How long does it take to become a BSN? Possible 3 yrs?

Question

I heard I could do my pre-req's while going for a ssociates then do my BSN in a year.

Answer 1

That's going to depend on transfer policies.

You'll do your AAS in nursing--that usually takes 3 years (yes, the catalogue advertises it as a 2-year program--which is rarely true). Most often the first year is spent on gen. ed. courses, many of which are not required for the nursing degree--then you apply for acceptance in the nursing program and go 2 more years full-time for the nursing program requirements.

Now, the BSN is a four-year degree. How many years it will take after the AAS degree is uncertain; it will depend on the transfer policies of the four-year college. Some four-year schools give you credit for all of your community-college courses, and in those you might complete the BSN in one additional year beyond the 3 you took for the AAS. In others, they might reject everything but some of the general-ed courses you took before starting the tech. program in nursing, and you'll need 3 more years. And the real snotty universities will accept NOTHING from the community college and you'll have to start from scratch.

So you'll have to educate yourself on the transfer policies of the university where you think you want to complete the BSN.

Note--you might consider earning the AAS in nursing and getting a job on that RN degree, then seeing if your employer will pay for further education so you can do the BSN part-time. That saves you tuition, but also starts you earning money sooner--the pay for AAS RN is excellent tho' the BSN usually gets even more.

Answer 2

Most of the previous answers give good information so I'm not going to repeat them. However one thing that I would add is that many two year collegs have articulation agreements with four year collegs. This is particularly true around nursing programs.

What this means is that you can get your AAS in Nursing and then be guarenteed that all of your nursing and gen ed courses will transfer as the first two years of a BSN program.

I'm not sure where you are but most two year colleges have an office dedicated to assisting students preparing to transfer. They should be able to let you know about any articulation agreements.

Answer 3

If you already have an associates, RN to BSN programs normally take 1-2 years.