Our students work with a small group of peers and
faculty during prestigious and varied clinical placements.
Bachelor’s Program
At the Connell School, students are members of the Boston College community: They enjoy all the benefits of a diverse liberal arts education while immersed in a campus culture that emphasizes intellectual inquiry and social justice.
Our bachelor's program prepares students to practice as generalists in a range of settings, including hospitals, clinics, and community agencies. The curriculum combines classroom learning with clinical experiences and includes essentials in nursing, the liberal arts, and the natural and social sciences.
The degree takes four years, and we work with students to make the most of their time here through opportunities outside the classroom—including Boston College athletics, student organizations, and international study and travel. In fact, a third of our students study abroad during their junior year and another third of senior students participate in global clinical experiences.
Students can also apply to our bachelor’s to master’s program and take graduate nursing courses as electives during their junior and senior years.
Opportunities at CSON
-
global trips
See the world while improving it. Strengthen your skills through a clinical experience in Haiti, Nicaragua, Chile, or the Dominican Republic, among other locations.
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advising
Benefit from one-on-one mentorship with our faculty of internationally renowned scholars, teachers, and practitioners.
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Leadership
Enhance your leadership abilities through a variety of opportunities, including undergraduate research fellowships, student government, our local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, and our Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing program.
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Clinical Work
Choose from a range of exceptional experiences in Greater Boston. Our students have access to more than 85 health care partners.
Our Curriculum
Fall Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| NURS1010 | Professional Development Seminar |
| BIOL1300 | Anatomy & Physiology I |
| BIOL1310 | Anatomy & Physiology I Lab |
| CHEM1161 | Life Science Chemistry |
| CHEM1163 | Life Science Chemistry Lab |
| 2 core courses | |
Spring Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| NURS2070 | Introduction to Professional Nursing |
| BIOL1320 | Anatomy & Physiology II |
| BIOL1330 | Anatomy & Physiology II Lab |
| MATH1180 | Statistics |
| 2 core courses | |
Fall Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIOL2200, 2210 | Microbiology + Lab |
| NURS2120 | Health Assessment Theory |
| NURS2121 | Health Assessment Clinical* |
| NURS2080 | Pathophysiology |
| 1 core course | |
*Lab fee associated with this course
Spring Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| NURS2230 | Adult Health Nursing Theory I |
| NURS2231 | Adult Health Nursing Clinical I* |
| NURS2204 | Pharmacology/Nutrition |
| NURS3170 | Principles of Evidence-based Nursing |
| NURS2090 | Sophomore Formation Seminar |
| 1 core course | |
*Lab fee associated with this course
Fall Semester
Flexible semester available for students to study abroad, adjust clinical hours, or catch up on core course requirements. This flexible semester may occur during the fall or spring semester.
Spring Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| NURS3242 | Adult Health Nursing Theory II |
| NURS3243 | Adult Health Nursing Clinical II |
| NURS3244 | Childbearing Nursing Theory |
| NURS3245 | Childbearing Nursing Clinical |
| 1 core course | |
The Undergraduate Programs Office will determine the exact clinical sequence for each student for junior & senior year.
Fall Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| NURS4250 | Child Health Theory |
| NURS4251 | Child Health Clinical |
| NURS4252 | Psych-Mental Health Theory |
| NURS4253 | Psych-Mental Health Clinical |
| 1 core course or elective | |
Spring Semester |
|
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| NURS4260 | Population Health Theory |
| NURS4261 | Population Health Practice |
| NURS4263 | Nursing Synthesis Clinical* |
| NURS4270 | Transition to Professional Nursing |
| 1 core course or elective |
|
*Lab fee associated with this course
The Undergraduate Programs Office will determine the exact clinical sequence for each student for junior & senior year.
Undergraduate Lab Fees for Academic Year 2016-17 |
||
| Course Number | Course Title | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| NURS2121 | Health Assesment Clinical | $250 |
| NURS2231 | Adult Health Nursing Clinical I | $250 |
| NURS4263 | Nursing Synthesis Clinical | $250 |
Continuous improvement through assessment
Boston College is deeply committed to providing the highest quality educational experiences for all students. The ASSESSMENT process requires all programs to:
- Be clear and specific about the learning goals it sets for its students
- Develop measures to determine the degree to which each of its goals is being met
- Have a standard process for assessing the learning outcomes for students and recommending appropriate adjustments in the program
The graduate of the CSON baccalaureate program is a critical thinker who:
- Respects the intrinsic worth of all human beings by valuing and integrating altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice into professional nursing practice across all health care settings and populations.
- Synthesizes concepts from a liberal arts Jesuit education to develop a philosophy of care that guides professional nursing practice.
- Uses management and leadership skills to coordinate and promote quality health care.
- Uses empirical evidence and theoretical knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to influence health promotion and disease prevention in individuals, families and populations across the lifespan and across healthcare environments.
- Generates clinical judgments based on assessment data and implements interventions to achieve individual/family/population-centered outcomes.
- Collaborates with individuals, families, community stakeholders and the interdisciplinary health care team to ensure safe, clinically efficacious, cost-effective care.
- Articulates the relationships among intrapersonal, interpersonal, social, environmental, cultural and ethical influences on health care delivery in a diverse, multicultural, global society.
- Uses informatics and electronic technology to document, evaluate, and improve the quality of health care.
- Articulates the influence of policy on health care and professional nursing practice.
- Accesses information and seeks experiences to promote personal and professional growth, advance nursing practice and improve the care of individuals, families, and populations.
Approved by Faculty Assembly, April 21, 2010
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing: The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice
- Quality and Safety Education for Nurses
- National Patient Safety Goals
- Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- Pediatric Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice
- Healthy People 2020
- American Nurses Association
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing
- American Psychiatric Nurses Association
- International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
The baccalaureate program outcomes, along with the professional standards and guidelines, shape the curriculum. Assessment data are used to ensure that best practices in nursing education are employed. In addition to these efforts the undergraduate nursing program maintains its accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approval by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, (202) 887-6791.
“I was drawn to the opportunity to have a hands-on, challenging, and enriching nursing degree that was rooted in the Boston College liberal arts education. My time here has taught me critical thinking, teamwork, time management, communication skills, and service to others—but above all else, BC nursing has helped me become a more well-rounded human being.”
