This executive order is issued pursuant to Title 5, California Code of Regulations, sections 40100, 40402, 40405.1, 40408, 40409, 40410, 40508, 40540, 40541, and the Standing Orders of the Board of Trustees, section II(a). There is no prior executive order.

This executive order establishes systemwide policy governing CSU bachelor of science nursing degree programs, including pre-licensure programs and post-licensure bachelor’s completion programs. Also subject to this executive order are pre-licensure (entry-level) master’s programs and associate-degree-to-master’s nursing degree programs.  This policy addresses these aspects of nursing degree programs:

1. Program Admission
2. Statewide Nursing Program Admission Prerequisites
3. Baccalaureate Nursing Degrees Pursued in Postbaccalaureate Standing
4. Articulation
5. Credit for Demonstration of Prior Learning of Pre-Licensure Nursing Content
6. Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree: Reporting Total Units Required

 

1. Program Admission

A campus shall not disqualify or prohibit any student who possesses a baccalaureate or higher degree from enrolling in and completing a state-support baccalaureate degree nursing program on the sole basis of that student’s possession of the previously earned degree (Title 5 section 41000).

2. Systemwide Nursing Program Admission Prerequisites

Effective no later than fall 2014, admission to CSU baccalaureate nursing degree programs (pre-licensure and post-licensure), associate-to-master's nursing degree programs, and entry-level master's nursing degree programs shall require successful completion of the systemwide nursing program prerequisites listed in Attachment A. No campus may require more, fewer, or different program prerequisites than those included on the systemwide list (Attachment A); and there shall be no prerequisites to these nursing program prerequisites. The order in which these nursing program prerequisites courses are taken may be subject to campus discretion. The chancellor in consultation with the Academic Senate of the California State University may amend the standardized prerequisites for nursing degree programs (Education Code section 66055.5).

3. Baccalaureate Nursing Degrees Pursued in Postbaccalaureate Standing

3.1

Campuses may admit postbaccalaureate students to state-support baccalaureate nursing programs (Title 5 section 41000).

3.2

A CSU campus shall not require a student who has been admitted to a baccalaureate nursing degree program to undertake courses or fulfill any other baccalaureate degree requirements other than those that are specifically required to complete the nursing degree program if: the student has previously earned a baccalaureate or higher degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association; or the student has completed equivalent academic preparation, as determined by the appropriate campus authority (Title 5 section 40509).

4. Articulation

4.1	Each CSU campus that offers a baccalaureate nursing degree program shall negotiate and implement articulation agreements with community college districts from which a significant number of nursing students transfer to that CSU campus nursing degree program (Education Code section 66055.5).
4.2	Post-licensure CSU baccalaureate nursing degree required curricula shall not include pre-licensure course content that is required by the Board of Registered Nursing (Education Code section 89267.5).
4.3	Post-licensure CSU baccalaureate nursing programs shall not require repetition of courses successfully completed in California Community College associate degree in nursing programs (Education Code section 89267.5).

5. Credit for Demonstration of Prior Learning of Pre-Licensure Nursing Content

As the California Board of Registered Nursing requires 36 units of the art and science of nursing in pre-licensure programs in preparation for the standardized external National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), in accordance with the stipulations of this policy a CSU campus may award academic credits using the NCLEX examination to demonstrate prior learning of the pre-licensure art and science of nursing required by the Board of Registered Nursing (Title 5 section 40408).

5.1	If a student has passed the NCLEX examination, a CSU campus may apply toward the baccalaureate nursing degree one unit of academic credit for every unit of the required pre-licensure community college nursing course credits that were not transferred to the CSU baccalaureate program, with a maximum of 30 semester units (45 quarter units) to be awarded through the NCLEX provision.
5.2	Credit for passage of the NCLEX examination shall not be awarded when equivalent degree credit has been granted for pre-licensure coursework, credit by evaluation, or other instructional processes.
5.3	Duplicate credit shall not be awarded because of overlapping tests, college-level courses, or both. Where there is partial overlap, the amount of examination credit shall be reduced accordingly.
5.4	The awarding of NCLEX credit shall be accomplished without requiring students to enroll in FTES-generating courses and without charging students a fee for the units awarded.

6. Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree: Reporting Total Units Required

Campuses offering baccalaureate nursing programs shall report to the Chancellor’s Office each January, specifying the number of units required to complete the nursing baccalaureate degree program for pre-licensure students and for post-licensure students.  A justification shall be submitted for all programs that extend the baccalaureate unit requirement beyond 120 units at a semester campus or 180 units on a quarter campus (Title 5 section 40508).