Last Updated: October 5, 2026
Program Overview
Georgia Southwestern’s Americus second-degree BSN builds on a prior degree through a 60-credit nursing major with fall and spring admission cycles.
The pathway serves applicants with a bachelor’s degree or higher in a non-nursing field. It leads to the BSN through foundational nursing, adult and specialty care, community health and a final practicum.
Completion time follows the entering cohort’s model plan and the student’s remaining requirements. Obtain that plan before committing to a graduation date.
Program Format and Attendance
Campus learning: Plan for nursing classes, laboratory learning and clinical attendance based in Americus. A laptop is required for in-class use; Chromebooks and iPads do not support the required software.
Course sequence: Nursing prerequisites and corequisites control progression. Follow the adviser-approved second-degree plan, including assigned clinical experiences and any remaining university requirements.
Admissions Requirements
Degree and GPA: Complete a bachelor’s degree or higher from a recognized institution with a degree GPA of at least 2.80. A separate Nursing GPA of 2.80 uses the required Field of Study courses, excluding the free elective, and Statistics; all attempts count.
- Obtain admission in good standing to Georgia Southwestern.
- Complete the required nursing prerequisites with C or better at application.
- Earn at least 75% on the HESI A2, within two attempts during a two-year window, and request the HESI transcript.
- Do not apply within five years of exclusion from a nursing program for failure, misconduct, disruptive behavior or another reason. A nursing course failure elsewhere counts at GSW.
Prerequisites
- BIOL 2251K — Anatomy and Physiology I
- BIOL 2252K — Anatomy and Physiology II
- BIOL 2260K — Microbiology
- PSYC 2103 — Human Growth and Development
- MATH 1401 — Elementary Statistics or an accepted equivalent
The three laboratory sciences must be within five years of the anticipated nursing entry date. Complete all core requirements before starting nursing classes; prior-degree general education is accepted where applicable, with adviser review of remaining requirements.
All second-degree students must satisfy U.S./Georgia history and constitution requirements before senior coursework. Transfer coursework does not automatically remove every university or major requirement.
Start Terms and Final Deadlines
- Fall entry: February 15
- Spring entry: October 15
Submit the online BSN application, two BSN reference forms and HESI score/transcript by the final deadline. Incomplete applications are not reviewed; decisions normally follow about one month after the deadline.
Transfer applicants: Apply early enough for university acceptance and transcript evaluation to be on file before committee review. Submit final official transcripts before nursing classes and promptly send an unofficial final-grade record to Nursing Student Services.
Selection considers Nursing GPA, science grades with B or higher preferred, HESI performance, withdrawals, D/F grades, written communication, clinical space and faculty resources. Minimum eligibility does not guarantee admission; use the second-degree application instructions for the current cycle.
Curriculum
The 60-credit second-degree nursing major includes 16 credited courses. Foundations and assessment support adult and family care, while informatics, research and leadership lead into professional transition and the clinical capstone.
