Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing

As a traditional BSN student, you will engage in practical clinical experiences designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in nursing. Students will have access to a state-of-the-art nursing skills facility and will graduate ready to meet the challenges facing today’s registered nurses.

Woven into our traditional BSN curriculum is mission-focused, care-driven course content across the nursing and liberal arts and sciences disciplines. UP’s traditional BSN curriculum emphasizes a quality education centered around serving patients, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

As a graduate of the traditional BSN program, you will be a leader in healthcare who utilizes excellent communication, clinical skills, and leadership qualities. You will use your education to enhance the nursing profession by providing evidence-based nursing practice that is population centered and grounded in spiritual, ethical, and compassionate care of all those you will serve.

Graduates of the traditional BSN degree program are eligible to sit for national licensure through the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX), the exam required to become licensed to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN). The traditional BSN degree program prepares students to sit for the NCLEX exam.

The program’s mission is “to prepare graduates for accountable and professional nursing practice that is relationship-based, vigilant, theory-guided, and grounded in the best possible evidence.”

A graduate of the program will be a leader in healthcare. Graduates will be excellent communicators, clinicians, and leaders of change. A graduate is a lifelong learner and will enhance the nursing profession by providing nursing evidence-based practice that is population-centered, as well as grounded in spiritual, ethical, and compassionate care.

The program’s mission is supported by a conceptual framework consisting of the following constructs:

Relationship-Based Care

The University of Providence’s Traditional BSN Degree Completion Program honors the patient and family as the center of the care delivery team. In relationship-based practice, excellent patient care outcomes are achieved through collaborative and sacred relationships among the patient, his or her family, and the healthcare team.

Vigilance

Nursing vigilance is reflected in unwavering attention to both the patient and the care delivery environment. This vigilance protects patients from harm and ensures their safe passage as they journey through the continuum of their care experience.

Professional Accountability

The professional nurse is accountable for nursing outcomes of care delivery by ensuring vigilant care processes, maintaining expertise in practice, and creating healing care environments. The professional nurse is answerable for practice that consistently meets established standards. This accountability includes the steadfast pursuit of opportunities to coach and mentor other members of the inter-professional healthcare team. Nurses are at all times responsible for their own self-care, professional development, and proactive career management.

Change

Constant, complex change is the expected norm and sets the context for contemporary life in health care delivery. Professional nurses thrive in–and are prepared to lead and manage positive change in improving health, with patients, colleagues, and communities.

Nursing students at the University of Providence will learn these themes and more:

• Compassion, ethics, and spirituality
• Patient and family-centered care
• Leadership and effective advocacy
• Evidence-based practice
• Population and Community Health
• Transforming healthcare
• Safety and quality outcomes
• Professional accountability
• Collaboration and inter-professional teams
• Reflective practice and lifelong development

Direct entry admission option is available to high school senior applicants only, and requires admission to UP as a pre-nursing major. *Please note that not all candidates meeting the minimum eligibility criteria will be selected for the direct entry option but are encouraged to apply for the pre-nursing admission option.

Direct entry admission requires NO ADDITIONAL APPLICATION once admitted to the University of Providence’s traditional BSN program. Students are enrolled in our pre-licensure BSN nursing curriculum beginning your first semester. Your direct entry admission into the nursing major is contingent on meeting all the progression criteria.

Criteria For Direct Entry Admission

To apply for direct entry admission to the four-year nursing degree you must:

1. Submit your completed application by the priority deadline of November 15^th
2. Meet our eligibility criteria:
   • 3.30 GPA
   • Completion of or enrollment in two years of science (Biology and Chemistry recommendation)
   • Completion of mathematics through Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II)

While not required, you may also submit additional information such as letters of recommendation for the committee’s consideration. All supporting information must be received by the November 15 priority deadline.

Deadlines

• November 15: Priority Application Deadline (Apply online using the UP Application and check direct admission on the application).
• February 1: Applicants will be notified of decision if received by the priority deadline of November 15.
• February 1: Rolling deadline (until capacity is reached)

Students are admitted into pre-nursing and have the opportunity to apply to the nursing major during their second year at the University of Providence. Applications for the pre-nursing admission are accepted in the spring semester each year for consideration of admittance into the nursing major the following fall semester.

As a pre-nursing student you must be formally accepted to the nursing major to register for nursing courses other than Nursing 370. If you have pre-nursing listed as your major, you will receive notification regarding the nursing major admission process via your University of Providence email. The pre-nursing admission path is designed for the following students:

1. Students who were not selected for Direct Entry Admission and decided to enroll at UP with the goal of enrolling in the Traditional BSN program later.
2. Students who initially began enrollment at UP in a NON-NURSING PRORGRAM and later decided to change their academic program to nursing.

