admissions@gsw.edu 877-871-4594
Apply
Skip to main content

Associate of Science in Nursing

Home / College of Nursing & Health Sciences / School of Nursing / AS in Nursing (ASN)

Associate of Science in Nursing

*The Associate of Science in Nursing program at Georgia Southwestern State University was granted initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This accreditation extends from March 16, 2023 to Spring 2029.

The Associate of Science in Nursing degree (ASN) is a two-year program designed for students wishing to enter the medical field as registered nurses. This program prepares graduates to take the NCLEX exam through hands-on training and rigorous coursework. The ASN program will facilitate educational advancements for LPNs and provide an additional pathway for students wanting to complete a degree in a shorter period of time than a baccalaureate program. Nursing students train in a wide variety of clinical settings-including hospitals, outpatient and community clinics, treatment centers, and long-term care facilities- and work with patient populations diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, health status, socioeconomic background, and geographic distribution. Graduates of the program will be prepared to practice in a wide variety of healthcare settings.

Upon acceptance to GSW, students are first enrolled into a Bachelor of Integrated Studies with ASN Interest degree track which allows them to satisfy University System of Georgia Core Curriculum requirements. ASN Interest students must later apply for admission into the School of Nursing during the spring semester and be accepted at the upper division level in order to begin nursing courses during the summer semester. All ASN Interest will be advised on admission requirements and procedures, prerequisite requirements, and all other details related to the ASN program by a professional nursing advisor.

ASN graduates are eligible to apply for GSW’s online RN-BSN Program after successful completion of the NCLEX and full RN licensure.

 

Apply to GSW Apply to the School of Nursing

Undergraduate Major

Associate of Science in Nursing

Health & Human Science Complex
Carter I

229-931-2275
229-931-2288 fax
nursing@gsw.edu

Faculty & Staff

Advance with GSW's ASN Program

Dr. Teasley details ASN Program

ASN Program Admission

All application materials should be received by the application deadline (March 15) and include:

Admissions Review

Review of application packets by the Admission Committee begins immediately after the March 15th deadline. Only complete application packets will be evaluated. Admission decisions are emailed to all applicants approximately one month after the deadline. If you have not received notification by April 15th, please contact the ASN Student Services Coordinator at 229-931-2605.

Admission Requirements

Eligibility Requirements

ASN Program admission eligibility requirements:

  1. Attain admission to Georgia Southwestern in good standing.
  2. Return the completed ASN application and required supporting documents to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences by the published deadlines.
  3. Complete all core curriculum courses the semester prior to entering the nursing program in the Summer semester. Admissions must have final transcripts for Transfer students before nursing classes begin.
  4. Science courses in Area D and Area F must be completed no more than five years prior to projected admission to the ASN program; however, applicants are only required to earn credit for Anatomy & Physiology 1 before beginning the nursing curriculum.
  5. Earned a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5/4.0. Admission is competitive. A GPA of 2.50 does not guarantee admission. Calculation of GPA is based on most recent course grades
  6. Students are required to have a laptop for in-class use. Chromebooks and iPads/tablets are not compatible with current software. Please visit our System Requirements for recommendations on personal devices.
  7. Must take HESI A2 with a minimum score of at least 65%. Test scores & HESI transcripts should be printed out and included in the nursing application packet. Instructions to print transcripts can be found below under HESI information. 
  8. Must not have been excluded from any nursing program for misconduct or disruptive behavior. A program failure within 5 years of the application date will be reviewed for consideration by the admissions committee. 

Entrance Exams

HESI Admission Assessment (HESI A2)

The HESI (Health Education Systems, Inc.) Admission Assessment (A2) is a computerized exam designed to assess prospective students entering the health science fields. The HESI A2 consists of eight different exams, seven of which are required by the Nursing program at Georgia Southwestern State University. 

ASN applicants must receive a 65 total composite score as a requirement and the HESi exam can only be taken 2 times within two years.

TOEFL

The official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test scores are required for applicants whose first language is not English.  Exemption from the TOEFL requirement is allowed for undergraduate students who complete courses equivalent to English Composition I and II at a regionally accredited United States college or university and earn at least a “C” on the courses.

