Nursing, B.S.N.

At-a-Glance

Minimum hours required in the major: 69 hours for basic students, 30 hours for R.N. students

Advising: There are recruiter/advisers for prospective students; phone 216-687-3598 . Faculty serve as advisers for students in the major.

Student organization: Student Nurse Association (SNA)

Membership and Accreditation: The School of Nursing is a member of the Council of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

The School of Nursing offers an undergraduate curriculum in professional nursing leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.). The professional nursing curriculum is approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing, and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC, 20036-1120.

Nursing Program Requirements

Pre-Nursing Program for Basic Students

Persons interested in the nursing program must first complete an application to Cleveland State University, listing their college choice as School of Nursing and intended major as Nursing.

Prospective students are encouraged to attend an information session or to make an appointment with one of the school’s recruiter/advisers to discuss the nursing program and to plan a course of study. Prerequisite courses may be completed throughout the summer the year admission is sought.*

*Students with a prerequisite GPA of 3.25 or above may apply by January 1 and will be considered for early admission. Such students will be notified of their admission status by the end of February.

Admission to the Nursing Major

Admission to the Nursing major is selective and is granted on a competitive basis. 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 are notified of their acceptance by the end of the spring semester. Students not admitted may formally reapply to the program for admission in the following year. Students who are accepted and who choose not to enter the program in the year for which they have been accepted will not be deferred to the following year. They must reapply to the program. Prior acceptance does not guarantee acceptance at a later date.

All admission requirements must be completed prior to beginning the Nursing major. Admission requirements include the following:

1. Admission to Cleveland State University and the School of Nursing. CSU Admissions Applications are available through the Office of Admissions and should be submitted by February 1, which is one month prior to the School of Nursing application deadline (March 1). Students must be matriculated to CSU before they can be accepted by the School of Nursing.
2. All application materials for fall-semester admission to the nursing program must be submitted to the School of Nursing by March 1 of that year. Applications for all Nursing programs are available in the School of Nursing and on the School of Nursing’s website.
3. Completion of all prerequisite courses by fall semester with a prerequisite grade-point average of 2.75 or above and at least a C in each prerequisite course. Please note that all former grades earned in prerequisite courses are factored into the prerequisite GPA. Students who have two or more failing grades will not meet admission criteria.
4. Successful completion of two of the following science courses (these CSU courses or their equivalent) by the end of fall semester prior to submitting an application: /, /, /, /, /.
5. A cumulative overall grade-point average of 2.50 or above in all course work at CSU and all other schools of higher education.
6. Attending an information session or speaking with the recruiter/adviser.
7. 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 Education and Human Services and arrange for additional prerequisites that must be completed by the student prior to enrollment in the nursing program.
8. 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 course work 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 basic student sequence but may have the opportunity to test out of selected skill portions of the curriculum.

Registered Nurse Students

Admission requirements include:

1. Completion of items 1 to 3, 5 to 7 from above Current active Ohio license as a Registered Nurse

Credit for previous nursing course work 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 course work evaluated on an individual basis.