South Texas College’s RN to BSN program at the Health Science Professions Campus in McAllen, Texas requires 120 total credit hours (42 core curriculum, 47 lower-division Associate Degree Nursing credits, 31 upper-division BSN credits) delivered entirely online.
Strong completion outcomes include 78% annual completion rate (2023) and 86% ultimate completion rate (2023), with 77% of graduates finishing within 24 months.
The program focuses on advancing competencies, skills, and values needed for current healthcare system demands including leadership, management, evidence-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and healthcare policy.
RN-to-BSN Admission Summary
The RN to BSN program uses competitive selective admissions with point-based selection criteria. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
Application Requirements:
- Admission to South Texas College through ApplyTexas.org submission
- South Texas College ID Number (A#) issued
- JagMail Account issued
- Current, unencumbered RN License to practice in Texas or Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact RN License
- Conferred Associate of Applied Science – Associate Degree Nursing (AAS-ADN) with cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Completed minimum 30 of 42 core curriculum credit hours with cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (remaining 12 hours may be taken during program)
- Information Session Certificate of Completion
- Personal letter of intent explaining why applicant became nurse and why pursuing BSN
- Curriculum vitae detailing academic career and professional experience
- Two letters of professional recommendation from faculty members or employers
- Completed and signed Functional Abilities Standard Requirements Form
- Official transcripts including all required coursework on file with STC Admissions Office
Point System Selection Criteria (Maximum 13 points):
- Cumulative GPA of conferred AAS-ADN: 4.00-3.50 (3 points), 3.49-3.00 (2 points), 2.90-2.50 (1 point)
- Cumulative GPA of Core Curriculum: 4.00-3.50 (3 points), 3.49-3.00 (2 points), 2.90-2.50 (1 point)
- Completed Core Courses percentage: 100% or 42 credits (6 points), 50% or 21 credits (2 points), 25% or 11 credits (1 point), less than 25% (0 points)
- South Texas College AAS-ADN graduates (1 point)
Transfer Credit Policy: Maximum 90 semester credits of applicable coursework accepted from other accredited colleges/universities toward BSN degree. Only course credits transfer, not GPA. Core curriculum GPA calculated from transferred courses for application points. International transcripts must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency.
Core Curriculum Prerequisites (42 credit hours):
- ENGL 1301 Composition I (3)
- ENGL 1302 Composition II – Rhetoric (3)
- BIOL 2401 Anatomy and Physiology I (4)
- BIOL 2402 Anatomy and Physiology II (4)
- HIST 1301 United States History I or HIST 2327 Mexican-American History I (3)
- HIST 1302 United States History II or HIST 2328 Mexican-American History II (3)
- MATH 1342 Elementary Statistical Methods (3-4)
- GOVT 2305 Federal Government (3)
- GOVT 2306 Texas Government (3)
- PSYC 2301 General Psychology or PSYC 2314 Lifespan Growth and Development (3)
- Creative Arts Elective (3)
- Language, Philosophy & Culture Elective (3)
- Component Area Option (3-4)
Lower-Division Nursing Requirements (47 credit hours): Complete AAS-ADN including BIOL 2420 Microbiology for Non-Science Majors or BIOL 2421 Microbiology for Science Majors, plus all RNSG coursework covering introduction to nursing, pharmacology, foundations, nursing skills, clinical rotations, common/complex/advanced concepts of adult health, mental health nursing, childbearing/childrearing family care, and professional nursing leadership/management.
Curriculum
The 31-credit upper-division BSN curriculum includes 11 courses delivered through 100% online format across minimester sessions.
Upper-Division BSN Courses:
NURS 3370 – Professional Development and Inter-professional Collaboration
This course helps ADN-prepared RNs step into the BSN role. Students build critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and ethical practice while improving communication and teamwork for evidence-based, patient-centered care. Prerequisite: junior standing and administrative approval.
NURS 3302 – Contemporary Issues in Nursing and Healthcare
Students examine how financial, legal, and regulatory policies shape care delivery. A workplace-based project lets students analyze a current issue and its impact on practice and the profession.
NURS 3304 – Holistic Assessment Across the Lifespan
Students integrate anatomy, physiology, and assessment skills to perform holistic exams. Content links physical findings with emotional, psychological, and cultural factors.
