Last Updated: October 1, 2026
Program Overview
A 21-month BSN completion route in Denver, with four annual starts and entry options for prior-degree holders or applicants with qualifying general education credits.
Denver College of Nursing’s prelicensure BSN completion program prepares students who are not already RNs for entry into nursing. Seven consecutive quarters combine classroom and hybrid instruction, skills laboratories and clinical experiences.
The completion route includes 100 quarter credits after accepted general education study. A prior bachelor’s degree is one way to qualify, but is not mandatory when the college’s transfer requirements are met.
Accreditation
DCN is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its Denver baccalaureate nursing program holds ACEN continuing accreditation, and the Colorado Board of Nursing grants full approval to the on-campus BSN. The campus-specific accreditation statement distinguishes Denver from the Houston branch.
Admissions Requirements
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, with C or better in required prerequisites; C− does not qualify.
- Official transcripts and course descriptions for transfer evaluation, plus a one-page personal statement addressing goals and relevant experience.
- Admission interview and entrance testing: a Wonderlic SLE score of at least 22 on the single initial attempt, or the specified HESI A2 alternative.
- For the HESI alternative, at least 75% on the English composite and math subscale; the school permits two attempts in 12 months, with a possible third after documented remediation.
- All prerequisites finished before the start date, though coursework may be in progress at application.
DCN advertises four starts per year. Confirm the application cutoff and remaining seats for the intended quarter; a start date alone is not an application deadline.
Prerequisites and Transfer Credit
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree need 21 semester credits: microbiology with lab (4), anatomy and physiology with labs (8), statistics (3), human growth and development (3), and nutrition (3). The required set must have a GPA of at least 2.0.
Applicants without a bachelor’s need at least 56 semester credits: 40 in specified prerequisites plus 16 general education credits spanning at least three disciplines. The broader set includes the same sciences, mathematics and behavioral subjects plus additional science, algebra, psychology and English coursework.
Anatomy/physiology and microbiology must be within seven years of starting. Pathophysiology is taken during the program and cannot substitute for the science prerequisite. Alternative-credit options and equivalent courses require the college’s approval; consult the BSN transfer requirements before registering elsewhere.
Curriculum
The published sequence totals 100 quarter credits: 87 nursing and 13 other program credits. Accepted prior general education supplies 80 quarter credits toward the 180-quarter-credit degree. Quarter credits are not directly comparable to semester credits.
Required Courses and Credits
Quarter 1 (15 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
BIO309 — Pathophysiology | 6 | Disease processes and their effects on body systems, building a foundation for nursing care. |
NUR310 — Health Assessment | 5 | Health histories and head-to-toe assessment across the lifespan, with laboratory practice. |
NUR301 — Intro to Nursing for the BSN Nurse | 4 | Professional and academic nursing skills, clinical reasoning, time management, communication and nursing roles. |
Quarter 2 (14 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR320 — Foundations of Nursing with Lab and Clinicals | 11 | Foundational acute-care nursing, clinical judgment, dosage calculation and culturally responsive practice in lab and clinical settings. |
NUR315 — Intro to Pharmacology with Dosage Calculations | 3 | Medication principles, drug actions, safe administration, patient teaching and dosage calculations. |
Quarter 3 (17 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
HIT410 — Healthcare Informatics | 3 | Healthcare information systems, electronic records and technology supporting safe care. |
NUR318 — Advanced Concepts in Pharmacology | 3 | Complex drug therapies, adverse effects, contraindications and monitoring in clinical practice. |
NUR330 — Medical Surgical Nursing I with Lab and Clinicals | 11 | Medical-surgical care of adults with chronic health alterations, including prevention, restoration, lab and clinical practice. |
Quarter 4 (15 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR420 — Mental Health Nursing | 6 | Psychiatric assessment and nursing interventions for adolescents and adults in inpatient and outpatient settings. |
NUR440 — Medical Surgical Nursing II with Clinicals | 9 | Nursing care of adults with complex health changes, acute illness and multiple chronic conditions. |
Quarter 5 (15 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR340 — Pediatric Nursing with Clinicals | 6 | Family-centered pediatric care, developmental needs, prevention and health restoration. |
NUR350 — Obstetrical Nursing with Clinicals | 6 | Nursing care of childbearing families, combining theory with supervised clinical practice. |
NUR338 — Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 | Research methods, evidence appraisal, ethics and application of findings to nursing practice. |
Quarter 6 (11 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR450 — Community and Public Health Nursing with Clinicals | 5 | Public health nursing, community wellness, health promotion and care of vulnerable populations. |
NUR460 — Transition to Professional Practice | 3 | Transition to nursing practice, NCLEX preparation, prioritization, delegation and planning care. |
NUR470 — Leadership and Management | 3 | Healthcare leadership, communication, change, conflict and accountability for quality care. |
Quarter 7 (13 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
SOC321 — Life Transitions: Death and Dying | 4 | Social and personal perspectives on death, dying and life transitions. |
NUR485 — Senior Integrative Seminar and Capstone | 9 | Professional transition and NCLEX preparation integrated with a senior clinical capstone. |
The final nine-credit NUR485 course combines transition-to-practice teaching with a clinical capstone. Theory, lab and clinical components are included in the listed combined credits; those credits should not be read as clock hours. At least 75% of DCN program coursework must be completed at the college.
Clinical Experience
The college assigns clinical locations and schedules. Experiences may include nights, weekends, holidays and the two-week breaks between terms; schedules can change with agency needs. Students must travel to their assigned sites, and attendance hours are not negotiable.
Clinical clearance includes background and drug screening, a physical/fit-for-practice form, immunization documentation, health insurance or the permitted waiver, and current American Heart Association BLS. OSHA and HIPAA training is required each quarter with a clinical rotation. Additional site requirements can add costs.
The clinical policy requires completion of all assigned clinical hours; missed experiences can delay progression. Simulation supplements off-site patient-care learning.
Tuition and Costs
Published tuition for the seven-quarter BSN completion route is $52,863. This is the full nursing-completion program tuition, excluding prerequisites, fees and living expenses.
The 2026 catalog’s program cost table adds $6,617 in application, kit, technology, assessment-testing, clinical, simulation and graduation charges, plus a $3,207 book estimate. Its combined tuition-and-listed-cost estimate is $62,687.
The catalog lists clinical fees of $2,640, assessment testing of $2,102, simulation of $777, graduation of $518, technology of $350, a $130 nursing kit and a $100 nonrefundable application fee. These amounts can change; confirm the enrollment agreement for your cohort.
Budget separately for admissions testing, health compliance, insurance, parking, transportation, licensure testing and living costs. Prerequisite study is additional; the public tuition page lists $200 per quarter credit for DCN general education prerequisites.
Related Programs
DCN also offers an associate-degree nursing route and separate online RN-to-BSN and MSN programs. The RN-to-BSN requires an existing nursing license and should not be confused with this prelicensure BSN completion option.