ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:  ACCELERATED OPTION

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM ‘C’ GRADES

§  A minimum of a "C" grade in all prerequisite courses listed below:

• CHEM 106 and Lab, or 112 and Lab (Chemistry)
• CHEM 108 and Lab, or 114 and Lab (Organic and Biochemistry)
• BIOL 221 and Lab (Human Anatomy)
• BIOL 325 and Lab (Physiology)
• MICR 231 and Lab (Microbiology)
• PSYC 101 (Psychology)
• SOC 100, or 150, or 240 (Sociology)
• HDFS 210 (Lifespan Development)
• NFS 321 (Nutrition)
• STAT 281 (Statistics) or HSC 445 (Epidemiology)

ADDITIONAL GRADE REQUIREMENTS FOR REPEATED COURSES

§  Students who have failed (“D” or “F”) 2 or more of the prerequisite science courses (CHEM 106 or 112, 108 or 114; BIOL 221, 325; MICR 231), repeated and passed them on the second attempt, within the last 5 years, will not be admitted to the Accelerated Option.  This requirement does not apply if the first attempt occurred more than 5 years prior to successful completion of the course.

§  Students who have failed (“D” or “F”) one prerequisite course (CHEM 106 or 112, 108 or 114; BIOL 221, 325; MICR 231; PSYC 101; SOC 100, or 150, or 240; HDFS 210; NFS 321; STAT 281 or HSC 445), repeated and failed the same course a second time will not be admitted to the Accelerated Option.

§  No prerequisite may be taken more than twice without written approval from the Dean of the College of Nursing.

MINIMUM GRADE POINT AVERAGE

§  A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.8 on a 4-Point Scale for all post secondary course work

§  A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4-Point Scale for prerequisite courses (CHEM 106 or 112, 108 or 114; BIOL 221, 325; MICR 231; PSYC 101; SOC 100, or 150, or 240; HDFS 210; NFS 321; and STAT 281 or HSC 445).

TECHNICAL STANDARDS

§  Applicants must meet the technical standards for the nursing major. 

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

§  Submit 2 letters of professional reference from an employer or instructor to the SDSU Nursing Accelerated office by the due date. 

§  The subjects to include are:  e.g. accountability, professionalism, time management skills and personality traits that make the candidate an excellent choice for a nursing program that is completed at an accelerated pace.

§  The letters should be sent directly from the employer or instructor to:

South Dakota State University
College of Nursing
Nursing Accelerated Option
2300 N. Career Avenue, Suite 260

Sioux Falls, SD  57107

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

§  The College of Nursing requires all students who meet the definition of English as a Second Language to complete the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL). The minimum score required for admission to the Nursing Major is 600 with no section below a score of 56 or an English Language Teaching Association (ELTA) Oral Interview Exam score of 3.25 with no section score below a 3. 

§  These scores are required before the student will be accepted into the major.  The TOEFL is required for all students for whom English is a second language, regardless of residency status.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Prior Educational Preparation:

§  Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution at the time of enrollment in August.

§  Students need to have all prerequisite courses completed prior to enrolling in nursing accelerated courses in August.

Current Status:

§  Students must be admitted to SDSU prior to application to the nursing accelerated option.

Previous Nursing Program Enrollment:

§  Students who have been enrolled in a previous nursing program, and have failed a course, will not be admitted to the Accelerated Option without individual consideration by the Nursing Accelerated Coordinator.

§  Students who have been enrolled in a previous nursing program must submit a letter of recommendation from the dean or director of their former nursing program indicating eligibility for readmission.

Course Update:

§  Students who have taken Anatomy or Physiology more than seven years prior to their admission date, will be required to update these courses with a grade of “C” or better.

Transfer Courses:

§  All courses from other institutions should be transferred to SDSU as soon as possible. If a course is still in progress, please attach a current transcript to your application that shows midterm grades for the course(s) in progress from that institution.

Application Materials and Deadline:

§  Complete the Nursing Accelerated Option application form, include your essay, and submit by March 25th. All application materials and letters of reference are due in the office by the due date--not postmarked by the due date.

Students who meet the requirements will be contacted for a personal interview that is required for admission.

Any exception to these policies must be approved in writing by the Dean of the College of Nursing. 

March 2008