Undergraduate Programs
connell school of nursing
Table of Contents
Contacts
- Undergraduate Program Office, Cushing Hall, 617-552-4925
- www.bc.edu/cson
Connell School of Nursing
Founded in 1947, the Boston College Connell School of Nursing offers a four-year program of study leading to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Nursing. At the completion of the program, graduates are eligible to take the national examination for licensure as a registered nurse (R.N.). The program of study is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Visit http://www.bc.edu/nursing for more information.
The mission of the William F. Connell School of Nursing is to prepare professional nurses whose practice reflects a humanistic ethic and is scientifically based, technically competent, and highly compassionate. The graduate of the baccalaureate program is prepared as a generalist to provide care to individuals, families, and groups arriving at diagnostic, ethical, and therapeutic judgments to promote, maintain and restore health. The School focuses on preparing each student as a life-long learner, as a health professional, and as a person who will use knowledge in service to others. It advances nursing as an academic and practice discipline through philosophical inquiry and research. Nursing activities focus on the life processes and patterns of the individual in the context of family and community. Nursing recognizes the contribution of cultural diversity and social environments to the health/illness beliefs, practices, and behavioral responses of individuals and groups.
Nursing courses are designed to include more complex concepts and content at each level. Consequently, students must take courses in a specific sequence and pass each course before proceeding to the next level. To be eligible for graduation, students must successfully complete the courses that comprise the curriculum, nursing requirements, and electives.
The study of nursing is based on a common intellectual heritage transmitted by a liberal education and the art and science of nursing. (See Core Curriculum under the University Policies section of this catalog.) Students are encouraged to complete their history, philosophy, theology, and English Core courses in the first and second years.
Nursing students use the clinical reasoning process to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care. Judgments made by the nurse result in selection of interventions and outcomes in concert with the client's choices. Most nursing courses have a theory and a clinical component and the curriculum includes content on the care of children, childbearing families, and adults of all ages across the continuum of wellness to illness. Faculty members guide student learning in campus laboratories and in a variety of healthcare agencies in the Greater Boston area.
Students should consult the curriculum plan and see their advisors as they plan for registration.
Typical Plan of Study
Freshman Year
Semester I
- BI 130, 131 Anatomy and Physiology I
- CH 161, 163 Life Science Chemistry
- NU 010 Professional Development Seminar
- Core or elective
- Core or elective
Semester II
- BI 132, 133 Anatomy and Physiology II
- MT 180 Principles of Statistics for the Health Sciences
- NU 070 Introduction to Professional Nursing
- Core or elective
- Core or elective
Sophomore Year
Semester I
- BI 220, 221 Microbiology for Health Professionals
- Core or elective
- Core or elective
- Core or elective
- Core or elective
Semester II
- NU 080 Pathophysiology
- NU 120 Nursing Health Assessment Across the Life Span
- NU 121 Nursing Health Assessment Across the Life Span Clinical Laboratory
- Core or elective
- Core or elective
Junior Year
Semester I
- NU 170 Principles of Evidence-based Nursing
- NU 204 Pharmacology and Nutrition Therapies
- NU 230 Adult Health Nursing Theory I
- NU 231 Adult Health Nursing I Clinical Laboratory
- Core or elective
Semester II
- NU 242 Adult Health Nursing Theory II
- NU 243 Adult Health Nursing II Clinical Laboratory
- NU 244 Childbearing Nursing Theory
- NU 245 Childbearing Nursing Clinical Laboratory
- Core or elective
Senior Year
Semester I
- NU 250 Child Health Nursing Theory
- NU 251 Child Health Nursing Clinical Laboratory
- NU 252 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Theory
- NU 253 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Clinical Laboratory
Semester II
- NU 260 Community Nursing Theory
- NU 261 Community Nursing Clinical Laboratory
- NU 263 Nursing Synthesis Clinical Laboratory
- NU 270 Transition to Professional Nursing
- Core or elective
The Connell School of Nursing reserves the right to alter any program or policy outlined.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
The CSON Academic Standards Advisory Committee meets at the end of each semester to review the records of students with course failures, course deficiencies, low GPAs, or other academic concerns. Decisions about progression in the program are made by this committee in accordance with the policies outlined in the CSON Baccalaureate Program Handbook (on the CSON website) and other relevant university policies.
Credit and Graduation Requirements
Students registered for at least twelve credit hours per semester are considered full-time students. Usually fifteen credits are carried each semester and a minimum 117 credits are required for graduation.
Information for First Year Students
During the first year students should generally complete two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with laboratories, Life Science Chemistry with Laboratory, English Writing and Literature, Statistics, Modern History I and II, Introduction to Professional Nursing, and Nursing Professional Development Seminar. Electives may be substituted in certain situations (e.g., the student has Advanced Placement credits for Core courses or wishes to continue foreign language study). During orientation, students will meet with faculty members who will assist them with registration for the fall. In September, students will be assigned advisors who will guide them through the Nursing program.
Special Opportunities
Study Abroad
Students in the William F. Connell School of Nursing are encouraged to study abroad for one semester. Students may study abroad during fall or spring semester of junior year or fall semester of senior year. Most students take electives or Core courses while they are abroad. Students are free to study abroad in any location approved by the Office of International Programs. A minimum GPA is required for all study abroad programs.
Nursing Synthesis Course
The Nursing Synthesis course in the senior year offers students an advanced nursing practicum where they work with an individually assigned professional nurse preceptor. Students write a proposal in the semester prior to the course indicating their special learning interests.