Required Courses and Credits
Foundations
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 3003 — Fundamentals of Nursing | 5 | Basic physiological function, adaptive responses, nursing skills and ethical, evidence-based care. |
NURS 3005 — Human Pathophysiology | 3 | Physiological changes associated with disease and altered health. |
NURS 3200 — Health Assessment | 3 | Lifespan health histories, interviewing and physical examination, including special assessment needs. |
NURS 3630 — Pharmacology | 3 | Drug therapy, medication knowledge and patient factors affecting safe administration. |
Adult, Family and Population Care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 3100 — Nursing of Adults I | 6 | Acute and longer-term adult illness, treatment, health promotion and disease prevention. |
NURS 3130 — Mental Health Nursing | 4 | Mental health and illness, therapeutic communication and psychosocial nursing care. |
NURS 3140 — Nursing of Childbearing Family | 4 | Family-centered nursing care during the childbearing years, combining theory and clinical learning. |
NURS 3145 — Pediatric Nursing Care | 4 | Family-centered nursing care of children through classroom and clinical experiences. |
NURS 4100 — Nursing of Adults II | 6 | Complex adult disease, acute and critical care, long-term health needs and disability prevention. |
NURS 4150 — Gerontological Nursing | 3 | Healthy aging, older-adult needs and the nursing role in supporting wellness. |
NURS 4410 — Community Health Nursing | 4 | Population assessment, surveillance, community education and prevention of disease and disability. |
Evidence and Professional Transition
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 3120 — Nursing Informatics | 2 | Nursing, technology, information management and related social and ethical issues. |
NURS 4810 — Evidence Based Practice in Nursing | 3 | Appraising published evidence, research methods, PICO questions and applying findings to nursing practice. |
NURS 4010 — Leadership in Nursing | 3 | Leadership and management, organizational dynamics, healthcare policy and professional development. |
NURS 4850 — Transition to Practice | 2 | NCLEX-RN preparation, knowledge assessment, individualized remediation and live review. |
NURS 4905 — Practicum in Nursing | 5 | Capstone integration through precepted or cohort experiences, high-acuity simulation, role-development work and licensure preparation. |
The program’s second-degree curriculum worksheet establishes the required courses; the current bulletin and course descriptions explain their content. Zero-credit paired lab registrations accompany applicable courses; their learning is included in the course credit totals above.
Capstone and licensure preparation: NURS 4905 integrates supervised practice, simulation and professional role development. NURS 4850 separately provides NCLEX preparation, knowledge assessment and remediation; mandatory standardized testing also occurs throughout the program.
Required degree and transfer conditions remain separate from the 60-credit major. The program worksheet sets a maximum of eight semesters from enrollment in the first nursing course; the entering cohort’s assigned plan determines the expected completion schedule.
Clinical Experience
Clinical learning accompanies the nursing curriculum, including adult, psychiatric, maternal/pediatric and community care. The final five-credit Practicum in Nursing combines guided clinical experiences with high-acuity simulation and professional-role integration.
Clearance requirements: The current bulletin requires health documentation and immunizations, current TB screening and flu vaccination, American Heart Association BLS, professional liability insurance, and background/drug-alcohol screening under nursing policies. Agencies may impose additional conditions.
Clinical-site and faculty capacity affect admission decisions. Prepare for the assigned sites and schedule; verify the program’s licensure disclosure and the destination board’s requirements if planning to practice outside Georgia.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated resident tuition: $10,560 for the verified 60-credit nursing major at the 2026–27 rate of $176 per credit. This estimate applies the rate to all major credits before semester billing caps; the approved term allocation may reduce actual tuition.
The nonresident rate is $680 per credit, producing a comparable $40,800 tuition estimate before caps and fees. GSW caps undergraduate tuition at 15 credits per semester: $2,640 resident or $10,200 nonresident.
- Mandatory campus fees: $532 per term with three or more campus credits. Four nursing terms would add $2,128; the actual cohort schedule determines the number of fee assessments.
- Nursing testing: The published Elsevier/HESI testing charge is $160 per applicable assessment. Testing is mandatory; confirm the cohort’s charged courses and testing schedule.
- The schedule also lists a $25 annual parking decal, $10 new-student ID card, $25 university application, $85 orientation and $50 graduation application charge.
- Budget separately for the required laptop, textbooks, uniforms, supplies, clearance, insurance, clinical travel and living expenses.
Border-state waiver: Qualifying residents of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee may obtain resident tuition through the border-state waiver. Eligibility and completion of the waiver determine the rate.
Use the 2026–27 tuition and fee schedules with the approved second-degree plan. Prerequisite or additional graduation coursework is separate; future rate changes or additional terms may raise total charges.
Accreditation
Georgia Southwestern’s baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing. Graduates prepare to take the NCLEX-RN and apply for licensure subject to the relevant board’s requirements.
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