2011-2012 Graduate Studies Bulletin [Archived Catalog]
College of Nursing
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| Peggy O. Hewlett, Dean |
| Susan Poslusny, Associate Dean for Academics |
| Rita Snyder, Associate Dean for Research and Evaluations |
| JoAnne Herman, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and Graduate Director |
| David S. Hodson, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies |
- The College of Nursing offers a four-year undergraduate program on the Columbia campus leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The baccalaureate program is approved by the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Lower Division. In order to be admitted into the College of Nursing, freshmen must meet all University and College of Nursing admission requirements. Students who have not successfully completed one high-school unit each of biology and chemistry are required to make up the deficiencies prior to admission. Acceptance into the University with a lower-division classification does not guarantee progression into the upper-division nursing major. Students who consider studying nursing at Carolina need to be aware that all USC undergraduates who seek a nursing degree are first admitted into the College of Nursing’s lower division. This does not guarantee later admission into the upper division. Students enrolled in the lower division must meet minimum upper division admission standards set forth by the College of Nursing. Once minimum criteria are met, all qualified applicants are placed into an admissions group and are ranked by their cumulative grade point averages. Based on the number of available seats, students are admitted starting at the top of the cumulative GPA ranked order list. When seats are filled, the cut off GPA is then determined. In recent years admission to the upper division has become highly competitive as demand for the program of study has increased and therefore the average acceptable cutoff cumulative grade point average has increased from cohort to cohort.
Transfer students must have a cumulative 3.00 GPA in all University and college work attempted and must meet freshman requirements if less than 30 semester hours have been completed. Transfer students’ performance in all science and nursing courses taken at other institutions must be reviewed upon admission. Nursing courses will be considered for transfer credit only from accredited nursing programs. To be eligible to apply for the upper division, transfer students must meet the College of Nursing requirements for progression through completion of the lower-division science and nursing courses. All entering students are expected to have basic computer skills.
Students must adhere to the University requirements for advanced placement in general education courses. Only those general education courses identified by the University can be used for advanced placement through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). University departmental exams may be used for advanced placement if offered by the appropriate department and if the student meets the expected testing level identified by the department.
Lower Division. All students in the lower division in the baccalaureate program are subject to the following regulations:
- Students must maintain a minimum 3.00 cumulative and USC GPA in order to maintain good standing in the nursing program. Grades are reviewed at the end of each semester. Students who have less than a 3.00 cumulative and/or USC GPA are placed on probation within the college for one major semester or 12 credit hours but may continue to take all required courses. If at the end of the probationary semester their cumulative and/or USC GPA is still less than a 3.00, students are administratively removed from their required course sequence.
- All incomplete grades posted on the transcript must be removed before progression into the upper division can be considered.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all required courses in the nursing program. Only one course in either science or lower-division nursing for which an unsatisfactory grade was earned may be repeated once to earn a grade of C or better to remain eligible for the nursing major.
Upper Division. Progression into upper-division nursing occurs in the fall semester. Students who have completed at least 45 credit hours (including 8 hours of the required science courses and 9 hours of required lower-division nursing courses) and wish to apply to upper-division nursing must submit a completed College of Nursing Progression Application no later than Dec. 1 for the following fall semester in which registration is desired. Factors considered in the progression decision include:
- a minimum cumulative USC and collegiate summary grade point average of 3.00 or better (Progression is competitive, based on cumulative GPA, and limited to a set number of qualified students.)
- a grade of C or better in all required courses in the nursing program
- verified completion of 45 prerequisite credits in general education and lower-division nursing courses at the time of application
- successful completion of 8 hours of the required sciences in the 45 hours presented for progression consideration
- successful completion of 9 hours of the required lower-division nursing courses in the 45 hours presented for progression consideration.
Students must have a completed application on file, provide evidence of completion of remaining lower-division course work, and be admitted to the upper division prior to registering for their first upper division nursing courses (300 level).
A minimum grade of C is required in each nursing course. Only one upper-division nursing course may be repeated once to earn a grade of C or better to remain eligible for the nursing major. All students must maintain a minimum 3.00 cumulative and USC GPA in order to maintain good standing in the nursing program. Grades are reviewed at the end of each semester. Students who have less than a 3.00 cumulative GPA on USC work are placed on probation within the college for one semester but may continue to take all required courses. If at the end of the probationary semester their cumulative and/or USC GPA is still less than 3.00, students are administratively removed from their required course sequence.
All students must achieve satisfactory performance on selected comprehensive achievement tests to progress through the upper division.
- The College of Nursing adheres to the University’s attendance policy. In addition, students are expected to attend all clinical nursing activities with absences permitted up to 10 percent only if certified as unavoidable because of sickness or other cause. Make-up time for missed clinical nursing experiences will be determined at the discretion of the faculty and availability of clinical facilities. Faculty may require withdrawal of any student who has missed sufficient practice to prevent completion of clinical objectives.
- Readmission. A student who has been suspended or has withdrawn from the College of Nursing and subsequently readmitted will be subject to the current College of Nursing academic standards and available space in courses.
Waiver of academic standards. Any student seeking relief from academic standards shall petition the College of Nursing to waive specific standards or regulations. Information on procedures may be obtained from the College of Nursing Office of Undergraduate Studies.
- Grade Forgiveness. Grade forgiveness does not apply to GPA calculation for admission to upper division in the nursing program. Any forgiveness grades will be reentered into the USC GPA calculations.
- Grade Forgiveness University Policy: http://registrar.sc.edu/html/grade_forgiv_policy.stm
In addition to the regulations of the University as a whole, the following requirements apply to students in the nursing program.
Health requirements. In addition to meeting the health requirements of the University, students enrolled in clinical nursing courses are required to provide evidence of annual tuberculosis screening; documentation of positive titers for varicella, rubella, and rubeola; and evidence of vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus within the last 10 years. Students shall have on file prior to entry into clinical courses at least one of the following: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunization record or antibody titer showing a previous antigen response to HBV. Information on all clinical requirements is available in the College of Nursing Office of Undergraduate Studies. A current Clinical Requirements Information form must be on file in the College of Nursing Office of Undergraduate Studies by June 1 for the fall semester. Admission to the upper division in the College of Nursing is contingent on passing a drug screen and background check. Students are not eligible to register for classes and cannot participate in practice activities at clinical sites until this information is on file. Students are encouraged to have health insurance coverage throughout the course of their studies.
Special requirements and associated expenses. Students enrolled in nursing courses with a lab or practicum must carry professional liability insurance purchased in conjunction with the courses; one-time expenses include nursing uniforms and clinical equipment and supplies. Maintenance of current CPR certification during enrollment in clinical courses is required. Thomson Student Health Center offers an HBV immunization program to students. All students shall complete selected achievement tests, primarily in the upper division, and an NCLEX review course during the final semester.
Transportation to clinical practice sites. Each student should have a valid driver’s license and is responsible for transportation to and from hospitals and other clinical practice sites in both urban and rural areas. Sites used for clinical experiences are usually confined to the eleven-county Greater Midlands area of the state.
Application for licensure in professional nursing. Prior to completion of the second semester of the senior year, students are expected to apply for the professional nursing licensing examination, which is administered by the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina or its counterpart in the jurisdiction where the student will seek initial employment after graduation. Students in the College of Nursing are also bound to conduct themselves according to the professional standards set forth by the American Nurses Association Code for Nurses. Conviction of a crime other than a minor traffic violation could result in ineligibility for professional licensure. Under these circumstances, early notification to the Board of Nursing is recommended to clarify mechanisms related to eligibility determination.
- The baccalaureate curriculum provides for eight semesters of study in general education and professional nursing. Upon admission, students are assigned an advisor to guide planning throughout the program. Students should obtain guidance in the selection of courses as early as possible.
Computer skills are required throughout the curriculum. Skills required for class assignments and clinical practice include: word processing, computerized assisted instruction, e-mail, Web access, Internet searches, database searches, computerized patient documentation, and computerized medical equipment.
The upper division focuses on clinical practice and requires full-time study. Clinical practice is supported by concurrent classroom study. Students practice in a variety of settings such as hospitals, extended-care facilities, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, schools, and other community agencies.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree requires a minimum of 122 hours. These credits are distributed between general education requirements and electives, and professional nursing requirements. All lower-division requirements must be completed before progressing to upper-division courses. Upper-division courses must be taken in sequence as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Handbook.
General education course selections must meet University general education requirements.
English: ENGL 101-102 or higher
Social Sciences: Two courses from one of these: sociology or psychology. One course must cover life-span content.
Analytical Reasoning: To be satisfied in one of the following ways: 1) STAT 110 and MATH 122 or 2) STAT 110 and STAT 201.
Foreign Language: Students must demonstrate ability in a foreign language equivalent to that obtained by two years of high-school study of one language. This ability may be demonstrated by placing at level two or higher on the Foreign Language Placement Exam for the language studied in high school. Those failing to do so must satisfactorily complete equivalent study of a foreign language at USC. These students must pass 109 and 110 in French, German, Latin, or Spanish or 121 and 122 in any of the other languages.
Electives: UNIV 101 is strongly recommended.
Programs and Courses
Click the links below to view programs and courses administered by the college.
Programs for the College of Nursing
Courses for the College of Nursing
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