Transfer students may complete all or part of the prerequisites and general education requirements at community colleges or four-year colleges and universities before being admitted to Decker School of Nursing and may apply to Binghamton University at the sophomore or junior level.

The nursing program offers several options for full-time study: a traditional four-semester program for transfer students; a four-semester program for RNs; a two-semester accelerated program for RNs; and a three-semester accelerated program for selected students who hold a bachelor's degree in another field. Part-time programs are also available. A complete program plan is developed in consultation with a faculty advisor to meet individual needs.

University General Education Requirements

All students admitted to Binghamton University are required to meet the University-wide comprehensive general education curriculum, with the exception of students with a baccalureate degree or higher. General Education courses include:

• a discipline-based composition course
• a course in pluralism in the United States
• a global interdependencies course
• a science laboratory course
• a mathematics/reasoning course
• an aesthetic perspective course
• a physical activity wellness course
• an oral communications course
• a social science course
• a humanities course

In addition, depending on the high school performance, students may need one semester of a foreign language, a specified introductory math course, and a United States history course.

Academic Requirements

The curriculum consists of 128 credit hours of study comprised of 52 credits of nursing courses and 76 credits of general education courses, prequisite requirements, and electives..

These prerequisite courses consist of:

• one composition course in English or Rhetoric
• one composition course in any discipline
• statistics
• introductory biology*
• two semesters in human anatomy and physiology
• microbiology
• two semesters in general chemistry, including principles of inorganic, organic, and biochemistry
• introductory psychology
• developmental psychology

* Introductory biology is waived for students who take anatomy and physiology at another college.

All courses must be taken for at least three credits. It is expected that anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, and physiology include a laboratory component.

Students begin the nursing major in the junior year. Most of the nursing courses have a clinical component, which provides students with the opportunity to apply theory to practice. Students care for patients in all age groups in hospitals, community health/home care facilities, and long term care institutions from in and around the greater Binghamton area to Syracuse and Elmira. In the final semester of the senior year, students transition to practice as professional nurses through immersion in clinical experiences in practice settings in area hospitals, primary care, and other health organizations.

Students also choose from a number of two-credit nursing electives which enable them to study areas of particular interest within health care, such as holistic health, nutrition, sociocultural aspects of health care and health problems of the aging.

Nursing Courses Description

Four Year Curriculum Plan

Second-degree curriculum plan

Transfer students who enter the nursing program with a baccalaureate degree in another field must complete the prerequisites listed above and 52 credits in upper-division nursing courses. Pre-requisites may be taken at community colleges or other four-year colleges and universities, or here at Binghamton University.

The two-year program plan for students with a baccalaureate or higher degree in another field consists of 52 credits of nursing course work.

Admission Procedures

Transfer students may be admitted either in the fall or spring semester. Nursing course work is sequential and begins in the fall semester only. Admission is competitive and based on the following criteria:

Evidence of at least one semester of full-time college study, including prerequisite courses;
review of high school transcript, if there has been no prerequisite science work;
competitive cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Other considerations include a personal statement, extracurricular activities, quality of previous college work; trend of semester grades; demonstrated evidence of talent in athletics, performing arts, fine arts, leadership or other areas; letters of recommendation, and assessed potential for success.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions staff host group information sessions and student-guided tours of the campus on most weekdays and selected Saturdays during the academic year. We encourage you to visit when classes are in session. Please call at least two weeks in advance for an appointment.

For more information, see the BU Undergraduate Admissions Website.

Financial Assistance

Students apply for assistance by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), directing the processing agency to send information to Binghamton University, (SUNY), code number 002836. New York State residents will be sent the Express Tap Application (ETA) for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP code 0880). After the University receives the financial report from the processing agencies, students and/or their families may be required to submit additional documents to verify information. To be considered for assistance, applications must be postmarked by March 1 for the fall and November 15 for the spring semester.

Nursing students may be eligible for special aid programs including loans and local grants. The Decker School of Nursing offers a limited number of scholarships with specific eligibility criteria, including merit and/or residency requirements. The application deadline for these scholarships is May 1. Admitted students may obtain applications directly from the Decker School.

For more information, see the B.U. Financial Aid.

For program costs, see the B.U. Student Accounts website.