Program

Siena Heights University offers a CCNE-accredited online RN to BSN degree completion program for nurses interested in continuing to further their professional studies and careers. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (accelerated RN to BSN program) is designed for licensed Registered Nurses to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing and can be completed within 16 months, completely online. This accredited Nursing Program is respectful of the dignity and worth of all people and SHU nurses are prepared to provide high-quality clinical nursing care in ever-changing health care systems.

Based upon a liberal arts foundation, the faculty and students collaborate in a dynamic teaching and learning environment that embraces caring, diversity and creativity. We listened to what working nurses told us they needed, and adapted our online RN to BSN courses to be practical and relevant to today’s health care professionals, allowing students to tie their personal and professional experience into the coursework.

Finish your bachelors degree in nursing in a time frame that works with your schedule – in as little as two years, depending on your remaining requirements and availability. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree is also available.

Siena Nursing is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and by the Higher Learning Commission for the North Central Association.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Completion for Registered Nurses (RN-BSN program) was designed for licensed RN’s to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Students admitted to the RN-BSN degree completion program must have graduated from a Siena Heights Nursing approved program; either a two-year associate’s degree nursing program or hospital-based diploma degree program. Incoming students must have a valid RN license.

Requirements for admission into the RN-BSN program: 

• An unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse (RN)
• 40 semester hours of transfer credit in approved nursing courses
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
• Current professional resume

Requirements for graduation with a BSN:

A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 64 hours in approved nursing courses. Students can transfer up to 90 semester hours of required courses: 

• English Composition: 6 
• Anatomy/Physiology: 5-10
• Microbiology: 4 
• Social Science, Literature, History, Fine or Performing Arts: 3 
• Mathematics Proficiency 

Residency Requirements (Classes are available online):

The required courses below constitute the 30 hours with Siena Heights. All students must apply and be accepted into the Nursing program before enrolling in nursing courses.

Required Nursing Courses: 

• 24 semester hours with Siena Heights University:
• NUR 301 Transition to Professional Nursing: 4 
• NUR 375 Health Care of Communities & Vulnerable Populations: 4 
• NUR 380 Evidenced Based Research in Nursing Practice: 4 
• NUR 395 Health Policy and Informatics: 4 
• NUR 460 The Art of Ethical, Cultural, & Spiritual Nursing Practice: 4 
• NUR 480 Leadership & Health Care Organizations: 4

Required Non-Nursing Courses:

6 semester hours with Siena Heights University: 

• REL or PHIL course: 3 
• LAS 401 Senior Seminar: Integrative Experience

Find out more on the course requirements for the RN to BSN program.

Siena Heights University’s (SHU) Online RN to BSN Program was recently ranked fifth in the state by RegisteredNursing.org on their “2023 Best Online RN to BSN Programs in Michigan” list. To compile the information for their rankings, RegisteredNursing.org used data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), and the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Points were given to each institution based on accreditation, presence of online programs, ratio of total nurse program completions versus total program completions awarded by the institution, annual tuition and fees adjusted for each county’s cost of living, ratio of tenured instructional faculty, acceptance rate percentage, and graduate rate at 150% of normal time. After the points were totaled for each Nursing Program, the schools were ranked from highest to lowest total points.

Of this accomplishment, Assistant Dean of Academics-Nursing and Heath Sciences Division, Dr. Joanne Yastik said, “We are extremely proud of our online RN to BSN program. This recognition serves to validate the hard work of our dedicated faculty to ensure a relevant, quality curriculum that addresses the knowledge and skills needed by RN’s practicing in today’s healthcare environment.”

This curriculum for SHU’s RN to BSN program is designed to give graduates the knowledge and adaptive thinking skills that develop the ability to recognize unexpected situations, quickly consider possible responses, and decide on the best one. Now more than ever, these skillsets are essential in the world of healthcare and nursing. By incorporating these principles into the courses, nurses from the program are better prepared to adapt to changing work conditions in any environment, while also helping integrate Siena’s mission of being competent, purposeful, and ethical into their workplace practices.

Dr. Karen Howatt, RN to BSN and MSN Program Director said this of the program: “The SHU RN to BSN program is not just a degree, but an opportunity to build upon the foundation of nursing knowledge and experience already obtained, expanding one’s capability for practice and empowering nurses to make an even greater impact in the healthcare field.”