2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Nursing
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 Return to: College of Professional Studies
The Department of Nursing offers a major in Nursing. Upon completion of all Nursing major and University requirements, students will earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The undergraduate baccalaureate nursing program at Westfield State University meets the standards of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (BORN), and the University is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Graduates of this innovative, four-year program obtain the knowledge base, clinical skills, and values that are at the very heart of current, cutting-edge professional nursing. The Nursing major integrates the University’s core requirements with additional courses in the humanities, physical, and social sciences in order to provide students with a strong liberal arts background, serving as the foundation for professional nursing. Nursing Skills laboratories assist in facilitating the transfer of theoretical knowledge to direct nursing interventions, and a wide range of affiliated health care and community agencies serve as placements for clinical practice.
The goal of this undergraduate program is to develop nursing graduates who are skilled in promoting health and using clinical judgment to deliver high quality, compassionate, and evidence-based care to individuals, families, and communities. They will also be able to demonstrate cultural and ethical understanding and quality leadership abilities. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination in Nursing for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), a required credential for nursing practice.
The Office of Graduate and Continuing Education offers an RN-BSN degree completion program for licensed Registered Nurses (RNs) who hold an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from a regionally accredited college. The RN-BSN program of study is similar to the undergraduate Nursing program, although it includes some RN-only components that acknowledge and build upon existing knowledge and skills. The Associate Degree in Nursing and an RN licensure are required of prospective students of the RN-BSN program. Admitted students may transfer up to 90 credits from all previously attended, regionally accredited colleges. To earn the BSN degree, RN-BSN students are required to complete the following: 30 credits of upper-level Nursing courses, all outstanding major-related courses, all outstanding Core/general education requirements (or completion of the “Plus-6” GenEd Foundation requirement for MassTransfer students who qualify for the Nursing Education Transfer Compact or NETC), and any electives that may be needed to reach minimum degree and residency requirements.
ProgramsMajorCoursesNursingGeneral
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