Nursing Major (B.S.)

The nursing program faculty believe learning is a creative process wherein students are active participants in their education, growth, and development as professional nurses. Faculty members are facilitators and mentors to students within a supportive, scholarly environment.

The curricula are divided into biological, social sciences, and humanities as a foundation for courses in the major, and nursing courses, which emphasize relationship-based care, reflective thinking, clinical decision making, and the application of evidence-based guidelines to develop quality and safe clinical skills. Clinical experiences are offered in area health facilities, community health agencies, and a state-of-the-art simulation laboratory. The senior year culminates in a capstone practicum in which students apply curricular concepts in a precepted clinical experience.

Honors-in-Major Program

The Honors-in-Major Program is offered to interested junior nursing students who achieve the required minimum cumulative GPA and minimum GPA in NURS courses at the end of the sophomore year in nursing and/or junior nursing students who are members of the University Honors Program. See Requirements tab for courses and more information.

Degree Plan

¹

May be taken fall or spring semester

²

PSYC 402 Statistics in Psychology, SOC 402 Statistics, MATH 439 Statistical Discovery for Everyone, or HMP 540 Statistics for Health and Human Service Professionals

Degree Requirements

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

Candidates for the nursing degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying major requirements. Discovery courses listed below require a C or better in the major.

Prerequisite courses require grades of C or better and only one prerequisite course may be repeated one time in order to progress. Most of the prerequisite courses also meet Discovery requirements. Major courses require a minimum grade of C. Nursing courses may not be repeated. A cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 must be maintained throughout the program.

A course in statistics (HMP 540, PSYC 402, SOC 402, MATH 439) must be completed prior to, or taken concurrent with, nursing research.  The statistics course requires a C or better in the major.

Clinical Hours: 814*

*

Clinical hours are completed through the following required courses: NURS 516C, NURS 517C, NURS 611C, NURS 612C, NURS 616C, NURS 621C, NURS 702C, NURS 721C.

Honors-in-Major Program

The Honors-in-Major Program is offered to interested junior nursing students who achieve a minimum grade-point average of 3.75 in NURS courses and cumulative GPA of 3.4 at the end of the sophomore year in nursing and/or junior nursing students who are members of the University Honors Program.  A total of 18 credits taken at the honors level is required for the Honors-in-Major Program.  Orientation to the Honors-in-Major Program is held at the beginning of the junior nursing year.  Students must successfully complete with a grade of B or better 8 additional credits of honors coursework drawn from the following courses:

Honors-in-major students must also successfully complete with a grade of B or better:

These self-directed learning experiences, related to the student's interests, are designed to help students acquire advanced knowledge and skills to undertake inquiry or scholarly projects. Students must submit a project description to a faculty adviser at the beginning of the senior year. Students present the results of this study at the Nursing Inquiry Day.

Program Learning Outcomes

The undergraduate student is prepared to:

• Synthesize core knowledge from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing as the foundation of professional practice.
• Integrate knowledge and skills to assess, design, implement, and evaluate nursing care in a safe, compassionate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based manner.
• Engage clients, families, and communities in collaborative decision-making incorporating evidence-based knowledge and anticipatory guidance.
• Employ team leadership and collaborative skills with other health professionals to optimize client and system outcomes.
• Recognize the influence of complex health systems on health care practice and advocate for policies that promote a socially just, patient centered healthcare system.
• Engage in scholarly inquiry to identify, evaluate and integrate the best current practice.
• Integrate health promotion and clinical prevention strategies when providing care at the individual or population level.
• Incorporate principles of patient safety and risk mitigation when using healthcare technology and therapeutics in the provision of care.
• Use effective written, verbal, and nonverbal communication strategies when engaged in professional practice.
• Embrace professional values embodied in the ANA code of ethics.

Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures

The University of New Hampshire offers a number of academic programs designed to lead to professional licensure or certification in New Hampshire. However,  completing a UNH degree/program does not guarantee professional licensure or certification. Eligibility may also depend on factors like years of work experience, professional examinations, passing a background check, and other criteria.

UNH does not guarantee that its professional licensure programs will satisfy the criteria of professional licensure boards in other states. Some states maintain different requirements for professional licensure or certification and requirements can change frequently. Federal regulations require the University to make public disclosure of certain information regarding professional licensure or certification programs, regardless of the modality the program is offered (i.e., in-person or online). The University provides guidance below but recommends students contact their state/territory licensing or certification board to ensure a program meets specific state/territory requirements.

Visit the Office of the Registrar's website for information about whether this program meets professional licensure requirements in your state.