Independent Study (NU 299)
Junior or senior nursing students develop a proposal for independent study in an area of nursing in which they wish to obtain further knowledge and/or experience. Guidelines are available on the CSON undergraduate website. Students should consult an academic advisor and/or the Associate Dean of the undergraduate program about their proposal.
Undergraduate Research Fellows Program
Students in excellent academic standing may apply to assist faculty in a faculty-directed research project and gain valuable experience in nursing research.
Minors in the Connell School of Nursing
Nursing students may minor in any Arts and Sciences discipline or General Education by fulfilling the requirements of those departments. In addition, nursing students may minor in Hispanic Studies by completing 18 credits in Spanish/Hispanic Studies that are approved by the Associate Dean. Students who wish to declare a minor should meet with the Associate Dean.
Minor in Psychology
The minor would be awarded to CSON students who complete 18 credits in psychology. Courses should include PS 110 Introduction to Psychology as a Natural Science and PS111 Introduction to Psychology as a Social Science. Students who received AP credit for PS 110 and PS 111 may select alternate courses. Courses that may be applied to the minor include the following (or others approved by the undergraduate Associate Dean):
- PS 011 Psychobiology of Mental Disorders
- PS 032 Emotion
- PS 029 Mind & Brain
- PS 241 Social Psychology
- PS 260 Developmental Psychology
- PS 272 Cognitive Psychology
- PS 274 Sensation and Perception
- PS 285 Behavioral Neuroscience
- PS 287 Learning and Motivation
- PY 030 Child Growth and Development
- PY 032 Psychology of Learning
- PY 041 Adolescent Psychology
- PY 230 Abnormal Psychology
- PY 242 or PS 242 Personality Theories: Behavior in Context
- PY 243 Counseling Theories
- PY 244 Adult Psychology
- NU 315 Victimology
- NU 317 Forensic Mental Health
- NU 318 Forensic Science I
B.S./M.S. Program
This program enables students to graduate with bachelor's and master's degrees in five years (full time) or six years (part time). Students take graduate courses in their senior year and during the summer after graduation with the B.S. In order to qualify for this program, students must maintain an academic average of 3.4 with a grade of B or above in all nursing courses. Qualified undergraduate students may take approved graduate courses as part of their elective requirement. These credits would count toward the master's degree at Boston College Connell School of Nursing if the student is accepted into the master's program prior to graduating with the B.S. degree.
Academic Honors
The University Honors Program
The Honors Program offers selected students a more integrated and comprehensive liberal arts curriculum as an alternative to the regular undergraduate Core. Students are invited to join the program before they enter Boston College. In order to remain in the program, students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.33.
Students in the Honors Program complete all requirements of the nursing major. In addition, they must satisfy the following requirements of the Honors Program:
Western Cultural Tradition I-VIII: In the first two years, students are required to take this intensive course for six credits each semester (a total of 24 credits). It substitutes for the usual Core requirements in literature, writing, philosophy, theology, and social science. For additional information see the section in this catalog under the Arts and Sciences Honors Program.
In the junior and senior years, students follow the nursing course sequence and, under the direction of the School of Nursing honors advisor, plan and carry out a research project. These honor students will be afforded special learning activities designed to challenge their interests and capitalize on their intellectual ability.
Special Requirements for CSON Students
Health Requirements
In addition to the health and immunization requirements for all undergraduate students, nursing students must have immunity to varicella (chicken pox) and hepatitis B and annual screening for tuberculosis (PPD). Other requirements such as flu vaccines, and/or other health data may be required.
Other Clinical Requirements
Nursing students are required to be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) before enrolling in NU 231 (sophomore or junior year), and must keep this certification current. Nursing students must also undergo the expanded multistate criminal offense background checks that are required by affiliating health care institutions.
General Information
Cooperating Hospitals and Health Agencies
Students in the baccalaureate nursing program have planned learning experiences in teaching hospitals and community agencies in the Boston metropolitan area. The facilities used for these experiences are located in Boston and the surrounding area. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from those facilities, and most are accessible by public transportation.
Fees
School of Nursing students pay the same tuition, fees, and room and board costs as other colleges' enrollees. In addition, nursing students have the following expenses:
- Standardized examination (NCLEX Assessment Test) $70.00
- Laboratory Fee up to $230.00 (Payable for certain clinical nursing courses)
- Costs for transportation to clinical sites, additional health requirements, and CPR certification
College Credit for Transfer Students
Candidates possessing a bachelor's degree in another field and candidates possessing college credit in either nursing or non-nursing programs apply to the Office of Transfer Admissions, located in Devlin Hall. A maximum of sixty (60) credits will be accepted in transfer. Nursing courses taken at another institution will be evaluated on an individual basis. Students applying for transfer will be asked to submit course syllabi the School of Nursing for use in evaluating prior course work.
Career Opportunities
The field of nursing offers a wide variety of career options, including positions in hospitals, long-term care facilities, community health agencies, clinics, and day care centers for children and the elderly. Nurses are establishing private practices and group practices with other health professionals. Business, industry, and occupational health settings employ nurses. Graduates of the Boston College Connell School of Nursing have worked as researchers in clinical settings. Some serve on faculties of schools of nursing or as administrators of clinical and educational institutions.
The baccalaureate program of study prepares its graduates for entry into master's and doctoral degree programs in nursing. With graduate study, advanced practice nurses see clients in primary care, teach students and other health professionals, establish programs of research, provide consultation, serve as health care planners, and participate on governmental committees dealing with health care issues.