Online Nursing BS Degree Completion

Complete your degree asynchronously online

Maria College’s RN-BS Degree in Online Nursing Completion Program is designed for licensed registered nurses who wish to continue their educational journey. As one of the top nursing schools in the Capital Region, we aim to prepare nurses to succeed and adapt to the rapidly changing field of healthcare. Our highly-rated program will help you better care for individuals, families, and communities.

Enrollment & Program Details

You can pursue the BS degree online on an accelerated full-time or a part-time basis. A total of 90 hours of clinical practicum experience is required for the program and can be completed with area healthcare institutions near where you live/work. The clinical hours are divided evenly between two different focus areas – Community and Global Perspectives in Nursing and Epidemiology and Transformational Leadership and Management.

Omicron Sigma at-Large Chapter

The Maria College RN-BS Degree in Nursing Completion Program is an official chartered Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. https://www.sigmanursing.org.

Accreditation

The Online RN-BS Degree in Nursing Completion Program at Maria College, located in Albany, New York, is accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the RN-BS Degree in Nursing Completion Program is Continuing Accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by ACEN regarding this program on the ACEN website.

Program Learning Outcomes
After completion of the Online RN-BS Completion Program at Maria College, the graduate will be able to:
- Exhibit caring behaviors, cultural competence, and effective communication to meet the human needs of clients as a member of the profession of nursing and an inter-professional team.
- Integrate ethical and legal standards with personal and professional values that encompass life-long learning into nursing practice.
- Incorporate principles of holism, health promotion, teaching-learning, and risk reduction across the life span to improve population health.
- Utilize the research findings, evidence-based practice, and the nursing process to collaborate, coordinate, evaluate, and improve care for the advancement of nursing knowledge and practice in a changing healthcare environment.
- Advocate for socially just healthcare policies for individuals, groups, and communities in diverse healthcare environments.
- Integrate theory, bio-psycho-social knowledge, technology, and critical thinking to provide leadership in the design, coordination, and management of care across the lifespan for individuals, groups, and communities.

Course Overview

Nursing Core (30 credits)
Course		Credits
NUR 310	Pathophysiology	3
NUR 326	Holistic Pharmacology	3
NUR 330	Nursing Theory and Contemporary Trends	3
NUR 345	Research to Promote Evidence Based Practice in Nursing	3
NUR 355	Comprehensive Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Lifespan	4
NUR 418	Healthcare Policy and Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations	3
NUR 428	Community and Global Perspectives in Nursing and Epidemiology	4
NUR 430	Teaching and Learning	3
NUR 445	Transformational Leadership and Management	4
Required Arts and Sciences Credits (30 credits)
MAT 200	Statistics	3
ENG 315	Health, Wellness, and Writing	3
CSC 308	Healthcare Informatics	3
PHI 300	Healthcare Ethics	3
PSY 300	Organizational Change	3
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
CUL 320	Cultures, Health and Healing	3
RES 201	Foundations of Social Justice	3

Arts and Sciences Electives (6 credits):
any ART, BIO, CHM, COM, CUL, ECO, ENG,
HIS, HUM, MAT, MUS, PHI, PHY, POL, PSY,
RES, SCI, SOC, SPA

Course Sequence - Full-time

Fall Admission

First Semester: Fall (15 weeks)
Course		Credits
MAT 200	Statistics	3
ENG 315	Health, Wellness, and Writing	3
CSC 308	Healthcare Informatics	3
NUR 310	Pathophysiology	3
NUR 326	Holistic Pharmacology	3
		15
Second Semester: Spring (15 weeks)
PHI 300	Healthcare Ethics	3
PSY 300	Organizational Change	3
NUR 330	Nursing Theory and Contemporary Trends	3
NUR 345	Research to Promote Evidence Based Practice in Nursing	3
NUR 355	Comprehensive Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Lifespan	4
		16
Third Semester: Summer (7 weeks)
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
CUL 320	Cultures, Health and Healing	3
NUR 418	Healthcare Policy and Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations	3
NUR 428	Community and Global Perspectives in Nursing and Epidemiology	4
		13
Fourth Semester: Summer (7 weeks)
NUR 430	Teaching and Learning	3
NUR 445	Transformational Leadership and Management	4
Arts and Sciences Electives (RES 201 required if not taken already)		9
		16

