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> College
of Nursing > Academic Programs >
BSN Program
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I complete the entire BSN program on one campus?
Yes, it is possible to complete the entire BSN program on one campus, though
it is not guaranteed. The MSU-Bozeman College of Nursing has five campus
locations in Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, and Missoula. All
prerequisite courses can be completed in each of those communities at MSU-Billings,
MSU-Bozeman, MSU-Great Falls, Flathead Valley Community College, and the University
of Montana, Missoula. Four of the five lower division (sophomore level)
nursing courses are offered for placebound students on each of those campus
sites during summer (2 courses) and fall (2 courses), except Bozeman. N115
(a freshmen level nursing course) is offered on-line every semester via WebCT
for all campuses. All lower division nursing courses are offered on the
Bozeman campus during fall and spring of each academic year. Spaces in
those lower division courses are limited to students who have upper division
placement or are very high on the Wait List. The numbers vary on each
campus as follows: Billings (28 slots), Great Falls (16 slots), Kalispell (8
slots), and Missoula (24 slots). Upper division courses are also available
at each of the five campus locations. Again, the numbers are limited
as follows: Billings (40 new junior slots both fall and spring, 80 total),
Bozeman (16 new junior slots fall only), Great Falls (16 new junior slots
both fall and spring, 32 total), Kalispell (8 new junior slots spring only),
and Missoula (24 new junior slots both fall and spring, 48 total).
When should I apply for the BSN program and upper division placement?
The upper division placement application deadline is April 30th each year. Students
normally apply at the end of their freshmen year, provided they are
confident that they will be ready to start upper division coursework in either
the fall or spring semester of the academic year for which they are applying
(eg apply by April 30, 2007 to start upper division [junior and senior courses]
during fall 2008 or spring 2009). If students miss the April 30th
deadline, they will be able to apply for the Wait List when it is available
in September (due by October 1st for the first update).
If I apply for the BSN program at the end of my freshman
year, I won’t have all of my required prerequisite courses completed? Is
that okay?
All required prerequisite courses do not need to be completed by the application
deadline. Typically, students will have completed at least 24 credits
during the freshmen year if they are full time students (12 credits each semester). If
they have been part-time students and have only taken a few courses, they probably
can’t be ready to start upper division until the following year and may
need to wait to apply. If in doubt, it is best to discuss this with
your academic advisor well in advance of the April 30th deadline.
How are applicants accepted into the BSN program and upper division
placements obtained?
Upper division placement is based on grades in required prerequisite courses
(called priority points) and is a competitive process. Though student’s
priority points must be at least 2.5 to be considered for upper division placement
and they must have a MSU-Bozeman cumulative grade point average (gpa) of 2.5
or better, they will need to have considerably higher gpa and priority points
for placement in the current competitive environment. All prerequisite
courses must be completed with a grade of C or better (C- grades are not permitted),
but in reality, if students have all C grades, their gpa will only be 2.0. Therefore,
it takes higher than C grades to obtain an upper division placement in the
BSN program.
How many students apply to the BSN program every year?
The number of applicants to the BSN program vary each year, but for the
last eight or nine years the number of applicants have exceeded the number
of available slots. In each of the last eight years the number of applicants has increased. There
were 300+ applicants in April 2006 and a total of 184 new junior slots available
on all campuses around the state.
How many students are accepted into the BSN program every year?
The initial 184 placements are offered one to 1 ½ years in advance
of the start of upper division coursework (by July 15th following the April
30th deadline). Some of those students will end up not using their upper
division placements for a variety of reasons (eg failure of required prerequisite
courses, personal or family emergencies, medical withdrawals, transfers to
other states, etc.). When students give up their upper division placements,
additional students are offered placement off of the Wait List, so the actual
number of students who are accepted each year does vary.
How are students placed on upper division campuses?
The campus and semester assignment process is a separate process, once the
top 184 students have been identified based on their priority points, received
their placement letters, and accepted their placement offer with a $200 deposit. Of
those 184 students, many will have “special needs” to be on a particular
campus. Those students will provide a letter of “special needs” by
June 30th and documentation of the needs prior to August 1st of the summer
they have accepted an upper division placement. The Special Needs Committee
(made up of four members: 3 students and one faculty member) then meets to
consider the student’s requests for being placed on a particular campus. When
possible, the college makes every effort to place students on their first choice
campus, but certain campuses have very small numbers of slots and are not able
to accommodate all of the requests for that campus. Therefore, after
the Special Needs Committee meeting, the priority points are adjusted based
on additional points given for financial, medical and support needs and the
campus and semester assignments are adjusted. Students are notified
by the end of August of their campus and semester assignments.
Do students on the Bozeman campus get preference for upper division
placement?
No, all students are considered in an equal and fair process with no students
given any preference due to the campuses they are attending.
