Online Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree for Registered Nurse

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There are many universities that offer online nursing degree. This article is a review of the University of Illinois (U of I) Online Nursing Degree.

About University of Illinois Online

The University of Illinois Online (U of I Online) was established in 1997 to provide coordination and support to the University of Illinois three campuses at Chicago, Springfield and Urbana Champaign.

The U of I Online does not admit or register students. Instead, it facilitates these online education activities by providing the necessary services by publishing online catalog, response to inquiries, support online instructions and other services related to the online education support.

Online Nursing Degree

The Online Nursing Degree was offered by the College of Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago through is partnership with the Global Campus. This program is offered for currently licensed registered nurses who wish to further their education.

Most of the students who register for the Online Bachelor Degree in Nursing in University of Illinois had already satisfied the prerequisites as part of their Associate’s Degree in Nursing (AND).

The University of Illinois Online Nursing Degree is a 30-credit-hour program that can be completed as short as 16 months. The entire program is delivered online, with no residency requirement. The online nursing degree is taught by faculty who are thought leaders in nursing.

On completing your Online Nursing Degree, you shall have excellent nursing credential and prepare you to be a leader in your organization, advance your career by opening avenues to larger responsibilities and a higher salary potential, and facilitate entry to graduate school through widespread recognition of the value of a University of Illinois College of Nursing degree.

The Curriculum of the University of Illinois Online Nursing Degree

To earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, you shall need to complete the 120+ credit hours. The followings are the common avenue for you to earn the necessary credit hours:

• Receive sufficient credit hours from nursing courses at a community college as part of an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) program or at a 4-year institution as part of a BSN program that will qualify you to sit for the RN licensure exam in your state. You must have a current RN license to be admitted to the BSN Degree Completion program
• Complete 57 transferable liberal arts and sciences credit hours prior to enrolling in the BSN Degree Completion Program
• Complete 30 credit hours of nursing coursework in the BSN Degree Completion Program through The Global Campus
Most of the students who register for the Online Bachelor Degree in Nursing in University of Illinois had already satisfied the prerequisites as part of their Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN). They then only need to take four to six courses beyond their AND and/or Registered Nurse licensure.

The curriculum of the 30-credit-hour BSN Degree Completion Program consists of the following courses, to be taken in this order:

• NUSC 210 Health Assessment (3 hours)
• NUSC 242 Concepts/Processes for Contemporary Nursing (4 hours)
• NUSC 385 Clinical Concepts/Processes in Population-Focused Nursing (5 hours)
• NUSC 310 Exploring Complementary/Alternative Practices (2 hours)
• NUSC 322 Introduction to Nursing Research/Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice (4 hours)
• NUSC 316 Nursing Informatics (3 hours)
• NUSC 390 Nursing Leadership and Management in Health Care (6 hours)
• NUSC 397 Issues in Nursing Practice (3 hours)

The textbooks and course packets are available through the University of Illinois Online’s virtual bookstore. Students may also assess library resources online, including electronic reserves and any materials to complete any course-related research.

Admission Requirements to University of Illinois Online Nursing Degree

Potential students must have an overall transferable GPA of 2.5 and natural science transferable GPA of 2.0 to 4.0 scale. A current Registered Nurse license is also required.

Students must complete the following Liberal Arts ad Sciences requirements prior to enrolment to the Online Nursing Degree:

• English Composition I & II- 6 hours
• General Chemistry- 4-5 hours
• Organic/Biochemistry- 4-5 hours
• Human Anatomy- 4 hours
• Human Physiology- 4 hours
• Microbiology- 4 hours
• Nutrition- 3 hours
• Life Span Human Growth and Development- 3 hours
• Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives- 9-11 hours, depending on your prior college coursework

The following additional prerequisites are also required, depending on whether students are enrolled into the Online Nursing Degree prior to or after September 2009:

• Cultural Diversity- 3 hours
• Social Sciences- 6 hours
• Humanities- 6 hours
• Understanding the Individual & Society- 3 hours
• Understanding the Past- 3 hours
• Understanding the Creative Arts- 3 hours
• Exploring World Cultures- 3 hours
• Understanding U.S. Society- 3 hours

Students must also complete an upper division science or social science or humanities course, which may be taken concurrently while enrolled at the Global Campus.

International students would have to submit satisfactory TOEFL scores and a Full Education Course-by-Course Report Evaluation of Foreign Credentials from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).

Tuition and Fees of the University of Illinois Online Nursing Degree

The tuition and fees of the Online Nursing Degree are as follows:

Illinois residents    $18,495
Non-Illinois residents   $20,550

The University of Illinois will guarantee that tuition costs for a student will remain fixed for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Completion Program during the period normally required to complete the program.

The following financial aids are offered:
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Direct loan (subsidized and unsubsidized)
• Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students
• Graduate PLUS loan
• Federal SMART Grant
• State of Illinois Monetary Assistance Program Grant (for Illinois residents)

University of Illinois Online is also well-reputed for their services to students. Students are assigned to a dedicated Global Campus Advisor who will work with you throughout your online course with the university.

Career Services

The University of Illinois Online Global Campus also offers a self-guided Virtual Career Development Center. The Career Development Center enable you to use the interactive tools and resources to assist you with:

• Gaining Self-Awareness (identification of interests, skills, values, etc.)
• Options to Explore (occupations, labor markets, companies, etc.)
• Active Decision Making (interviewing, corporate shadowing, mentoring, networking, etc.)
• Launching your Career (job search, job interviewing, salary negotiation, job offer evaluation, etc.)
• Self-Reflection (evaluating current employment status, career transition, career path, etc.)

The University of Illinois Online also provides Transfer Guide for the following colleges: College of DuPage, College of Lake County, Danville Area Community College, Elgin Community College, Harper College (William Rainey Harper College), Highland Community College, John A. Logan College, Joliet Junior College, Kankakee Community College, Oakton Community College, Parkland College, Richland Community College, Sauk Valley Community College, Shawnee Community College, Triton College and the Truman College (Harry S. Truman College).

To sum up, the University of Illinois Online Nursing Degree does not require any residency at campus and is delivered entirely online. However, potential students have to complete many prerequisite courses prior to acceptance to the online nursing degree.