Your Nursing Future
Turn your commitment to caring for others into a meaningful career. Build the clinical skills, confidence and experience to become a compassionate, skilled nurse.
Why Earn Your Nursing Degree At St. Edward’s?
The traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (tBSN) program prepares students for a career in nursing through rigorous academics, hands-on clinical experience and personalized faculty support. Develop your skills in our state-of-the-art Simulation Learning and Resource Center, gain real-world patient care experience and prepare for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse.
Grounded in our Holy Cross mission, you’ll learn to deliver compassionate, culturally responsive care, advocate for patients and make informed decisions in complex healthcare settings.
Hands-On Learning
Practice Before You Enter the Profession
Build confidence through immersive learning in the Simulation Learning and Resource Center. Using advanced equipment, patient simulators and realistic clinical scenarios, you’ll practice assessment, medication administration, communication, decision-making and other essential nursing skills in a supportive environment before applying them in clinical settings.
Clinical Experience
Learn Through Patient Care
Put your knowledge into practice through clinical experiences that expose you to the realities of professional nursing. You’ll learn to assess patients, collaborate with healthcare professionals, communicate with patients and families, and provide safe, evidence-based care across different healthcare environments and patient populations.
Personal Attention
Learn From Nurses Who Know You
Study with experienced nursing faculty who combine professional expertise with the personalized teaching St. Edward’s is known for. In small classes and clinical learning environments, faculty get to know your strengths and goals, challenge you to grow and support you as you develop from a nursing student into a healthcare professional.
Purpose-Driven Care
Care for the Whole Person
Nursing requires more than clinical expertise. You’ll learn to understand how culture, environment and social determinants of health affect patients and communities. Through a curriculum grounded in ethics, dignity and social responsibility, you’ll prepare to advocate for patients and provide compassionate care to people from diverse backgrounds.
Life as a Nursing Student at St. Edward's University
As an undergraduate Nursing major, you’ll move between the classroom, simulation lab and clinical environments as you learn what it means to care for patients in real-world situations. You’ll practice clinical skills, work through complex patient scenarios and learn alongside classmates who share your commitment to healthcare and service.
You’ll also be part of the broader St. Edward’s community in Austin — building relationships with faculty and fellow students while preparing for a profession that demands collaboration, resilience, sound judgment and compassion.
Your transition from the traditional BSN program into professional nursing is marked by traditions such as the White Coat Ceremony, which recognizes students as they begin clinical patient care and affirm their commitment to the well-being of their patients.
Frequently Asked Questions about the traditional BSN degree from St. Edward's University
As a Nursing major in the traditional BSN program, you’ll develop the knowledge, clinical judgment and professional skills needed to provide safe, evidence-based and compassionate patient care.
The competency-based curriculum emphasizes patient assessment, clinical reasoning, nursing interventions, safety and quality, communication, leadership and teamwork. You’ll also explore healthcare technology, ethics, culturally responsive care, health equity and patient advocacy.
Throughout your coursework, simulation experiences and clinical education, you’ll learn to connect patient health and clinical data with the social and environmental factors that can influence health outcomes.
Overview
The traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is designed for ĢƵ students who begin their undergraduate studies as Pre-Nursing majors and plan to pursue a nursing degree.
First-year students apply to ĢƵ through the regular undergraduate admission process and indicate Pre-Nursing as their intended major.
Students complete their general education and prerequisite coursework at St. Edward’s before applying to the upper-division Nursing program. Only students currently enrolled at ĢƵ as of January of the application year are eligible to apply for admission to the professional Nursing sequence, which they complete at St. Edward’s.
St. Edward’s does not require the TEAS, HESI or another nursing entrance exam as part of the Traditional BSN application process. Students must earn a grade of C or better in prerequisite courses, with a maximum of two attempts per course, and have a minimum prerequisite GPA of 2.5 to be considered for admission.Find what you need to apply and important deadlines.
General Application
When you are ready, there are three ways for you to apply to St. Edward’s:
Add St. Edward’s to your list of schools if you’re using the Common Application to save time applying to your top colleges.
If you are applying to multiple schools in Texas, you can use ApplyTexas whether you’re a Texas resident or not.
It’s easy to apply using our convenient online application.
Major Requirements:
The traditional BSN pathway includes 54 credits and is designed to be completed in four semesters or 2 years of full-time study.
General Education Requirements:
All majors require 44 hours of general education curriculum, in addition to their major courses.
Students will be designated BSN-PRE NURS major while they complete their general education and prerequisite coursework. Application to the Traditional BSN program occurs in the semester prior to beginning nursing coursework. Once admitted to the program, the student will be designated as BSN-PROF NURS.
Competencies
A competency-based approach is used to foster development of critical thinking and clinical reasoning by supporting students’ ability to define, analyze and create correlation among individual presentation, health data and aspects of social determinants of health. The competencies are based from three areas of professional nursing education: Texas Board of Nursing “Differentiated Essential Competencies of Graduates of Texas Nursing Programs” (DECs, 2021), American Association of Colleges of Nursing “The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education” (AACN, 2021), and “Quality Safety Education for Nurses” (QSEN, 2008).
