BSN Frequently Asked Questions

KSN offers an online RN-BSN program and an online MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) program.

Please refer to our Admissions Information and Requirements page.

Please see the online RN-BSN page for more details on the program.

Students must complete the NursingCAS Application. You are automatically a nursing student as soon as you are accepted to the university. You are assigned a nursing professor as your academic advisor, are welcome to participate in all KSN activities, and are welcome to attend student nursing organization meetings. You proceed directly into nursing courses at the 3000-level with no additional application as long as you have a 3.0 or higher GPA, and a science GPA of 2.5.

Beginning with Spring 2022 enrollment, OCU has waived the minimum score requirement for the HESI/TEAS Exam. If you have not taken the exam, it is requested that you take the TEAS, but either exam will be accepted.

Maintain contact with the Nursing Advisor at least twice a semester to give an update on your progress regarding completed courses, current enrollment, and future courses. Provide proof of enrollment to your advisor for all classes in which you are currently enrolled. As soon as you have completed each course during the semester prior to the one in which you plan to begin nursing courses, give the Nursing Advisor a letter from the professor stating your final grade because official transcripts may not be available as quickly as desired. Request an official transcript be sent to OCU as soon as the grades have been posted. OCU accepts official e-transcripts.

No. All initial transcripts must be sent directly to NursingCAS. If additional transcripts are required after NursingCAS application is submitted, to be considered official, the transcript must be mailed or sent electronically directly from the other institution to OCU. We can begin processing your application with unofficial transcripts, but to be admitted, we must receive official transcripts from all institutions you have attended.

Send transcripts to:
Transcript Coordinator
Office of Admissions
Oklahoma City University
2501 N. Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Traditional track students must complete all nursing prerequisites and all but six credit hours of general education courses prior to entering the 3000-level of the nursing program. All required course work must be satisfactorily completed for graduation eligibility.

Accelerated track students must have all pre-requisite courses completed prior to entering the 3000 level of the nursing program (see admission criteria).

To see if a course you have taken elsewhere will transfer to Oklahoma City University, click here. If you don’t see a course listed on the equivalency matrix, you may submit course information to our online transfer evaluation site. Be sure to specify the Oklahoma City University course or requirement the transfer course might meet. Typically, these evaluations can take two weeks, and perhaps longer during summer months. If you have difficulty with the transfer course equivalency matrix, call the Registrar’s Office at (405) 208-5298. The Nursing Advisor can also help you with this process.

The Nursing Advisor can tell you if the course you are considering taking will meet the requirement. Please ask if you are in doubt before taking a course, as some may be lacking a critical component.

The Nursing Advisor can evaluate transcripts following a verified application in NursingCAS. All documents, including application and transcripts, should be submitted to NursingCAS.

Evaluations generally take one to four weeks depending on the time of year and number of students applying.

Completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree typically takes four years attending full-time with summers off; three years taking classes part-time, once you start the 3000-level nursing courses; or 12 months by pursing the accelerated option.

The traditional BSN program begins in the fall only. The accelerated program starts in either for spring or fall.

Students complete clinicals in many different locations around the Oklahoma City area. Agencies can include large and rural hospitals, long-term care, acute care, specialty hospitals, community clinics, hospice, public schools, volunteer clinics, city shelters, and more, depending on the course and where the relevant patient care experiences can be found.

Clinicals are usually one or two 9-hour days per week on Thursdays and Fridays, typically during day hours, depending on the course. In the final semester of the degree, the student works the same shift as the preceptor, including a few night shifts or weekend hours, as arranged with the preceptor.

Classes usually meet on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, with clinical experiences on Thursday and/or Friday.

While all nursing courses have online resources for each class, no undergraduate course is exclusively online. All courses meet for the full schedule of regular in-person classes.

You may choose to attend full-time or part-time, and can adjust those schedules according to your needs and availability of classes. The exception is the accelerated BSN option, which must be completed full-time.

It depends upon the pace of your coursework. Those attending on a part-time or a traditional full-time basis may successfully balance work along with their studies. Those taking the accelerated BSN will need to commit an average of 32 hours per week to class, and lab/clinical/simulation time. Students should also account for additional study time outside of class and lab/clinical/simulation. Due to the intensity of the accelerated BSN, it is strongly recommended that students do not seek employment for the duration of enrollment in the program.

The NCLEX-RN is the nationally standardized examination taken to obtain a Registered Nurse license. While graduates can take the examination as many times as needed, pass rates are calculated only on the first attempt. The Oklahoma Board of Nursing publishes pass rates for all schools in state, listed alphabetically. Those rates are available here.

In addition to textbooks, you will need a laptop computer, uniforms comprised of one or two sets of scrubs and non-porous shoes, a basic model stethoscope, and a watch that shows seconds. Lab coats are optional. Some students choose to wear white T-shirts under scrubs. You will need the laptop computer before starting 3000-level nursing courses, but the other items can wait until you receive information about them early in the relevant course.

For questions or additional information, please call 405-208-5917.