Criteria for Pre-Nursing Admission

To apply for the pre-nursing admission, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be admitted to the University of Providence as a degree-seeking student
• Must have an overall college career GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or higher at time of application
• Must have completed the following courses prior to applying for the nursing major:
  • COD 100
  • CHM 101
  • ENG 117
  • TRL 201
  • ILC 350 (must be taken at UP)
• Must complete the following pre-requisites with a “C” or better at the time of application:
  • CHM 101
  • MTH 108
  • BIO 251/L
  • BIO 271
  • BIO 252/L
  • BIO 208
  • NRS 370
• Have no more than two (2) repeated or withdrawn prerequisite courses listed as part of the Traditional BSN program curriculum
• Must be in good academic standing with the University of Providence, including no conduct violations during their time of enrollment
• Provide documentation of completion with the expectations and requirements of the nursing program affiliates to include, but not limited to, official documentation for specific immunizations, a criminal background check, a urine drug screen, maintenance of health insurance, and American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers certification.
• Inability to comply with the outlined clinical requirements may interfere with a student’s ability to participate in the nursing program clinical requirements, making the student ineligible to progress in the nursing major. Alcohol and drug violations may interfere with Montana State Board of Nursing approval to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam.
• The Vander Werff BSN Program reserves the right to accept for admission into the nursing major the number of students for whom a quality educational program can be provided. If there are more applicants than spaces available, the Vander Werff BSN Program will use a priority ranking system based on the following criteria to select students for admission.

*Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the nursing program.

Priority Ranking System

1. Successful completion of the above admission requirements
2. Overall college career GPA (this includes all attempted credits at an accredited college or university).
3. Selected GPA from the following University of Providence Courses:
   ○ CHM 101
   ○ MTH 108
   ○ BIO 251/L
   ○ BIO 271
   ○ BIO 252/L
   ○ BIO 208
   ○ NRS 370
   A course from another institution must be accepted at the University of Providence as an equivalent course to be calculated in this selected GPA.
4. Completion of core or nursing prerequisites without need for repeating courses (no D’s or F’s) or withdrawals.
5. No academic integrity violations on file at the Registrar’s Office at the University of Providence.
6. Interviews by the Vander Werff Nursing faculty may be required.

Deadlines

• February 1: Priority Application Deadline (UP Application Link)
• May 15: Applicants will be notified of decision if received by the priority deadline of February 1
• July 10: Rolling deadline (until capacity is reached)

The University of Providence may accept a select number of external transfer students directly into the nursing program. Interested transfer students should contact the Office of Admissions for current requirements and to apply to UP and nursing major.

Deadlines

• February 1: Priority Application Deadline (UP Application Link)
• May 15: Applicants will be notified of decision if received by the priority deadline of February 1
• July 10: Rolling deadline (until capacity is reached)

To progress in the nursing major, the student must:

• Must complete the following pre-requisites with a “C” or better, at the time of application:
  • CHM 101
  • MTH 108
  • BIO 251/L
  • BIO 271
  • BIO 252/L
  • BIO 208
  • NRS 370

All nursing courses must be taken at the University of Providence unless the nursing department grants an exception, to include ILC 350 and NRS 370.

• Must Complete the following pre-requisites:
  • ENG 117,
  • Fine Arts and History Array
  • TRL 201
  • PHL 101
  • ENG 215
  • CPS 215
  • Social Science Array
  • Fine Arts or History Array
  • Elective credits
• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 at the end of each semester after admission into the nursing major.
• Have no more than two (2) repeated or withdrawn prerequisite courses listed as part of the Vander Werff BSN nursing program curriculum.
• Pass/Fail grades may be acceptable for courses not co-requisite to nursing courses as long as the student is within the parameters of the guidelines of the Academic Policies as stated in the University of Providence Catalog currently in effect.
• Must pass each clinical/lab course in order to pass the entire course.
• Must maintain course exam and quiz scores at a minimum of 75% before other scores are added to determine the final grade for the course.
  1. Failure to obtain a 75% average for course exams will result in course failure regardless of the number of points earned for other course activities. NOTE: Rounding examination and quiz scores will not be rounded, final grades will be rounded per standard rounding rules – e.g. 74.5 would be recorded as a 75 
• In the event of a college academic integrity violation, the student’s ability to progress in the nursing major will be determined on an individual basis.
• Provide documentation noting completion and compliance with the expectations and requirements of the nursing program clinical affiliates to include, but not limited to, official documentation for specific immunizations, a criminal background check, a urine drug screen, Maintenance of current health insurance, and American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers certification. Costs to complete these clinical compliance requirements are to be paid by the student. The results of the urine drug screen and background check are tracked in a third-party program and tracked by the Vander Werff Program Director. The student will be contacted directly if further information or clarification is needed. Due to the confidential nature of the background check findings, the results of the background check and urine drug screens are not placed in the student’s permanent file.
• Any student who faces criminal charges while enrolled in the Vander Werff BSN Program is required to notify the Vander Werff Program Director within ten (10) working days of such charges that may affect his/her ability to function in the academic or lab setting. Criminal charges include but are not limited to misdemeanors, felonies and convictions, such as shoplifting, drug charges, driving under the influence (DUI), Minor in Possession (MIP), reckless driving and suspended license. These activities do not include legal matters regarding divorce, custody issues, or parking tickets.
• Students must demonstrate academic achievement and practice safely and with integrity.