The competencies are introduced, reinforced and evaluated throughout the curriculum using exemplars or case examples that a nurse will experience in their practice. One way our nursing students will demonstrate competency is through the use of our Simulation Learning and Resource Center. For example, a high-quality, standardized simulation scenario is created for a patient presenting with abdominal pain incorporating the integration of actors or simulated patients where appropriate. The exercise includes a pre-briefing and a debriefing (feedback and self-reflection) as well as assessment of learning outcomes. In this example, the student would be evaluated on their ability to complete a focused health history. Clinical skills evaluated would include inspection, auscultation, palpation and percussion of the abdomen as well as accurate documentation. Variations of the scenario may require students to demonstrate competency in patient communication or inter-professional communication as well. Students and faculty will engage in active learning strategies designed to emphasize application of material rather than memorization.
Hands-on learning begins in the Simulation Learning and Resource Center, where you’ll work through realistic patient-care scenarios using high-quality simulation equipment and manikins.
Simulation experiences allow you to practice conducting health histories, assessing patients, administering medications, documenting care and communicating with patients and healthcare professionals. Pre-briefing, faculty feedback and reflection help you learn from each experience and strengthen your clinical judgment.
You’ll then apply your knowledge and skills through clinical learning experiences as you prepare for professional nursing practice.
Nursing at St. Edward’s combines professional preparation with the personalized, mission-driven education of a small university.
You’ll develop your clinical skills through simulation and real-world experiences while working closely with faculty mentors who know you and your goals. At the same time, the university’s Holy Cross tradition encourages you to think beyond a diagnosis — considering the dignity, experiences and circumstances of each patient.
The result is preparation not simply to become a nurse, but to become the kind of healthcare professional patients, families and communities can trust.
Yes. Completion of the St. Edward’s BSN prepares graduates to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Passing the NCLEX-RN is required for RN licensure.
Because professional licensure requirements vary by state, students should review the requirements for the state in which they intend to practice.
A BSN can prepare you for a wide range of opportunities as a registered nurse in hospitals, clinics, community health organizations and other healthcare settings. As you gain experience or pursue graduate education, you can also advance into specialized practice, nursing leadership, education and advanced practice roles.
The career outlook for nurses remains strong. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 189,100 openings projected each year. Approximately 3.4 million registered nurses are already employed nationwide. For nurses who pursue graduate education and advanced practice roles, employment of nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives is projected to grow 36% from 2025 to 2035.
The Accelerated BSN (ABSN) program is a post-bac program at St. Edward's University that allows students to earn a second bachelor's degree in as few as 13 months. Designed to help you reach your career goals in nursing in a little over one year, this rigorous program prepares you for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse. Learn more about the ABSN program and explore your opportunities in healthcare.
Yes. The traditional BSN program accepts transfer applications and students are welcome to apply. However, students interested in transferring into the program should note that transfers are only accepted after all internal candidates have applied, and if seats remain available.
Students are encouraged to contact the St. Edward's transfer admission team with questions about transfer deadlines and requirements for the BSN program.
Yes. We recommend applicants currently working in the space to apply. The Master of Science in Nursing at ĢƵ is designed for experienced RNs ready to expand their scope, increase their value and move confidently into the next phase of their careers, and prepares graduates to shape healthcare at both the systems and clinical level. Whether advancing into executive or management roles students gain the expertise, strategic insight and ethical foundation to lead meaningful change in today’s complex healthcare environment.
Yes. The baccalaureate degree program in Nursing at ĢƵ is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
The pre-licensure BSN program has also received initial approval from the Texas Board of Nursing.
At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, practitioners, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.
View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the School of Health Sciences webpage.
Highly Successful Nursing Program
Your undergraduate nursing education at St. Edward’s connects classroom learning with the realities of professional practice. Through simulation, clinical experiences and community-based learning, you’ll practice assessing patients, communicating with healthcare teams, making clinical decisions and providing safe, evidence-based care.
Preparing for Your Future in Nursing
Your traditional BSN degree will prepare you to enter a profession where skilled, compassionate healthcare professionals are needed across a wide range of settings. Through coursework, simulation and clinical experiences, you’ll build the clinical judgment, communication and evidence-based practice skills needed to care for patients, collaborate with healthcare teams and prepare for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.
After earning your BSN, you can also pursue opportunities in areas such as medical-surgical nursing, critical care, emergency care, pediatrics, maternal and newborn care, oncology, behavioral health, and community and public health. Your degree also provides a strong foundation for future graduate education and advancement into nursing leadership and other specialized roles.
Making an Impact: Finding Purpose Through Nursing
For Nayelly Granillo-Rios ’26, becoming part of St. Edward’s first Traditional BSN cohort meant discovering a new path toward the healthcare career she wanted.
Through simulation labs, clinical experiences and close relationships with faculty and classmates, she developed the clinical skills and confidence to care for patients while learning the importance of communication, advocacy and whole-person care. As the Nursing program grew, she also became a mentor to students following in her footsteps.
After graduation, Granillo-Rios plans to pursue nursing opportunities in intensive care or pediatric oncology.
Program Disclosures
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at ĢƵ has received initial accreditation from the . The pre-licensure BSN program has received initial approval from .
The master’s degree program in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate program at ĢƵ is pursuing initial accreditation by the . Applying for accreditation does not guarantee that accreditation will be granted.
The Department of Nursing has determined that completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program options and pathway prepares a student to take the national licensure examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Passage of the national exam is required for licensure in all 50 states and U.S. protectorates. It is an individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to national certification exams for the state in which he or she intends to practice as educational requirements may vary widely including, but not limited to, the number of clinical hours required by the state as well as specific coursework. Nursing boards may also require additional information, including, but not limited to, documentation verifying citizenship and/or right to work (i.e. social security number) as well as criminal background checks.
To obtain information for nursing professional licensing boards, please see the contact page.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at ĢƵ accredited by .