In this article, you will discover the best online BSN programs and the schools who hold the best teaching expertise. With these schools, you can complete your online BSN programs in less than 2 years.
For registered nurses, the pressure to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing is mounting. While it’s still possible to practice nursing with an associate’s degree, more and more health care employers are requiring (or preferring) a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). For people who cannot take traditional courses, taking online BSN classes is the best options. It is convenient and allows RNs to keep their jobs while pursuing their education.
But before we go to the list, what is a Bachelor of science in nursing (BSN)?
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is an academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by an accredited tertiary education institution. The course of study is traditionally three or four years. But now you can complete the program earlier than thanks to many online BSN programs offered by different schools.
Online BSN Classes
Nursing school students are generally required to take courses in social and behavioral sciences and liberal arts, including nutrition, anatomy, chemistry, mathematics, and English. In addition to those courses, experience in physical and social sciences, communication, leadership, and critical thinking is required for a bachelor’s degree.
BSN programs typically last 2–4 years. With a BSN you can work in private medical and surgical hospital, a physician’s office, public medical and surgical hospitals, home health care services, and nursing facilities. Having a BSN can result in more opportunities and better salary than just an associate degree.
Here are 10 best schools to take your Online BSN Programs
- University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi offers a versatile online RN program for a BSN that can be completed entirely online. Multiple annual start dates are available, and the program can be completed through an 8, 10 or 16 week option. Full-time registered students can complete the program in just three semesters. The courses required for specialization include mental health through age, health assessment, and health promotion theory, common denominators for nursing practice, and role development as a scientific nurse, for example.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools at the University of Southern Mississippi has been accredited to award the BSN degree. Online bachelor programs at the school are ranked in the top 100 in the country, according to the US News & World Report.
- Indiana University – South Bend
Indiana-South Bend University offers an online RN program for BSN through Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences. Full-time and part-time tracks are available, and full-time students can complete the program in just one year. Typical course titles that include the program curriculum include transition to BSN practice, nursing research, and nursing statistics, for example. A final course and a pre-graduation practical course are also required.
The IUSB Higher Education Commission accredited to grant BSN accreditation, and RN to BSN accredited separately by CCNE.
- Ball State University
The RN to BSN program can be followed online from Ball State University part-time or full-time, and courses are asynchronous to maximize flexibility. The program’s curriculum focuses on caring for diverse population groups and includes course titles such as the Nursing Foundation and Themes, applied nursing concepts, nursing research, and community health, for example. Ball State is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and the RN to BSN program is separately accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Nursing Education (ACEN).
The US News & World Report ranked the university’s online undergraduate programs among the top 30 in the country.
- Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Mount Carmel College Nursing’s online RN to BSN program is a full-time diploma program. The curriculum of the program includes course titles such as nursing informatics, care practices within society, conceptual nursing foundations, and evidence-based research and practices, for example.
The Higher Education Commission accredited Mount Carmel College of Nursing to award this nursing degree, and the program itself is separately accredited by the Group’s Nursing Education Commission.
- Florida Atlantic University
It is offered through Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, RN to the BSN program at Florida Atlantic University 
entirely online. Depending on the course load, the program can be completed in less than three semesters or up to six. In addition to the traditional courses of the program, it is also necessary to experience clinical immersion. The FAU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award this title, and the program itself has separate accreditation from the Accreditation Committee for Education in Nursing Education.
US News & World Report ranked Florida Atlantic University among the 75 best online undergraduate schools in the country.
- West Virginia University
West Virginia University offers an appropriate and flexible BSN RN program that includes part-time and full-time routes. The curriculum of the 28-credit program includes courses such as Fundamentals of Nursing Practice, Health Assessment and Communications, and Ethics in Nursing, for example. An experimental learning component is also required to complete the program.
WVU has been accredited by the Higher Education Commission for BSN accreditation, and the program itself is accredited by CCNE.
- University of Utah
The University of Utah offers a highly flexible, CCNE-accredited online RN program that can be completed entirely online. The program features multiple start dates per year and can be completed in two, three, or four semesters, depending on the course load. The courses required for the nursing and health promotion program include Global Health Nursing, RN Public Health Nursing and evidence-based practice in nursing, for example. Scholarships are available for eligible students.
The University of Utah has been accredited by the Northwest College and University Committee for awarding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
- Eastern Kentucky University
An accelerated online RN program for Eastern Kentucky University BSN can be completed in just 18 months. A part-time program is also available for students who want a more comfortable pace. The curriculum of the 29-credit program contains course titles such as professional nursing perspectives, public health nursing, complex customer care, and nursing research, for example. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to grant BSN. The RN to BSN program is separately accredited by the Group’s Nursing Education Commission.
The US News & World Report ranked the Eastern Kentucky University online BSN programs among the top 50 in the country.
- University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas offers 30 hours of CCNE credit online for the RN to BSN program at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. Part-time and full-time tracks are available, and full-time students can earn their degree in just three semesters. Featured course titles include the Health Assessment Curriculum and Clinical Reasoning Program, the transition to professional nursing practice, community and community health nursing, and leadership for professional nurses, for example.
University of Arkansas online undergraduate programs are ranked among the best in the country, according to the US News & World Report.
- Ohio State University
The RN to BSN program can be completed entirely online from Ohio State University part-time or full-time. Course titles include the curriculum concepts of the community health nursing program, advanced concepts in leadership and management, the fundamentals and contemporary problems of RN. OSU is accredited by the Higher Education Commission for BSN accreditation. Furthermore, the program itself has a separate accreditation from the CCNE.
US News & World Report ranked online undergraduate programs at the nation’s No. 1 school.
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