NURS 3310 – Evidence-Based Nursing Practice and Research
The course introduces research methods and ethics. Students appraise peer-reviewed studies and translate evidence into practice.
NURS 3401 – Population Focused Community Health Care
Students assess health needs of communities and populations. The course guides design of culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention activities.
NURS 3102 – Population Focused Community Health Care: Clinical
Students adopt a community, complete a needs assessment, and implement a targeted project. Clinical work applies population health principles in real settings.
NURS 3312 – Nursing Informatics
Students learn safe, effective use of clinical technology and EHRs. The course covers data management, legal and ethical use of information, and database searching to support evidence-based care.
NURS 3320 – Public and Global Health Policy
Students analyze public and global health policies, challenges, and disparities. Discussion emphasizes critical thinking about solutions across systems and cultures.
NURS 3408 – Leadership and Management in Professional Nursing
The course applies leadership and management theories to clinical practice. Students practice planning, delegation, and ethical decision-making to prepare for professional leadership roles. Prerequisite: senior standing and administrative approval.
NURS 3108 – Leadership and Management in Professional Nursing: Clinical
Students apply leadership and management concepts in clinical scenarios. Activities focus on care planning, delegation, and sound decisions in real settings.
NURS 3301 – Nursing Capstone
With faculty mentorship, students identify a workplace gap, design an improvement project, and present results. Work includes data gathering and an APA-formatted paper. Prerequisites: senior standing, administrative approval, and completion of NURS 3312, 3401, 3310, 3320, and 3408.
Full-Time Track (1 year, 6 minimesters)
Students take courses across three semesters with two minimesters per semester, completing professional development, contemporary issues, holistic assessment, evidence-based practice/research in first semester; population health, informatics, global health policy in second semester; leadership/management and capstone in third semester.
Part-Time Track (18 months, 8 minimesters)
Students take fewer courses per minimester spread across four semesters, allowing more flexible pacing while maintaining program sequence and completing all requirements within 18 months.
Degree completion requires minimum 31 credit hours in 3000-level or higher courses (at least 18 completed at STC), minimum “B” average (3.0 GPA) for all specialization courses, minimum cumulative “C” average (2.0 GPA) in all other courses, and all debts paid to College prior to graduation.
More curriculum details available here.
Clinicals
The program includes two clinical components:
- Population Focused Community Health Care – Clinical (NURS 3102, 1 credit)
- Leadership and Management in Professional Nursing – Clinical (NURS 3108, 1 credit)
Clinical coursework is incorporated into the online instructional model through carefully planned online learning activities and practical experiences. Students complete community health and leadership/management clinical requirements as part of upper-division coursework preparing them for leadership and management positions in healthcare facilities.
Tuition
The total program cost for the 31-credit BSN program is $8,509 for both full-time and part-time tracks, broken down as follows:
Full-Time Track (1 year):
- Semester 1 (12 credits): $1,968 tuition + $900 differential tuition + $400 books = $3,268
- Semester 2 (11 credits): $1,804 tuition + $825 differential tuition + $400 books = $3,029
- Semester 3 (8 credits): $1,312 tuition + $600 differential tuition + $300 books = $2,212
- Total: $8,509
Part-Time Track (18 months):
- Semester 1 (9 credits): $1,476 tuition + $675 differential tuition + $400 books = $2,551
- Semester 2 (8 credits): $1,312 tuition + $600 differential tuition + $300 books = $2,212
- Semester 3 (8 credits): $1,312 tuition + $600 differential tuition + $300 books = $2,212
- Semester 4 (6 credits): $984 tuition + $450 differential tuition + $100 books = $1,534
- Total: $8,509
Tuition rates include standard tuition plus BSN differential tuition charged for all NURS course subjects. Financial aid is available for qualifying students.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing: RN-to-BSN Nursing Program at South Texas College holds accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) through Spring 2027, with the most recent accreditation decision made by ACEN Board of Commissioners on December 11, 2020.
The program maintains approval and regulation by the Texas Board of Nursing, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Related Programs
South Texas College offers the Associate of Applied Science – Associate Degree Nursing (AAS-ADN) program, which provides the 47 lower-division credit hours required for RN to BSN program admission. The college’s comprehensive nursing education pathway supports mobility from associate degree through baccalaureate level.