Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

The Traditional BSN

The traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Charleston Southern University is a four-year program. The first year focuses primarily on general education and the sciences, while the following three years dive deep into nursing and clinical experiences. Students receive experiential learning from the start, with human patient simulators in CSU labs, as well as real-life clinical experience in various hospital and community agencies in the Lowcountry.

Students may enter the program as freshmen, transfers, or with a change of major by the sophomore year. This is a highly competitive program, and the Charleston Southern BSN program graduates successfully pass the NCLEX-RN at a rate of 97% or greater.

Admissions Process

The following requirements must be met to be eligible to apply for the program:

Step 1: Review Application Requirements

After acceptance at CSU and during registration, your pre-nursing advisor will begin enrolling you in pre-requisite nursing courses. Meet with your nursing academic advisor at least once each semester to review academic progress and plans.

Students previously enrolled in a nursing program may be eligible for admission into the Charleston Southern University Nursing Program. To be eligible, the student must submit a signed letter of reference from either the Dean or Director of the previous program stating their ability to return.

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Step 2: Apply

Required Pre-Nursing Prerequisite Courses (Suggested Sequence)

• ENGL 111 English Composition I 3 Credits
• MATH 105   Intro to Math Structures * 3 Credits
• CHEM 110 Concepts of Chemistry w/Lab 4 Credits
• BIOL 226 Anatomy & Physiology I w/Lab 4 Credits
• ENGL 112 English Composition II  3 Credits
• PSYC 110 General Psychology 3 Credits
• BIOL 220 Microbiology w/Lab 4 Credits
• BIOL 227 Anatomy & Physiology II w/Lab 4 Credits
• NURS 104 Basic Pathophysiology (or approved Pathophysiology course) 3 Credits 

Total Prerequisite Credit Hours: 31

*Statistics does not satisfy math prerequisite for the BSN program.

To be eligible for admission into the Charleston Southern University Nursing Program, students are only allowed one retake in two of their prerequisite courses. For example, a student may retake Microbiology once and Anatomy and Physiology II once. This does not include the required retake of courses that fall outside the timeframe of eligible acceptance. Please refer to table below.

Course Taken	Eligibility Timeframe
Pathophysiology	Taken within 3 years of program acceptance
Math Math 105 (or equivalent)	Taken within 5 years of program acceptance
Science  Anatomy & Physiology I Anatomy & Physiology I Lab Anatomy & Physiology II Anatomy & Physiology II Lab Microbiology	Taken within 5 years of program acceptance

For transfer credit consideration, please refer to the Office of the Registrar website. All transfer credits must have been awarded a grade of C or higher for College of Nursing credit.

Students applying for fall admission may be accepted with the contingency of completing one prerequisite course during the summer. All prerequisite courses must be completed by the beginning of the fall semester.

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Step 3: Interview

At this point, prepare your application for admission into CSU’s nursing program and submit by fall or spring application deadlines. The BSN program at CSU is a competitive-entry program and admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the nursing program.

Requirements for consideration for admission:

• Minimum GPA of 2.90 in prerequisite courses or a minimum Kaplan Entrance Exam score in each of the following categories:
  • Math – 90
  • Science – 70
  • Reading – 88
  • Writing – 75
  • Critical Thinking – 75
• At least a grade of “C” in all prerequisite courses.

Other considerations by Admissions Committee may include but are not limited to:

• Number of hours completed at CSU
• Grade earned in approved Pathophysiology course
• Score from Kaplan Nursing Admission Exam 
• Interview with Admissions Committee 

Admitted students will be enrolled in first semester 200 level nursing courses. 

Upon admission into the Nursing Program at Charleston Southern University, the student will receive (via email) a compliance checklist. All components of the checklist must be completed and uploaded into CastleBranch by the date indicated in the email. Failure to fully complete and upload this checklist by the due date will result in the student being unenrolled from their nursing courses.  An alternate applicant will be notified and enrolled.