*If the student does not meet the above progression criteria, they may not continue in the nursing major. If a student does not pass the required nursing course(s), they may not take any other nursing courses.

The policy related to Student Withdrawal and Re-application/Re-entry to the Nursing Major is found in the Nursing Student Handbook.

The Vander Werff BSN Program Department reserves the right to make changes to these admission and progression criteria. 

Traditional BSN students at the University of Providence will learn these skills and more:

• Person-centered Care
• Communication
• Leadership
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Care coordination
• Evidence-based practice
• Research and scholarship
• Quality improvement
• Safety
• Informatics
• Legal and ethical reasoning
• Clinical reasoning

Traditional BSN students at the University of Providence graduate able to:

• Integrate a compassionate and ethical understanding of the human experience into nursing practice using the foundations of a liberal arts education.
• Apply leadership concepts, skills, and decision-making to engage healthcare teams in creating, promoting, and managing safety and quality outcomes.
• Apply nursing practices that are informed by research, evidence-based practice, clinical judgment, clinical reasoning, and innovation to optimize health.
• Utilize information technology to communicate, mitigate errors, and make improved clinical decisions related to the care of diverse populations.
• Advocate to influence change in legal, political, social, and economic factors that transform healthcare delivery.
• Collaborate with the inter-professional team to improve patient/family outcomes and the work environment.
• Provide compassionate, spiritual, ethical, and culturally appropriate care across the lifespan and the continuum of care.
• Practice preventive care, health promotion, and disease intervention across care settings for self, individuals, families, the community, and populations.
• Assume professional accountability to uphold the standards of nursing practice as defined by the Nurse Practice Act (in the state in which the nurse practices) and the ANA Code of Ethics.
• Demonstrate reflective nursing practice.

UP’s traditional BSN students will take courses in the liberal arts and sciences and nursing curriculum. Over the course of enrollment, students will take a total of 120 credit hours over four years – with the first two years focusing on liberal arts and sciences and the second year building foundational and clinical skills in nursing.

Students will take 60 credit hours of liberal arts and science courses, including biology, chemistry, and math prerequisites. Students will then transition into the nursing program, where the curriculum will include courses in ethics, nursing fundamentals, pharmacology, and population health. Students will learn these skills through in-person learning, interactive, skill labs, and clinical experiences.

Learn More: Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing Curriculum.

University of Providence Quick Links

• Tuition & Fees at the University of Providence
• How to Apply to the University of Providence
• University of Providence Mission & Catholic Identity
• School of Health Professions News & Announcements
• University of Providence Accreditation Information

Traditional BSN Quick Links

• Traditional BSN Estimated Cost Breakdown
• Vander Werf BSN Program Student Handbook (2025)
• Frequently Asked Questions: Traditional BSN
• Program Curriculum: Traditional BSN
• Traditional BSN Completion Track

The University of Providence is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Information can be found on the NWCCU website, and Comments can be directed to the NWCCU staff at the following address:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

8060 165th Avenue NE, Suite 100

Redmond, WA 98052

(425) 558-4224  

www.nwccu.org

“The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master’s degree program in nursing at the University of Providence are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791″.

The University of Providence is accredited by the Montana Board of Nursing. Information can be found on the Montana Nursing Board website, and Comments can be directed to the Montana Nursing Board staff at the following address:

Montana Board of Nursing

PO Box 200513

Helena, MT 59620-0513

(406) 841-2380

https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/nursing/