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Basic-BSN track (pre-licensure)

The Oakland University School of Nursing Undergraduate Program Basic-BSN track provides students with a diverse range of clinical experiences throughout Southeastern Michigan, and is designed to develop nurses who are able to critically think, use evidence to develop, implement, and evaluate patient-centered nursing care, and who are ready to advance in their professional nursing careers.

The Basic-BSN track will:

  • provide students with a nursing education that meets the highest standards of the profession.
  • foster professional development by emphasizing the use of the nursing process as the critical thinking framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating patient-centered care across the lifespan
  • facilitate the development of clinical decision-making skills based on ethical, legal, and cultural perspectives.
  • integrate the concepts of evidence-based practice into nursing care delivery.
  • prepare students to be successful on the NCLEX-RN.
  • nurture a commitment to lifelong learning and prepare students for further education at the graduate level.

Please visit our Information Session page for upcoming opportunities to learn more about the program.

Direct Admission Criteria

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School of Nursing

Human Health Building, Room 3027
433 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4452
(location map)
(248) 364-8733


M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m. closed daily 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

Prospective Basic BSN students must be admitted to Oakland University and have their Oakland email account set up before they may submit the Basic BSN application. Contact the OU Admissions Office at (248) 370-3360 for information or apply online at oakland.edu/apply.

Prerequisite Coursework

Course

Credits

BIO 1200 - Biology I

4

BIO 2006 – Clinical Anatomy and Physiology 

5

CHM 1040 – Introduction to Chemical Principles

4

CHM 2010 – Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry

4

PSY 1000 – Foundations of Contemporary Psychology

4

WRT 1060 or place out of

4

PHL 1000 (Formal Reason) or
PHL 1100 (Western Civilization) or
PHL 1300 (Intro to Ethics) or
PHL 1320 (Western Civilization)

4

MTH 0661 (see below)

4

The courses listed above are Basic-BSN-pre-nursing courses. Applicants must earn a grade of a B- or higher in all the courses before applying to the nursing program. The five science classes listed above (BIO 1200, BIO 2006, CHM 1040, CHM 2010, and PSY 1000) comprise the pre-nursing GPA. A pre-nursing GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for admissions consideration. The pre-nursing GPA, along with an essay, a professional reference form, and a character assessment are considered in the admission decision process.  

Conditional Admission

Prospective students who are enrolled in their final semester of prerequisite coursework, but will not be finished by the application deadline, may apply for c
onditional admission, provided that they are finishing no more than two prerequisite courses and those courses with official transcripts are received prior to the program start date. Offers of conditional admission are space-contingent and admission preference is given to applicants who have completed all of the prerequisite coursework by the application deadline. The pre-req GPA for applicants seeking conditional admission will be calculated on completed classes. Applicants who fail to meet the minimum requirements of a B- or higher in each prerequisite course and a pre-req GPA of at least 3.0 will have their offer of admission rescinded.

To learn how courses could transfer to OU, refer to the Transfer Equivalency Tool ​​and Transfer Guides.​ Visit oakland.edu/registrar/collegecredit for information regarding AP, IB, or CLEP placement.

* The math requirement is waived for applicants who receive an SAT math score of 490 to 540 (440 to 510 prior to March 2016) or an ACT math score of 18 or higher. Higher-level mathematics coursework or the Oakland University math placement exams can also satisfy the requirements. For more information about course placement visit, oakland.edu/fyac/courseplacement.

Prospective students seeking full admission may submit the BSN application upon admission to OU and completion of all prerequisite courses. Prospective students seeking conditional admission should apply in their final semester of prerequisite courses. Admission to the School of Nursing is competitive and satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses does not guarantee admission.

Holistic Admission Review

In addition to completing the prerequisite courses in Step 2, applicants will be required to submit an essay, a professional reference form, and complete a character assessment. These additional materials will be reviewed and scored by SON faculty and combined with the pre-req GPA to create a composite score for each applicant which will be used to determine admission to the Basic BSN track.

The professional reference form is to be submitted by a supervisor or professor and speaks to character, ethics, and the essential skills associated with the nursing profession.

Future cohorts may see further revisions to the holistic admission review process.  Prospective students are encouraged to monitor this page for updates.

Deadlines

The Basic BSN track admits in the fall and winter semesters, with respective application deadlines of June 1st and October 1st. All prerequisite coursework must be completed before the deadlines. All official transcripts, including any applicable AP or CLEP test scores, must be received by the deadline for the application to be considered.

Previously admitted into a nursing program

Any applicant who has been dismissed from a nursing program or has ever received two or more nursing course grades of B- or lower must first obtain approval from the SON to apply to the Basic-BSN track. To obtain the Student Academic Standing Inquiry Form, visit the Forms page.

Health Requirements

Admitted students will need to submit their clinical health requirements prior to starting the program. Please visit the Health Requirements tab on the Forms page for additional information.

Applications to the Basic BSN track are for a single term only and do not carry over to subsequent application cycles. Students denied admission to the BSN program may apply to the SON for the next application cycle if they meet the minimum eligibility requirements. Students whose pre-req grades do not meet eligibility requirements or students who are otherwise considering repeating pre-reqs to raise their pre-req GPA are strongly encouraged to schedule an academic advising appointment to discuss their plan of study. Contact 248-364-8733 or [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

WHP-to-ASD

The School of Health Sciences (SHS) and the School of Nursing (SON) have partnered to create the Wellness and Health Promotion (WHP) to Accelerated Second-Degree (ASD) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) pathway. This pathway is for first-time Pre-Nursing freshman students who did not gain admission to the Basic BSN program after their first year of study. Up to five pre-nursing students will be offered automatic admission to the ASD program through the WHP-ASD pathway. Students on the WHP-ASD pathway must meet all of the requirements to gain admission into this track as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog.