Pre-Licensure Traditional B.S.N.
As a land-grant institution committed to public service and accessible education, we’ve been preparing dedicated, compassionate nurses since launching our Pre-Licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program in 2004.
The pre-licensure program is a full-time, on-campus program designed for students who want to fully engage in hands-on learning, face-to-face instruction and collaborative experiences at the heart of a vibrant university community.
What Sets Our Program Apart?
- Real-world clinical training — From early in the program, you’ll gain hands-on experience through placements in respected hospitals, specialty clinics and community health care centers across Arkansas
- Expert faculty support — Learn from experienced nursing faculty who are passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of nurses.
- Team-based learning — You’ll develop strong collaboration skills by learning alongside students from other health care disciplines, preparing you to thrive in today’s fast-paced care environments.
- Community-focused education — True to our land-grant mission, our program emphasizes service and outreach—giving you the chance to support health and wellness in diverse communities.
The pre-licensure B.S.N. program at the Fayetteville flagship campus of the University of Arkansas gives you the knowledge, skills and confidence to become a trusted nurse and leader in patient care.
Length and Commitment: 4 Years
The Pre-Licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a four-year degree program: three years of prerequisite courses followed by five semesters of sequenced nursing courses and placements in clinical settings.
The B.S.N. curriculum plan is full time during fall and spring semesters but does not include summer semester coursework. Due to the sequencing of coursework, the B.S.N. program is always five semesters in length.
The majority of coursework will be Monday through Friday during the day with the possibility of an evening course. However, junior and senior year clinical/practicum experiences could occur during the day, evening, early morning, nights or weekends. Providing your own transportation is highly encouraged during the clinical/practicum experiences as many of the locations are not accessible via public transportation and are outside of the Northwest Arkansas region.
Practicum Experiences
The practicum experiences in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing include both clinical sites and simulation experiences. Our practicum experiences are guided by providing the best educational strategy for our learners to achieve course outcomes and program competencies.
Clinical sites include hospitals, specialty clinics and community sites throughout the region. Students are placed in clinical settings where they can interact with patients, gain knowledge and receive continuous feedback. Students may be assigned to 8- and/or 12-hour shifts that occur on day, evening, night or weekend shifts. Clinical instructors and/or preceptors provide supervision and feedback to the student. A variety of clinical sites are used in the program and may vary related to the site’s availability to host students. This can vary each semester.
Simulation experiences allow all nursing students to have the opportunity to experience a specific patient situation that otherwise might be missed in a scheduled clinical shift. Simulation encompasses various methods and may include standardized patients (actors), manikins, screen-based and/or virtual reality (VR) scenarios. Students experience the simulated event then are guided through a structured debriefing session with leaders who are experts in the content and trained as debriefers.