About

Can you picture yourself helping others in a health-care setting? Are you interested in challenging yourself using critical thinking and scientific reasoning to provide the best possible care to patients?

East Carolina's BSN program allows you to work closely with faculty and other nursing students to learn and grow as a care provider. The program offers you a view of nursing and where you might best fit in the profession on a community and global level. ECU's BSN program will provide you the unique and rigorous academic and clinical experience you will need to be confident in situations from nurse-client interaction to creative problem solving and ethical decision making.

You will study in spacious classrooms and state-of-the-art labs on the university's Health Sciences Campus and have access to resources in the William E. Laupus Health Sciences Library. You will gain leadership, collaboration, and information management skills as well as advocacy experience that will set you apart in your field and help you excel as a nursing professional in the setting that you choose. In addition to your four years of study, you will participate in one summer session to complete your degree. In addition to classroom instruction, you will be engaged in clinical practice through which you will put the concepts you've learned into action in one of 50 community agencies. You will have the opportunity to complete your clinical requirements in environments including hospitals, private homes, schools, and public health offices.

ECU Advantage

East Carolina's nursing programs have gained national attention for producing prepared professionals ready to make a difference in the lives of patients. As the role of nurses evolves in our health-care system, East Carolina's experienced faculty will ensure that you are prepared to enter the profession with the most up-to-date information and solutions to patient care. The College of Nursing is one of only eight schools in the nation to receive a Center of Excellence designation for the way it educates its students.

ECU is the largest producer of new nursing graduates in North Carolina. Our alumni have gone on to enjoy successful careers in a variety of nursing settings, and many of them have received state and national awards for their service and expertise. Our graduates even cross borders to put their skills to work all over the world.

What You Will Study

Program Coordinator: Jeanne Martin (2175 Health Sciences Building; 252-744-6511; martinje15@ecu.edu)

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is a comprehensive, four-year undergraduate degree designed to prepare students for a rewarding career in professional nursing. The program combines rigorous academic coursework with hands-on clinical experiences to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and compassion necessary to provide high-quality patient care in diverse healthcare settings.

The degree requires 122 s.h. as follows:

1. General education requirements including those listed below - 40 s.h.

(For information about courses that carry general education credit view the General Education Program section.)

  • BIOL 2110 - Fundamentals of Microbiology
  • BIOL 2111 - Fundamentals of Microbiology Laboratory

  • CHEM 1120 - Introduction to Chemistry for the Allied Health Sciences
    • OR
  • CHEM 1150 - General Chemistry I AND
  • CHEM 1151 - General Chemistry Laboratory I

  • MATH 1065 - College Algebra or higher level general education mathematics course
  • PSYC 1000 - Introductory Psychology
  • PSYC 3206 - Developmental Psychology
  • SOCI 2110 - Introduction to Sociology
  • Choose an approved 3 s.h. ethics course
2. Nursing core curriculum - 64 s.h.
    Pre-Licensure Students
    • NURS 3110 - Basic Nursing Skills
    • NURS 3111 - Basic Nursing Skills Lab
    • NURS 3120 - Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
    • NURS 3121 - Health Assessment Across the Lifespan Lab
    • NURS 3140 - Professional Concepts
    • NURS 3150 - Pathopharmacology I
    • NURS 3160 - Lifespan in Nursing Practice I
    • NURS 3161 - Lifespan in Nursing Practice I Clinical
    • NURS 3310 - Advanced Nursing Skills
    • NURS 3311 - Advanced Nursing Skills Lab
    • NURS 3320 - Mental Health Care and Promotion
    • NURS 3321 - Mental Health Care and Promotion Clinical
    • NURS 3350 - Pathopharmacology II
    • NURS 3360 - Lifespan in Nursing Practice II
    • NURS 3361 - Lifespan in Nursing Practice II Clinical
    • NURS 3362 - Special Populations Across the Lifespan
    • NURS 3430 - Informatics in Professional Nursing
    • NURS 3480 - Dimensions in Rural Health Nursing
    • NURS 4120 - Childbearing Family Care
    • NURS 4121 - Childbearing Family Care Clinical
    • NURS 4160 - Lifespan in Nursing Care III
    • NURS 4161 - Lifespan in Nursing Care III Clinical
    • NURS 4170 - Research and Evidence-Based Practice
    • NURS 4180 - Leadership and Management
    • NURS 4260 - Lifespan in Nursing Practice IV
    • NURS 4261 - Transition to Professional Nursing Practice
    • NURS 4280 - Population and Community Health Nursing Practice
    • NURS 4281 - Population and Community Health Nursing Practice Clinical
3. Cognates - 18 s.h.
  • BIOL 2140 - Human Physiology and Anatomy I
  • BIOL 2141 - Human Physiology and Anatomy I Laboratory
  • BIOL 2150 - Human Physiology and Anatomy II
  • BIOL 2151 - Human Physiology and Anatomy II Laboratory

  • CHEM 1130 - Organic and Biochemistry for the Allied Health Sciences *
    • OR
  • CHEM 1150 - General Chemistry I AND
  • CHEM 1151 - General Chemistry Laboratory I
    • OR
  • CHEM 1160 - General Chemistry II AND
  • CHEM 1161 - General Chemistry Laboratory II

  • NUTR 1000 - Contemporary Nutrition OR
  • NUTR 2105 - Nutrition Science

  • An approved 3 s.h. statistics course
    • Note:

    * This course may count towards the general education requirement.

    4. Electives to complete requirements for graduation.
      For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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