Undergraduate Degree Program

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

The Baccalaureate in Nursing Science offers outstanding undergraduates the opportunity to enter the healthcare environment with an education founded upon the theory and practice of nursing. Completion of the program’s curriculum will lead to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Nursing Science, a key asset for today’s nurses, who must provide care to a diverse group of patients through evidence-based practice.

Nurse Professionals are members of interdisciplinary teams who work with people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and lifestyles to help them achieve the highest level of wellness possible. Graduates of the Program in Nursing Science are prepared to serve as generalists in professional nursing practice and to collaborate with other healthcare providers in clinics, hospitals, and community health settings.

The undergraduate program prepares students for success in academia as well; graduates are poised to attain advanced degrees in Nursing Science and to significantly contribute to the field through original research. The undergraduate curriculum is designed to provide theory and research-based clinical practice focusing on critical thinking, human caring, and clinical expertise. Moreover, the combination of nursing science curriculum with related disciplines including the biological, social, behavioral, medical, pharmaceutical, and biomedical sciences will prepare students to address the span of healthcare needs and to be leaders in the healthcare and academic environments.

Essentially a selective and unique major within the College of Health Sciences for UC Irvine undergraduates, the BS in Nursing Science is a four-year undertaking. Students complete two years of basic sciences before commencing the upper-level nursing science courses in the junior and senior years. The program is limited to a select number of new majors per year drawn from entering UCI freshmen and, on a space-available basis, sophomore change-of-major students. Additional students will be admitted each year as transfer or change of major students with junior standing. Upon completion of the program, students attain a BS degree and are prepared to take the NCLEX exam for nursing licensure.

All students interested in the Nursing Science major should be aware that they will be required to do the following: 1) meet the physical and mental requirements necessary to perform nursing practice functions as outlined in Chapter 6, Article 2, Item 2725 of the California Business and Professions Code¹; 2) complete a criminal background check prior to entering the clinical portion of the major in the junior year as required by health care facilities in which students will have clinical experiences; 3) purchase uniforms and other required equipment such as stethoscopes; and, 4) have access to transportation for off-campus clinical experiences beginning in the junior year. Please see links listed on the right for degree requirements and application information. For further questions regarding the undergraduate Nursing Science major, please contact:

Program in Nursing Science
Student Affairs Office
Irvine Hall, Room 244A
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-3959
(949) 824-1514
nssao@uci.edu