School of Nursing Undergraduate
RN to BSN
BSN Bachelor of Science in Nursing, RN to BSN completion
The bachelor's completion route for working registered nurses — fully online and asynchronous, in seven-week sessions with six start dates a year, and up to 90 credits transferable.
Built around a shift pattern, not around a timetable
Every class is online and asynchronous — there is no lecture you have to be awake for. Courses run in seven-week sessions with six starts a year, so the next entry point is never more than a couple of months away, and a hard month at work costs you a session rather than a semester.
Start here
You are already a nurse. This is the paperwork catching up.
Three reasons RNs come back for the bachelor’s. The last line of each card is the practical answer.
Route 01
Your employer wants a BSN-prepared workforce
Magnet recognition, a hospital policy, or a quiet conversation about what the unit will look like in three years. You need the degree and you need to keep working while you get it.
Fully online, fully asynchronous, seven-week sessions. Up to 90 of your existing credits transfer, so what remains is the last 30 at UB.
Route 02
You want to move into leadership or education
Charge nurse, educator, quality, informatics — the roles where the BSN is the floor rather than the ceiling, and where you would eventually want the MSN.
The upper-level coursework is aimed squarely at this: leadership, quality and safety, informatics, evidence-based practice and community health.
Route 03
You have been meaning to finish for years
You have credits scattered across a diploma or associate program and possibly a couple of other colleges, and you are not sure what still counts.
Send every transcript, from every institution. Up to 90 credits transfer from accredited institutions, and that assessment is what decides how long this actually takes you.
How the 120 credits work
Transfer what you have. Complete the rest here.
The total is 120 credits across general education, basic nursing and upper-level nursing — but most of it you already have.
Transcript assessment
Up to 90 credits transfer from previous nursing coursework at accredited institutions. This happens first because it determines everything after it.
General education and electives
The University core and electives, filled by transfer credit where you already hold it.
Nine advanced nursing courses
Evidence-based practice, health assessment, quality and safety, leadership, informatics, professional seminars and community health — the upper-level content the BSN adds to your licence.
The residency requirement
Once matriculated, the final 30 credits must be completed at University of Bridgeport in order to receive the degree. In seven-week sessions, that is a planning question rather than a scheduling one.
Course sequences change between catalog years. The academic catalog and its addendum are authoritative for the requirements that apply to your entry term.
Curriculum pageGetting in
What it takes
An active licence, a 2.5 cumulative GPA, and your transcripts. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
What you need
- A current, unencumbered registered nurse licence in your state of residence
- A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
- The completed University of Bridgeport application
- Official transcripts from every college or university you have attended
- Evidence of high school completion or an equivalent credential
- Rolling admission. There is no fixed deadline — applications are reviewed as they arrive, against six start dates a year.
- International applicants should review the international admission requirements for any additional documentation.
How the credits land
What the BSN adds
Where the completion degree leads
You are already licensed. What the bachelor’s changes is which roles are open to you next.
The bridge to the MSN
University of Bridgeport’s master’s programs in Nursing Education and Leadership are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Completing the BSN is what makes that next step available to you.
Approval and accreditation
Approved and licensed by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education
The RN to BSN Completion post-licensure program is approved and licensed by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. Separately, the School of Nursing’s pre-licensure baccalaureate degree program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791, and its master’s programs in Nursing Education and Leadership hold CCNE accreditation as well. University of Bridgeport is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
The School of Nursing’s licensure and accreditation page is authoritative and distinguishes between programs.
Straight answers
Questions applicants actually ask
Is the RN to BSN program CCNE accredited?
The RN to BSN Completion program is a post-licensure program approved and licensed by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. CCNE accreditation is held by the School of Nursing’s pre-licensure baccalaureate program and by its master’s programs in Nursing Education and Leadership. The distinction is worth knowing if an employer asks you specifically about CCNE — the School of Nursing’s licensure and accreditation page states each program’s status.
How much of my existing coursework transfers?
Up to 90 credits from previous nursing program coursework at accredited institutions. Once you have matriculated, the final 30 credits of residency coursework must be completed at University of Bridgeport. Send transcripts from every institution you attended — the assessment is what determines your timeline.
Do I have to be online at a particular time?
No. All classes are offered in an online, asynchronous format. There are no live sessions you must attend, which is the point — the program is built for nurses who are already working shifts.
When can I start?
There are six start dates a year, with courses running in seven-week sessions, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. In practice the next start is rarely more than a couple of months away.
What GPA do I need?
A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, along with a current, unencumbered RN licence in your state of residence.
What will I actually study?
Nine advanced nursing courses on top of general education: evidence-based practice, health assessment, quality and safety, leadership, informatics, professional seminars and community health. It is the systems and leadership layer on top of the clinical practice you already have.
Will this let me go on to a master's?
Yes. The BSN is the prerequisite for graduate nursing study, including University of Bridgeport’s own CCNE-accredited master’s programs in Nursing Education and Leadership.
More in nursing
Finish the degree you started
Send your transcripts and find out how many of your 120 credits you already hold. Admissions can tell you which of the six yearly starts you could realistically make.