Change of Major and External Transfer Students

Application to the College of Nursing follows this process:

• Current UT students must submit a NursingCAS application to UT’s College of Nursing Student Services Office by November 20 for spring admission.
• Transfer students must submit the NursingCAS application and the transfer application through Undergraduate Admissions.
• Complete all required courses in the freshman and sophomore curriculum by July 15 prior to fall of junior year.
• Applicants are only permitted two (2) outstanding courses after spring semester. (Only one course can be a lab science).
• Meet the required minimum 3.2 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of all required lower-division coursework. (Excess elective credit will not be counted toward this GPA requirement). Please note that meeting the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance.
• Effective July 1, 1978, and afterwards, all students receiving a bachelor’s degree must have completed one unit of American history on the high school level or 6 semester hours of collegiate American history as required by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 493253). At UT, History 221-222 can be utilized to fulfill this requirement if it was not completed at the high school level.
• Students interested in being considered for both the Change of Major/External Transfer and the BSN Scholars must apply through NursingCAS and complete an application for each.

Note: Students not enrolled at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who are applying to nursing must also complete a transfer undergraduate application to the University of Tennessee and the NursingCAS application. Transcripts sent to Undergraduate Admissions are not available to the College of Nursing, so students must also attach unofficial copies to the online change of major/transfer student application. Admission to the University of Tennessee through Undergraduate Admissions does not guarantee admission to the College of Nursing BSN program.

Selection Criteria

Students are selected on the basis of the following criteria:

• Cumulative GPA for courses completed (minimum 3.20 GPA required to be eligible). Please note that meeting the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance.
• Cumulative GPA for required science, social science, math, and English courses
• Number of course withdrawals and repetitions
• Grade improvement over time
• Probability of completing all required courses in the freshman and sophomore curriculum prior to fall semester
• Availability of space

**If selected, the applicant will be required to take NURSING 201 and NURSING 319 spring semester prior to the fall.

Note: The timing for applying as a change of major or transfer student will depend on whether or not the student has completed the bulk of the required lower-division courses. Student applications should have three of the four semesters of coursework completed at the time of application, with the fourth semester of lower division courses in progress during the spring semester preceding fall admission.

The baccalaureate nursing curriculum is guided by the following assumptions:

• Persons and their health and well-being are the focus of nursing.
• Nursing is a caring practice profession, an art, and a scientific discipline.
• Persons are influenced by a complex environment (both internal and external) that affects their health and well-being.
• A goal for nursing is to modify environmental factors to promote, maintain and restore health.

The curriculum integrates the themes of holism, diversity, and caring and emphasizes critical thinking, communication and leadership, and management principles and skills.

A broad base of general education, a thorough study of human behavior; an emphasis on health maintenance, promotion, and restoration; and a strong family and community orientation are all essential components of baccalaureate nursing education.

Maintaining a high-quality relevant program responsive to the increasing complexity of health care delivery, the changing health needs of society, and the changing and expanding role of the nurse enables graduates of the program to:

• Assume beginning leadership positions in a variety of settings
• Work collaboratively with other health professionals
• Function as socially conscious and contributing citizens
• Pursue advanced education on either a formal or informal basis

Undergraduate Catalog

The University of Tennessee Medical Center and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing have partnered to create a new undergraduate nursing pathway at a satellite campus adjacent to UTMC. The BSN Scholars is a robust academic–practice partnership that will offer nursing students an opportunity to learn and train inside UTMC, the region’s academic medical center.

Students accepted into this pathway will attend class and complete their clinical rotations at UTMC with access to an onsite learning lab and simulation center at the satellite campus, which is located in the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm. This pathway has the same accreditation standards and follows the same mission, vision, values, and honor code as the college’s existing programs. BSN Scholars will receive scholarship tuition from UTMC with a three-year work commitment post-graduation.

