Bachelor of Science

BS Program

3 nursing students sitting with one another
Information Sessions
Apply Now
Contact Admissions

The UCLA School of Nursing admits new undergraduate students once each year at the freshman level and a limited number of transfer students at the junior level. The School requires completion of a supplemental application to allow potential students the opportunity to provide additional information about their preparation for entry into the nursing profession.

Key Information

  • This is a traditional, four-year program beginning in the freshman year. A limited number of transfer students are accepted annually.
  • Graduates of the BS program are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) to be licensed as a registered nurse (RN) and may apply for the Public Health Nursing Certificate from the California Board of Registered Nursing.
  • The BS program is a UCLA-certified capstone major. During the last clinical course in the fourth year, each student plans and implements a Clinically-based Scholarly Project designed to improve the system of care provided to patients and their families.
  • Students successfully completing the BS requirements also acquire an educational foundation for entry into the master’s program that prepares nurses for advanced practice roles.

Admission

Freshman applicants must satisfy the general freshman admission requirements of the University of California and provide the information requested on the School of Nursing Supplemental Application for Freshman Admission.

Applicants with Military Experience

UCLA School of Nursing will accept qualified student applicants who have completed relevant military education and experiences, have met the University admission requirements, and who present documented equivalency courses. Once admitted, such individuals are eligible for credit by challenge examination. For additional details, read the full policy here. For more information, contact Mark Covin, Director of Recruitment, Outreach & Admissions for further information.

Transfer applicants must have completed all IGETC requirements or all general education requirements at the school where currently or previously enrolled and the equivalent of all of the non-nursing preparation for the major courses as follows:

  • Chemistry 20A, B & 30A (General Inorganic, Inorganic and Organic & Organic)
  • Communications 1 or 10* (Introductory Communication)
  • Life Sciences 7A & 7C (Cell and Molecular Biology & Physiology and Human Biology)
  • Math 3A or 31A* (Calculus)
  • Microbiology* (General Microbiology)
  • Physiological Science 3 & 13 (Human Anatomy & Human Physiology)
  • Psychology 10* (Introductory Psychology)

*May be completed at UCLA

Applicants with Military Experience

UCLA School of Nursing will accept qualified student applicants who have completed relevant military education and experiences, have met the University admission requirements, and who present documented equivalency courses. Once admitted, such individuals are eligible for credit by challenge examination. For additional details, read the full policy here. For more information, contact Mark Covin, Director of Recruitment, Outreach & Admissions for further information.

Licensed Vocational Nurses interested in completion of the UCLA 45-unit option must formally request to follow this option. It does not lead to conferral of a Bachelor of Science degree at UCLA. Interested students are required to meet with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

Tuition & Fees

Degree Requirements

The practice of nursing is a complex function requiring knowledge derived from the basic and related applied sciences, technical skills, and personal aptitudes. The pre-professional curriculum, therefore, must provide students with sufficient information from the social and natural sciences to permit an effective undertaking of the nursing courses as well as of the lower and upper division courses in related disciplines and applied sciences. Further, it must facilitate the students' acquisition of a broad, liberal education, which forms the foundation for the subsequent program of professional education.

University Requirements 

  1. Entry Level Writing or English as a Second Language (ESL) in the first year
  2. American History and Institutions

School of Nursing Requirements

  1. Units Required — minimum 180/maximum 216

  2. Scholarship — minimum GPA 2.0 for graduation
  3. Residence Requirement — All units in the last two years of the major must be taken in residence
  4. Course Requirements
    1. Writing — Writing I and Writing II Course (GE/Writing II recommended)  (10 units)
    2. Quantitative Reasoning (Biostatistics 100A recommended) (4 units)
    3. General Education  47 units
      1. Foundations of Arts and Humanities (14 units)
        1. Philosophical and Linguistic Analysis — select from approved list
        2. Visual and Performing Arts Analysis — select from approved list
        3. Literary and Cultural Analysis — select from approved list
      2. Foundations of Society and Culture (14 units)
        1. Historical Analysis — select from approved list
        2. Social Analysis — (Communications 10 recommended)
        3. Third course — (Psychology 10 recommended)
      3. Foundations of Scientific Inquiry (18 units)
        1. Life Sciences, two courses (Life Science 7, Nursing 3 recommended)
        2. Physical Sciences, two courses (Chemistry 14 A and 14B recommended)