Spring Admission

First Semester: Spring (15 weeks)
Course		Credits
MAT 200	Statistics	3
ENG 315	Health, Wellness, and Writing	3
CSC 308	Healthcare Informatics	3
NUR 310	Pathophysiology	3
NUR 326	Holistic Pharmacology	3
		15
Second Semester: Summer (7 weeks)
PHI 300	Healthcare Ethics	3
PSY 300	Organizational Change	3
NUR 330	Nursing Theory and Contemporary Trends	3
NUR 345	Research to Promote Evidence Based Practice in Nursing	3
NUR 355	Comprehensive Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Lifespan	4
		16
Third Semester: Summer (7 weeks)
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
CUL 320	Cultures, Health and Healing	3
NUR 418	Healthcare Policy and Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations	3
NUR 428	Community and Global Perspectives in Nursing and Epidemiology	4
		13
Fourth Semester: Fall (15 weeks)
NUR 430	Teaching and Learning	3
NUR 445	Transformational Leadership and Management	4
Arts and Sciences Electives (RES 201 required if not taken already)		9
		16

Course Sequence - Part-time

First Semester
Course		Credits
ENG 315	Health, Wellness, and Writing	3
MAT 200	Statistics	3
NUR 310	Pathophysiology	3
		9
Second Semester
CSC 308	Healthcare Informatics	3
PSY 300	Organizational Change	3
NUR 326	Holistic Pharmacology	3
		9
Third Semester
SOC 300	Medical Sociology	3
RES 201	or Liberal Arts Elective ^	3
NUR 355	Comprehensive Health Assessment & Promotion across the Lifespan	4
		10
Fourth Semester
PHI 300	Teaching and Learning	3
Liberal Arts Electives (RES 201 required if not taken already) (300/400 level course)		3
NUR 330	Nursing Theory & Contemporary Trends	3
		9

Fifth Semester
Course		Credits
Liberal Arts Electives (RES 201 required if not taken already) (300/400 level course)	Statistics	3
CUL 320	Culture, Health, and Healing	3
NUR 345	Research to Promote Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing	3
		9
Sixth Semester
NUR 418	Healthcare Policy & Advocacy for Vulnerable Population	3
NUR 428	Community & Global Perspectives in Nursing and Epidemiology *+	4
		7
Seventh Semester
NUR 430	Teaching and Learning	3
NUR 445	Transformational Leadership & Management *+	4
		7

* Clinical/Practicum hours required for NUR 428 & NUR 445

+ Co-requisite classes

^ Students who have not taken RES 201, Foundations in Social Justice, must select this course as a liberal arts and science elective.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives (6 credits): any ART, BIO, CHM, COM, CUL, ECO, ENG, GER, HIS, HUM, MAT, MUS, PHI, PHY, POL, PSY, RES, SCI, SOC, SPA

Admission Requirements
The Online Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Nursing completion program is designed for students who have obtained an unencumbered current RN license (or will have one within the first 6-months of entering the program). The program is designed to offer flexibility to working RNs to complete their online BS degree in Nursing. In addition to the regular admission standards, the following must be met by the students:
- Prerequisite Coursework: * 6 Credits of English Composition, 3 Credits of Developmental/Life span Psychology, 8 Credits of Anatomy and Physiology, 4 Credits of Microbiology, 12 Credits of additional courses in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Completion of an associate degree or diploma in nursing from an accredited school of nursing with a GPA of 2.5.
- Ability to meet both College and clinical agency health requirements.
- Have appropriate health clearance requirements on file in the Nursing Program office prior to clinical facilities visits.
Course work within the BS degree in Nursing completion program will require the student to have a firm foundation in liberal arts and nursing, as well as a license and ability to practice nursing. These requirements will ensure that the student is prepared to meet the program’s demands. Diploma graduates must have completed their non-nursing course work at a college or university for credits to be applicable for transfer into Maria College.
If you have questions or feel that you do not meet all the requirements to be admitted to the program, please contact the Office of Admission to discuss possible options. Phone: (518) 861-2517 or Email: admissions@mariacollege.edu
NC-SARA Mission
The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, in collaboration with the four regional higher education compacts, was established to develop and implement an effective and efficient reciprocal state-level authorization process for postsecondary distance education. Its mission is to provide broad access to postsecondary education opportunities to students across the country, to increase the quality and value of higher learning credentials earned via distance education, and to assure students are well served in a rapidly changing education landscape.

On September 13, 2016, the New York State Board of Regents adopted new regulations requiring out-of-state institutions of higher education to seek and obtain New York State Education Department (NYSED) approval to offer distance education to New York State residents and to permit the Department to enter into the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). New York State joined SARA on December 9, 2016.

New York State institutions participating in SARA are authorized to conduct distance education activity in other SARA member states under the terms and provisions of SARA. Maria College is an institutional member of the Council for the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). In addition to our institutional reporting process online program students may access an additional review process with New York State.