Accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina can help you get a nursing license that qualifies you to work in health care facilities all across the state and in major cities like Charlotte. Once you finish a nursing degree program, you can apply to take the exam necessary to get your license. Other programs offered by schools in the state are open to students who already have a nursing license and let them earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Make sure that you look at each college and university closely to see which one offers all the things you need. To see more accredited degree programs in North Carolina, visit Nursing Degree Programs in North Carolina (L-U) and Nursing Degree Programs in North Carolina (U-Z).
Appalachian State University
Department of Nursing
Two brothers living in North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century decided to open a new teaching college. Founded in 1899, it took several decades before the school expanded beyond simple teaching classes. The University of North Carolina added the school to its own system in 1971, which led to the campus becoming Appalachian State University. Many refer to it as either ASU or Appalachian today. TIME Magazine named ASU its College of the Year in 2001, and both Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and The Princeton Review call it a Best Value College because of its affordable tuition rates.
BSN
Appalachian designed its BSN program for students who do not yet have any nursing experience. Though you do not need a license to enroll, you will need to spend two years taking introductory courses and completing all the general education courses needed to get a bachelor’s degree. As one of the more selective accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina, Appalachian accepts only 45 new students to this program each year. The final two years that you spend in school will require that you take a number of nursing classes and that you do clinical rotations in the field.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
Edwin Duncan, Suite 318
ASU Box 32151
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262-8039
raymankm@appstate.edu
Barton College
School of Nursing
Founded in 1902, Barton College is a small private university in Wilson that has an affiliation with the Disciples of Christ, which is a branch of the Christian Church. Its School of Nursing offers some of the only accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina that combine health care education with a liberal arts education. The liberal arts courses that you take help you develop better skills for speaking with patients and other health care workers. Barton College offers several undergrad nursing programs and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program that you can enroll in after finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
This BSN program that the college offers is only open to students who completed at least one full year of study through the college. When you reach the end of your freshman year, you can officially declare a major in nursing, which gives you the right to enroll in the nursing program at the start of your sophomore year. You must take some prerequisite classes before enrolling and maintain a grade point average of 2.7 or higher. The BSN program includes classes like pharmacology, organic and microbiology, health maintenance through the lifespan and independent research in nursing. You will also do some clinical fieldwork to ensure that you have the skills necessary to work with all your future patients.
RN to BSN
Barton College also offers an RN to BSN program that allows professional and licensed nurses to complete a BSN degree in just two years or less of additional study. The deadline for admissions is February 1, and all students must agree to start the program in the fall. Barton will use the practical experience that you earned in the field and give you placement credit. This lets you focus on taking nursing classes without the need to do a clinical rotation. The adviser assigned to you when you start the program will help you pick what classes to take and create a schedule that works around your job. Only a few of the classes that you take at this level will require that you do clinical fieldwork.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
P.O. Box 5000
Wilson, NC 27893
(800) 345-4973
enroll@barton.edu
https://www.barton.edu/nursing/
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Louise Harkey School of Nursing
One of the more unique colleges in North Carolina is the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, which is one of the only schools in the state that offers only health programs and degree options. Though it only accepts around 500 new students each year across all programs and degree types, those students have the chance to gain real experience at local hospitals and in other health care facilities. To qualify for a spot in its RN to BSN program, you must have your RN license, two references and at least a 2.5 GPA. The college also makes it easy for you to transition into one of its nursing graduate programs.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN)
Once you start this RN to BSN program, which is one of the best accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina, you need to maintain a a 3.0 GPA in all your classes or risk the college expelling you or dropping you from the program. You will get 61 credits towards your degree from the classes you took to earn your associate’s degree, and you’ll then take 61 credits through Cabarrus College of Health Sciences. This includes 21 credits of general education classes and 40 credits of nursing classes. The college offers classes like quality and safety in nursing, health policy, coping with grief and loss, nursing leadership and health and population service as well as classes on research and writing.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
401 Medical Park Drive
Concord, NC 28025-2405
(704) 403-1555
http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/cabarrus-college-of-health-sciences/bachelor-science-nursing
Duke University
School of Nursing
Duke University is a public university in North Carolina that ranks among the state’s top schools. ARWU, Forbes, Washington Monthly and U.S. News & World Report all ranked Duke within the top 26 of all colleges in the country. U.S. News & World Report ranked its master’s and doctoral programs in nursing as the best in the nation too, which makes those some of the top accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina. Its basic nursing program features an accelerated design that allows you to finish your degree and graduate faster.