Nursing Major Requirements

  1. Preparation for the major — Completion of all General Education Foundations courses and the courses listed below are required as preparation for nursing major courses. Preparation for the major courses may be used to fulfill the General Education requirements as recommended above.
    1. Chemistry 14A, Atomic and Molecular Structure, Equilibria, Acids, and Bases (4)
    2. Chemistry 14B, Thermodynamics, Electrochemistry, Kinetics, and Organic Chemistry (4)
    3. Chemistry 14C, Structure of Organic Molecules (4)
    4. Communication Studies 1, Principles of Oral Communication (4), or Communication Studies 10,  Introduction to Communication Studies (5)
    5. Biostatistics 100A, Introduction to Biostatistics (4)
    6. Life Sciences 7A, Cell and Molecular Biology (4)
    7. Life Sciences 7C, Physiology and Human Biology (4)
    8. Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics 10, Medical Microbiology for Nursing Students (4)
    9. Psychology 10, Introductory Psychology (5)
    10. Calculus (4)
    11. Nursing 3, Human Physiology (5)
    12. Nursing 13, Human Anatomy (5)
    13. Nursing 10, Introduction to Nursing/Social Justice (2)
    14. Nursing 20, Introduction to Nursing/Social Justice (2)
    15. Nursing 50, Fundamentals of Epidemiology (4)
    16. Nursing 54A, Pathophysiology I (3)
    17. Nursing 54B, Pathophysiology II (2)
    18. Nursing 173W, Introduction to Research (5)
  2. Major Courses
    1. Nursing 115, Pharmacology and Therapeutics (5)
    2. Nursing 150A, Fundamentals of Professional Nursing I (4)
    3. Nursing 150B, Fundamentals of Professional Nursing II (4)
    4. Nursing 152A, Health Promotion: Growth & Development in Culturally Diverse Populations (2)
    5. Nursing 152B, Health Promotion: Nutrition in Culturally Diverse Populations (2)
    6. Nursing 160, Secondary Prevention (4)
    7. Nursing 161, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (5)
    8. Nursing 162A, Foundational Concepts for Tertiary Prevention and Care of Medical-Surgical Patients and Families (4)
    9. Nursing 162B, Tertiary Prevention and Care of Medical-Surgical Geriatric Patients and Families (6)
    10. Nursing 162C, Tertiary Prevention and Care of Medical-Surgical Patients and Families (8)
    11. Nursing 163, Nursing Care of Geriatric Patients and Families (3)
    12. Nursing 164, Maternity Nursing (5)
    13. Nursing 165, Pediatric Nursing (5)
    14. Nursing 168, Advanced Leadership and Role Integration (5)
    15. Nursing 169, Clinical Internship: Integration (12)
    16. Nursing 171, Public Health Nursing (6) 
    17. Nursing 174, Physical Assessment (4)

Total Units = 180-216

See UCLA Catalog for description of courses.

Curriculum

  1. Integrate basic and advanced theoretical and scientific knowledge to inform clinical practice and leadership. [AACN Essentials* I, II, III; QSEN:** patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, safety]
  2. Utilize the nursing process to provide safe, therapeutic, evidence-based, patient-centered, culturally-tailored and high quality care. [Essentials II, III, VIII, IX; QSEN: patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, safety, quality improvement]
  3. Maximize the use of available resources to improve health outcomes for individuals, families and populations in diverse practice settings. [Essentials II, V, VII; QSEN: quality improvement]
  4. Communicate and collaborate effectively within and across complex healthcare systems. [Essentials: I, II, VI, VIII, IX; QSEN: teamwork and collaboration, safety]
  5. Analyze practice-based problems and critically evaluate relevant evidence to improve patient safety, care quality and health outcomes. [Essentials II, IV, VII, IX; QSEN: evidence-based practice, safety, quality improvement, informatics]
  6. Participate in professional, community, and/or advocacy activities to create standards of care and conditions essential for health and healing. [Essentials II, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX; QSEN: teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, evidence-based practice]
  7. Apply principles of ethical leadership and change management to continuously improve the quality of care in healthcare systems. [Essentials II, III, V, VI, VIII; QSEN: quality improvement, teamwork and collaboration, safety]
  8. Apply a global perspective and a systematic approach for health promotion, risk reduction, and disease management with diverse populations. [Essentials I, II, IV, VI, VII; QSEN: quality improvement, teamwork and collaboration]
  9. Utilize information management and patient care technology to facilitate effective communication and support clinical decision making. [Essentials II, III, IV, IX; QSEN: informatics, evidence-based practice, teamwork and collaboration]

*American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice

**Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)

BS program course sequence (Freshman PreCalculus, Calculus, & Transfer)