University of North Carolina - Charlotte

Nursing Programs Offered

BSN Programs
DNP Programs (Doctor of Nursing Practice)
MSN Programs
RN Programs
RN to BSN Programs
RN to MSN Programs

RN to BSN Program Details

All nursing programs at UNC Charlotte are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2021, and approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing.

The RN-BSN completion curriculum provides the associate degree or diploma-prepared registered nurse (RN) an opportunity to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). The curriculum is designed to enhance and advance the student's professional nursing career.

Once prerequisites, general education & foreign language courses are completed, the RN-BSN curriculum is 30 hours in length and can be completed within one calendar year. Several options for study are available:

* Distance Education on-line program (fall and spring admission)
* On-Campus program (spring admission only)

All options are identical in regard to course objectives, course content and learning outcomes. The Distance Education option provides all 30 hours of the nursing curriculum as on-line courses (special hardware and software requirements for students). In the on-campus program, students attend class on Tuesdays. In addition to the Program's prerequisite courses and the nursing courses, students must meet all of the University's general education requirements to earn the BSN.

BSN Program Details

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UNC Charlotte is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2021, and approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing.

The BSN curriculum is a 4 year program of study that prepares the graduate for generalist practice in nursing and allows the graduate to sit for the national licensing exam (NCLEX) to practice as a registered nurse (RN). The program provides the student a background in:

-Liberal arts, through the general education requirements of the University
-Sciences, through the required nursing pre-requisite courses
-Generalist nursing education

BSN graduates are prepared to function in a variety of care settings to include hospitals, clinics, public health, home health, hospice and long term care facilities, and may assume leadership and management roles as well because of their education. Upon completion of the majority of the nursing pre-requisite courses, students apply to the upper division of the nursing program. Admission is competitive, and not all students are accepted into the upper level division nursing program.

MSN Program Details

All of our degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2021. The programs are approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing.

There are three majors in the graduate program: Nurse Anesthesia, Advanced Clinical Nursing and Nursing Systems/Population. The Nurse Anesthesia major is a joint program with Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) - Main. Students receive all anesthesia specialty education from faculty and staff in the Nurse Anesthesia Program at CMC. The Advanced Clinical Nursing major is offered on campus. All courses are taught on the UNC Charlotte campus with clinical placement occurring with preceptors throughout the region. The Systems/Population major is offered through Distance Education at UNC Charlotte. Students are generally not required to come to campus and are placed with local preceptors for clinical courses.

Master of Science in Nursing:

-Nurse Anesthesia or Post-Masters Certificate
-Family Nurse Practitioner (Advanced Clinical Nursing Major) or Post-Masters Certificate
-Community/Public Health Nursing (Systems Population Major)
-Nurse Educator (Systems Population Major) or Graduate Certificate
-Nurse Administrator (Systems Population Major) or Graduate Certificate
-RN to MSN

RN to MSN Program Details

The RN-MSN program is designed for the outstanding student who wants to pursue an accelerated path to the MSN. Applicants must meet all admission requirements for the RN to BSN as well as the selected graduate program. A student makes application directly to the Graduate School with the appropriate fees simultaneously with the application to RN-BSN. Tuition rates for courses are based on the academic status of students, not on the undergraduate or graduate level of the course. As soon as students enroll in a graduate course their academic status changes from undergraduate to graduate. This changes the tuition charges from undergraduate to graduate for all courses taken in the remainder of the RN to BSN program as well as the courses in the MSN program.

The following specialties are available to students who wish to apply for the Early Entry Program (see specialty web pages for complete program of study):

Family Nurse Practitioner (on-campus program)
Community Public Health nursing (distance education program)
Nurse Educator (distance education program)
Nurse Administrator (distance education program)

The MSN specialty concentrations that accept RN to MSN applications require completion of 36 to 46 graduate credit hours depending on the specialty. All concentrations require a Synthesis project or Thesis. Specific requirements and prerequisites for each concentration are listed online. Concentrations are designed to accommodate full time and part time students. Many courses in the FNP program are held in the late afternoon or evening.

Completion of all required coursework for the RN/BSN and selected MSN program of study, with the exception of up to 10 hours of graduate credit substituting for up to 6 hours of undergraduate RN/BSN courses.

Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in their graduate courses, and may not accumulate more than two "C" grades. Refer to the specific graduate program for additional progression and graduation requirements.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Details

We have an exciting program that began accepting students in 2005. Our first students have graduated, and our program continues to mature. We typically admit five to seven students each year, to ensure that each student can benefit from a great deal of quality interaction with our faculty. Our program welcomes both full-time and part-time students. Many of our students work full-time in the Charlotte region. Many others are full-time students who traveled from around the world to study with us. Our students are preparing for careers in colleges and universities, health care, public health, private research organizations, and governments.