U.S. state of residence)
Credit for previous nursing coursework will be awarded based on the school’s participation in Ohio Nursing Articulation Model Agreements among Ohio Nursing Schools. Graduates from schools of nursing outside of Ohio will have their prior nursing coursework evaluated on an individual basis.
Honors Program/ University Scholars Requirements
Nursing Honors/Scholars Program Objectives
- Encourage academically talented students to pursue nursing as a profession
- Demand rigorous academic written work from honors/scholars students
- Support reflective professional practice
- Enhance existing educational coursework by developing opportunities for independent research
- Foster close relationships between an honors/scholars faculty advisor and honors/scholars students
Admission to the Nursing Honors/Scholars Program
The Nursing Honors/Scholars program is open to all honors/scholars students in good standing in the School of Nursing. Students must be enrolled in the Traditional Entry Level BSN Program. Students interested in applying to the program should contact the University Honors Program.
The Nursing Program
The Traditional Entry Level Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a structured program, with no required electives. Each course must be completed in sequence prior to taking the next one. Each of the Honors/Scholars courses is part of the 69 credits required to complete the Traditional Entry Level BSN Program. Additional work is required for each of these designated honors courses. An Honors/Scholars contract must be completed for each of these courses.
The Honors/Scholars Contract
Honors/Scholars students have additional required assignments specified within the syllabus. These assignments are designed to challenge you and increase your knowledge of nursing to an advanced level, aiding you in your chosen nursing career and preparing you for further study. This additional work will constitute 20% of your grade for that course. These assignments are individualized in addition to the Traditional Entry Level requirements for the course.
Nursing Honors/Scholars Courses
The following courses are designated as the School of Nursing Honors/Scholars courses:
- Sophomore Year: No Nursing Honors/Scholars courses are offered during this academic year. Consult your Honors/Scholars Advisor in the Honors Program for this academic year.
- Junior Year Fall: NUR 305H or NUR 312H
- Junior Year Spring: NUR 310H
- Senior Year Fall: NUR 415H
- Senior Year Spring: NUR 420H