When will I be offered an upper division placement?
Upper division placement letters are sent out around July 15th each summer
following the April 30th application deadline.
When will I be offered a campus and semester assignment to start
upper division?
Campus and semester assignment letters are sent out before the end of August
each summer following the April 30th application deadline.
When will I know on which campus I will be taking my lower division
nursing courses?
Placebound students will receive a mailing during the spring semester prior
to taking lower division nursing courses during the summer and fall semesters
prior to their Spring upper division placements, asking them when and where
they need to take the sophomore level nursing courses. If more students
need to take the lower division nursing courses than there are slots available,
there will be a Special Needs Committee meeting to determine which students
will be offered those limited slots.
How do I register for my lower division nursing courses?
All nursing courses are “restricted entry” and, therefore, the
College of Nursing staff will register you into the appropriate courses/sections
for you.
What happens if my priority points are too low to get a placement? Is
there a Wait List?
Students whose priority points are 2.5 or higher are
eligible to apply for the Wait List. Students whose priority points
are below 2.5 are encouraged to seek advice from an Academic Advisor regarding
the retaking of courses to earn better grades, seeking admission to another
nursing program, or changing to another major.
How do students get an upper division placement when they are on
a Wait List?
Students are placed on the Wait List by priority points. When students
are on a Wait List, they indicate which campuses they are willing to go to
if a placement becomes available on that campus. There is no way of knowing
ahead of time where vacancies might occur. When they do occur, the
first student on the Wait List who has indicated a willingness to accept
a placement on that campus will be notified and offered that placement.
What if I don’t get offered a placement while I am on a Wait
List? Can I apply again?
If a student does not receive placement from the Wait List in a given year,
he/she may reapply the following year. It is also possible to be on
two Wait Lists for two different years at the same time even though the student
will likely have different priority points each year.
Is it okay to repeat required prerequisite courses to get a better
grade and be more competitive?
Yes, students may repeat courses to earn a better grade and become more
competitive. However,
certain departments give priority to students who have never taken the course
before they allow students who have already taken the course once to repeat
it. Keep in mind that priority points are only calculated once each
year, so when courses are repeated in a summer or fall semester, the new
grades will not be calculated into the priority points until the next April
30th application deadline.
If I repeat courses, does the grade from the first time I took
the course count?
Once a course has been repeated for any reason (eg failure to earn a C or
better, to improve a grade and be more competitive, etc), the latest grade
is the one that is used in the calculation of priority points for upper division
placement. Keep in mind that if you took a course at MSU-Bozeman and
repeated it at MSU-Bozeman, the new grade will change your current MSU-Bozeman
gpa to reflect the new grade. However, if you repeat the course at
another institution, your gpa will not be changed at the institution where
you originally took the course.
If I took required prerequisite courses many years ago, are they
still calculated into my priority points?
Yes, any equivalent courses to required prerequisites that have been taken
in the past will be used unless you have repeated the course by the end of
the spring semester in which you file your application. Neither the Board
of Regents nor Montana State University have an age limit on courses that will
be accepted, so the College of Nursing uses those courses as well. Once
they have been repeated, the new grade will be used in the calculation of
priority points for upper division placement at the time that the student
reapplies for upper division.
If I get placed on a campus other than Bozeman for upper division,
where is my degree earned?
Regardless of the campus where you take your nursing courses, all BSN students
will earn their degree from Montana State University-Bozeman.
If I never take classes on the Bozeman campus, where do I apply
for Financial Aid?
At the point in which you start taking any nursing courses, you will need
to apply to Montana State University-Bozeman and apply for Financial Aid
through MSU-Bozeman as well. The school code for Financial Aid at MSU-Bozeman
is 002532 and the phone number for the Financial Aid Office is (406) 994-2845. If
you were previously a MSU-Bozeman student, you won’t need to reapply
to the University but will need to file an Intent to Register.
Is it okay for me to work while I am in the BSN program?
The BSN program is a rigorous one and similar to having a full-time job. Therefore,
students are strongly encouraged not to work while enrolled in upper division
nursing courses, if at all possible. If you must work, you will need
to restrict your working hours as much as possible to week-ends when you
are not normally attending classes and clinicals.
When do I need to have all of my immunizations done?
All immunizations must be completed by the time you are enrolled in the
first clinical nursing course (usually N223: Foundations for Planning and
Providing Clinical Nursing Care). These include TB, MMR, Hepatitis
B and varicella immunity.
When do I need to have my CPR certification done?
The professional CPR course that covers the lifespan must be completed prior
to enrolling in the first clinical nursing course (usually N223) and the
card must be good (not expire) for the entire semester. The College of Nursing
recommends the CPR training through the American Heart Association as the card
is good for two years. The American Red Cross card is acceptable but
must be renewed every year.
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