Austin Community College District

Registered nurses with a diploma or an associate degree in nursing (ADN) can earn an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Austin Community College in as little as 12 months. 

ACC's RN-to-BSN program is an affordable and high quality program that helps you ad­vance your academic and professional journey. You will engage with exciting and informative course content that covers health policy, health promotion, public and community health, leadership, informatics, and more. With a BSN, you may also continue your education toward a master's degree or doctorate, opening doors to other career advancement opportunities.

The RN-to-BSN Program at Austin Community College is a special admissions program with limited availability. Students preparing for the program should select "General Studies in Pre-Health Sciences" as their major on the application. Because requirements may change, consult the program website to confirm current requirements. Admission to the college does not guarantee entrance into a particular course or program of study.

What Is an RN?

Registered nurses (RNs) are often called the backbone of the healthcare industry. They are responsible for almost all aspects of patient care, from giving medication and performing diagnostic tests to educating patients and their families on their illnesses and treatments.

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Application Process for RN to BSN Students

NOTE: Applicants must have an ADN from a regionally accredited institution of higher education that is accredited by a national nursing accrediting agency OR a diploma in nursing leading to a Registered Nurse (RN) license from an institution that is accredited by a national nursing accrediting agency.

Admission Priority

• First priority: Graduates of ACC’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program.
• Second priority: Nurses living and/or working in the ACC service area who are not ACC graduates.
• Within the priority categories, GPA will determine rank.

Admission Requirements

1. Complete the ACC admissions process. If you are a previous ACC student, you will not need to re-apply. However, you may need to contact ACC Admissions and Enrollment to ensure your information is up-to-date.
2. For information on upcoming start dates and deadlines, contact Karen Cooper at 512-223-0276 or karen.cooper@austincc.edu.
3. Have a minimum of a C in all previous nursing coursework and a GPA of 2.5 for nursing courses from an accredited nursing program.
4. Complete all prerequisite courses with minimum GPA of 2.5 and a C or higher in each course prior to applying to the program.
5. Have an unencumbered current Texas or an Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact RN license.
6. Submit one letter of recommendation from current or former nursing faculty or from employer.
7. Applicants must meet the Technical Standards required by the program.

Program Format

The RN-to-BSN program is structured as follows:

• Online: RN-to-BSN lecture courses are offered fully online. In addition, the program includes two clinical courses that require onsite clinical attendance in central Texas.
• Hybrid: The RN-to-BSN hybrid option combines online and face-to-face classes.
• The program has two start dates each year:  Spring Semester and Fall Semester.
• Part-time track consists of five semesters; full-time track consists of three semesters (fall, spring, and summer)
• Most RN-to-BSN courses are 8-week courses.  Depending on whether a student is full-time or part-time, they will take one to two courses in each of the 8-week sessions per semester. 
• Traditional face-to-face and hybrid (50% or more online with a mandatory on-campus component) take place at Eastview Campus.

RN-to-BSN Courses

• NURS 3350 -Transition to Nursing    
• NURS 3351 - Research and Evidence-Based Nursing Practice in Healthcare
• NURS 3352 - Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
• NURS 3353 - Informatics and Technology in Healthcare
• NURS 4355 - Community and Public Health    
• NURS 4160 - Community and Public Health Clinical    
• NURS 4356 - Health Promotion Across the Lifespan
• NURS 3354 - Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare
• NURS 4457 - Leadership and Management
• NURS 4161 - Leadership and Management Clinical
• NURS 4358 - Public and Global Health Policy

Prerequisites – 54 Credits

You must have completed 54 credits of the following general education credits and prerequisite courses in order to apply for the RN-to-BSN Program.

• Component Area Option¹ (All first time Austin Community College (ACC) students with fewer than 12 SCH of successful college credit must take EDUC 1300 in their first semester at ACC. All other students will still need 3 credits from this category and can choose a course from the Component Area Option section of the Core Curriculum Course List other than the required speech course. A course may only be used once to meet program requirements.)
• Microbiology for the Health Sciences - BIOL 2420
• Anatomy & Physiology - BIOL 2401 and BIOL 2402 (May substitute with BIOL 2304/2101 and 2305/2102)
• English Composition I - ENGL 1301
• English Composition II - ENGL 1302 OR Technical and Business Writing - ENGL 2311
• Elementary Statistics - MATH 1342
• Pharmacology for Health Professions - HPRS 2300
• Ethics - PHIL 2306
• Creative arts course from core curriculum list
• U.S. History I - HIST 1301
• U.S. History II - HIST 1302
• U.S. Government - GOVT 2305
• Texas State and Local Government - GOVT 2306
• Introduction To Psychology - PSYC 2301
• Human Growth & Development - PSYC 2314
• Interpersonal Communication - SPCH 1318 OR Introduction to Speech Communications - SPCH 1311 (Communication for Health Care Professionals Preferred)

International students who are neither a U.S. Citizen nor a U.S. Permanent Resident and are on F-1 status or are seeking a F-1 visa, including those students who are currently enrolled at institutions of higher education in other programs of study, are eligible for acceptance (or to apply) to the Austin Community College RN-to-BSN program at this time.