The BSN Scholars Program is a partnership that gives students the opportunity to earn their BSN from the University of Tennessee, College of Nursing, and train inside of UTMC. This pathway follows the University of Tennessee, College of Nursing accreditation standards, mission, vision, values, and honor code. The BSN Scholars program combines unique resources that will enable both faculty and students to participate fully in all facets of the health care delivery system.

Current UT students and transfer students from other institutions can apply for an open position in this pathway. The BSN Scholars student application is the route for entry into nursing after the student has completed the required lower-division coursework and is ready to begin the junior upper division of nursing courses. 

Application to the BSN Scholars follows this process:

• Current UT and College of Nursing students must submit a NursingCAS application to UT’s College of Nursing Student Services Office by December 20 for spring admission.
• Transfer students must submit both a NursingCAS application and a transfer application through Undergraduate Admissions.
• Complete all required courses in the freshman and sophomore curriculum by July 15 prior to fall of junior year.
• Applicants are only permitted two (2) outstanding courses after spring semester. (Only 1 course can be a lab science).
• Meet the required minimum 3.2 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of all required lower-division coursework. (Excess elective credit will not be counted toward this GPA requirement). Please note that meeting the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance.
• Effective July 1, 1978, and afterwards, all students receiving a bachelor’s degree must have completed one unit of American history on the high school level or 6 semester hours of collegiate American history as required by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 493253). At UT, History 221-222 can be utilized to fulfill this requirement if it was not completed at the high school level.
• Applicants will be required to submit a resume, one personal or professional reference, and complete a virtual interview with UTMC.
• Students interested in being considered for both the Change of Major/External Transfer and the BSN Scholars must apply through NursingCAS and complete an application for each.

Change of Major, External Transfer and BSN Scholars Information Sessions:

Hear about what it’s like to be in the college of nursing. Ambassadors will talk about labs, clinicals, courses, and more. Advisors will cover admission requirements and application steps for the change of major/external transfer traditional pathway and BSN Scholars, our partnership path with UT Medical Center.

• February 28, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Nursing Education Building 114
• March 26, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Nursing Education Building 114
• April 25, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Nursing Education Building 114

RSVP

BSN Scholars Information Session

Hear about our newest path, BSN Scholars, our partnership with UT Medical Center. Advisors will cover admission requirements and application steps. UT Medical Center will discuss the benefits of working at UT Medical Center and how the program will set students up for success. Tours of the lab space at our satellite location will be provide for in-person guests.

• February 20, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UT Research Park (Innovation North Room 215)
• March 20, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UT Research Park (Innovation North Room 215)
• April 18, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UT Research Park (Innovation North Room 215)

RSVP

BSN Scholars Open House

Visit UT Medical Center. Obtain information from the UT Medical Center recruiters and get tours of the facility. UT Medical Center Staff and College of Nursing representatives will be able to answer any questions.

• April 1, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at UTMC Heart Hospital Conference Room

RSVP

Students may transfer course credit for required lower division courses with a grade of C or better. Students may also transfer elective course credit with a grade of C or better. Students may not transfer any required nursing courses. The University of Tennessee will accept transfer credit of similar content from any two- or four-year accredited institutions—normally institutions with regional accreditation status in the United States. College transcripts are evaluated after a student is admitted to the university and typically are completed several weeks after the student is admitted. Credits that are not acceptable for transfer include courses that are remedial, occupational, technical, noncredit or career coursework used for the applied science degree from career and technical programs. For more information regarding credit transfer, see Transfer Credit Policies & Procedures.

If the student wishes to transfer credit from an international college or university, the transcript should be evaluated by any evaluation agency that is a member of NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services). UT is able to process an application only after receiving the necessary report from the evaluation company.

Companies offering these evaluation services include:

Academic Evaluation Services

Educational Credential Evaluators

World Education Services Inc. (WES)

Josef Silny & Associates Inc.

Of the 120 credits required for graduation, a minimum of 30 must be earned in residence at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Once the student has been accepted to the College of Nursing, all upper-division courses for the BSN degree must be taken at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The last 30 credit hours must be taken in residence at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

FAQs

BSN Handbook