Professional Licensure Disclosures

The state of Georgia is a member of the Nurse License Compact (NLC), which allows graduates of the Georgia Southwestern’s ASN and BSN programs who pass the NCLEX-RN exam to apply for a license that will be good in all forty-two states that belong to the compact. If you are an out-of-state student and you plan on moving back to your home state after graduation, it is strongly advised that you make sure your home state is a part of this compact. More information can be found on the Out of State Students Webpage below:

Transfer Students

Upon applicant’s acceptance to GSW, a letter of acceptance and transcript evaluation will be available to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.  These documents must be on file in GSW office of admissions and are required before the Admission & Progression Committee can review the College of Nursing and Health Sciences application.

  • If applicant is taking or in progression of courses at other institutions during the admission process, applicants must make note of what courses they are taking on their nursing application.
  • Applicant must submit an official transcript verifying final course grades to Registrars office and an unofficial transcript verifying final course grades to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Student Services Coordinators office ASAP after completion.

Transfer applications will require a transcript evaluation so be sure to apply early so this document can be completed before the deadline.

Student Resources & Forms

Program Objectives
Outcomes & Statistics

ASN End of Program Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, the ASN graduate will:

  • Provide patient centered care with sensitivity for diverse patients and family.
  • Employ therapeutic communication skills to act as patient advocate for continuity of care through collaboration to provide holistic nursing care.
  • Accept and make assignments and delegate tasks to other members of the
    healthcare team using best current evidence that takes patient safety, scope of practice and clinical experience into consideration.
  • Create a safe environment that results in high quality patient outcomes.
  • Uses innovation including use of technology to provide quality care.
  • Utilize critical thinking skills to provide care for individual and families.
  • Provide quality and safe care based on organizational and health care policies for quality patient outcomes.
  • Assume responsibility for personal and professional behaviors.
  • Integrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes from the sciences, arts, humanities, and nursing science in providing nursing care for patients and families.

Nursing Program Outcomes & Statistics

Metric

2024

2025

2026

ASN NCLEX-RN Licensure Examination (First-Time) Pass Rate

84.38%

*Pending Data

*Pending Data

ASN (On-Time) Program Completion Rate

62%

*Pending Data

*Pending Data

ASN Program Job Placement

100%

*Pending Data

*Pending Data

Model Plan of Study

Students will be considered pre-nursing students the first two semesters of the program. Students will initially apply for regular fall admission to begin their core curriculum and will apply to the School of Nursing for acceptance as a nursing student for the Summer semester after completion of core classes.

 Year 1 - Semester 1 (Nursing Interest- ASN)

Fall

Year 1 - Semester 2 (Nursing Interest - ASN)

Spring

Year 1 - Semester 3 (ASN)

May & Summer Terms

ENGL 1101 – Composition I (3 hrs)

PSYCH 1101 – Intro to Psychology (3 hrs)

BIOL 2251K – Anatomy & Physiology I (4 hrs)


Select ONE of the following:*
ARTC 1100 – Art Appreciation (3 hrs)
MUSC 1100 – Music Appreciation (3 hrs)
THEA 1100 – Theater Appreciation (3 hrs)

 

UNIV 1000 – The GSW Experience (1 hr)**

Total – 14 hours

 

PSYC 2103 – Human Growth & Development (3 hrs)

POLS 1101 – American Government (3 hrs)

MATH 1001 – Quantitative Reasoning (3 hrs)***

BIOL 2252K – Anatomy & Physiology II (4 hrs)

 

Select ONE of the following:
HIST 2111/History 2112 – U.S. History I or II (3 hrs)

Total – 16 hours

NURS 1001 – Fundamentals of Nursing (8 hrs)

Total – 8 hours

 Year 2 - Semester 1 (ASN)

Fall

Year 2 - Semester 2 (ASN)

Spring

Year 2 - Semester 3 (ASN)

May & Summer Terms

NURS 1002 – Nursing Across Lifespan I (8 hrs)

Total – 8 hours

NURS 2001 – Nursing Across Lifespan II (8 hrs)

BIOL 2050 – Microbiology (4 hrs)

Total – 12 hours

NURS 2005 – Nursing Across Lifespan III (10 hrs)

NURS 2006 – Transition to Practice (2 hrs)

 Total – 12 hours


Program Total – 69 hours (70 with UNIV 1000)

*ENGL 2110, 2111, 2112, 2120, 2121, 2122, 2130, 2131, and 2132 can also be used to meet this requirement.
**UNIV 1000 is only required for traditional freshman and (traditional) transfer students with less than 9 credit hours.

***MATH 1101, 1111, 1113, and 1120 can also be used to meet this requirement.