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that Duke offers is a program designed for adult learners who already have a college degree. This is a full-time program that requires you take classes on the university’s campus. You’ll take four semesters that last for 12 weeks and take 58 credits of work to each your degree. Duke also requires that you do more than 700 hours of fieldwork to gain the practical experience that registered nurses already have before earning a BSN. Duke can find you a placement in Durham or another city close to its campus. You can complete the entire program in just under a year.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
307 Trent Drive
Durham, NC 27710
(919) 684-3786
East Carolina University
College of Nursing
Established in 1907, East Carolina University is a full college that also goes by the names of East Carolina and ECU. The College of Nursing that offers all its nursing degree programs offers unique opportunities for students like study abroad semesters and missionary work. Whether you work in the United States or overseas, you’ll have the chance to gain some practical experience as you work with those who really need help. The university’s College of Nursing also offers funding for students who want to do independent research and funding that can help you pay for your degree or one of the unique study programs.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The BSN program available from East Carolina is one of the most selective accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina because it features an exam that you must take before you can enroll. This exam determines whether students can enroll in an accelerated version of the program and whether those with a degree can skip some of the required courses in the program. This basic accredited program requires that you take two years of general education courses and two years of nursing classes while doing clinical rotations. The university offers an RN to BSN program too that allows registered nurses to take one to two years of classes to complete a BSN.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
College of Nursing
East Carolina University
Health Sciences Building
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 744-6433
mickeyt16@ecu.edu
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/nursing/
Fayetteville State University
Department of Nursing
Fayetteville State University is one of the only historically all black colleges in the state and is home to one of the top accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina too. When founded in 1867, it offered classes only to the African American students who did not have the option of studying at other schools. Though it remains a primarily all black school, it does accept students of different races too. Its RN-BSN program, which is one of the more diverse programs that it offers, includes simulation work that lets you work on dummies and mannequins to improve your skills and try different techniques talked about in your classes before you use those techniques on real patients.
RN-BSN
Only two of the classes in this RN-BSN program include clinical rotations. One is a course on community health that focuses on educating those in public health settings, and the other is a senior practicum. Fayetteville State University will pick a placement for you or let you pick your own setting. You’ll also take a course that helps you better make the transition from nursing school to the real world. FSU lets you transfer the credits you earned in an associate’s degree program to reduce the number of classes you will need to take in this program.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
1200 Murchison Road
Fayetteville, NC 28301
(910) 672-1111
Lees-McRae College
May School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Lees-McRae College has a unique history because this college started life as a high school for female students. Founded in 1899, it opened in Banner Elk. The school was so popular that it spawned a separate high school for men in a nearby town. When that school burned down, the main campus changed its policy to admit both men and women, which eventually led to the campus becoming a college. The BSN program that the college offers has a low ratio of just eight students for each professor and is home to one of the state’s top simulation labs that helps you complete some of your clinical work on the campus.
BSN
To get your BSN through Lees-McRae College, you need to do a minimum of 1,100 clinical hours. Though this requires that you work in a health care facility, you can do a portion of your fieldwork in the simulation lab on its campus. This lab uses state of the art equipment and features different mock settings to simulate some of the situations you might encounter in the field. The 127 credits you must take will include 65 credits of nursing prerequisites and 59 credits of required nursing courses like introduction to professional nursing, psychosocial nursing, transition into professional nursing and family oriented care and nursing.
Accreditation
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Contact
191 Main Street
Banner Elk, NC 28604
(828) 898-5241
http://www.lmc.edu/academics/programs/nursing/index.htm
Even if you already have your RN license, you might want to go back to college to gain the skills necessary to work in some specialized fields of nursing. Enrolling in any of the top accredited nursing degree programs in North Carolina is the best way to develop all those needed skills.
Related Resource: Top 10 Cheapest Online RN to BSN Degree Programs 2014
