University of Louisiana at Lafayette Nursing School Review
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) began educating students in 1901 as Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute, a two year college. It began offering four year programs in 1920, and changed its name to Southwestern Louisiana Institute. It became a University in 1960, and was renamed to its current name in 1999.
UL Lafayette enrolls over 16,000 students each semester. It has a main campus, an athletic complex, University Research Park, and Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology. In addition, UL Lafayette owns the New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, a primate breeding and research center.
Nursing Programs
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
This program is designed to train students for entry into professional nursing. Students that graduate the program will be eligible to sit for the licensing exam for Registered Nurses (RNs). This program is eight semesters long and can be completed in four years if taken full time.
Students are admitted to the program as freshmen, and must meet the University admission standards. Once in the program, they are responsible for meeting the progression standards of the BSN program to be able to continue.
The minimum requirements for progression are earning at least a C in each course in the nursing curriculum and a Satisfactory in all lab courses. Prior to enrolling in Fundamentals of Caregiving during their sophomore year, students will need to have a background check, complete at least 45 semester hours, and have taken all science courses except Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology. They must have a GPA of at least 2.8 to be able to progress to the junior level nursing courses, and will need to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 to be able to graduate.
RN to BSN Online
This online program allows students who have already earned an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and are licensed as RNs. This is a 30 credit hour program, and takes about 11 months to complete. To apply, students will need to have an ADN degree and a GPA of at least 2.8. They will also need to submit their official transcripts to the Office of Admissions.
There are a number of co-requisite courses for this program. These may be taken online at UL Lafayette, or transferred from another institution. The co-requisite courses are English Literature, Chemistry, Statistics, General Biology, Communications, Computer Literacy, Art, History, English Composition, Introduction to Psychology, College Algebra, Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, and a 200 or 300 level Humanities course.
Students in this program will begin by taking Orientation for RN to BSN and Transition to Professional Nursing for RN to BSN.
Master of Science in Nursing
The MSN degree at UL Lafayette is offered through an arrangement with the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing (ICMSN). This program meets the educational requirements for students wishing to apply for an advance practice license and become a certified Nurse Practitioner, either as a Family Nurse Practitioner, or Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
To be able to apply to the MSN program, students must have a BSN degree, GRE scores, a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75, current immunizations, a physical assessment course, have taken an introductory statistics class, and hold a current RN license.
Students may take the following specialty tracks:
- Family Nurse Practitioner – takes 42 to 45 credit hours, 720 clinical hours, and a thesis or scholarly project to complete.
- Nursing Education – requires 34 credit hours, 300 clinical hours, and a thesis or scholarly project to complete.
- Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner – can be completed with 46 to 49 credit hours and 720 clinical hours. The thesis is optional.
There is also a Post-master’s Nurse Practitioner certificate program available in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
This program readies the student for advanced nursing practice in numerous settings. Students are admitted into the program in the fall semester. This program is offered online, and students will be required to visit the campus at the beginning and end of the program.
To be able to apply, students must have an MSN degree in Nurse Practitioner or Nursing Administration/Leadership, a GPA of at least 3.3, either an RN or advanced practice RN license, a curriculum vitae, current transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement outlining the student’s goals and reasons for pursuing a DNP degree, complete an interview, complete a background check and a drug/alcohol screen, and be comfortable and proficient with distance learning.
Students must complete at least 39 credit hours and 1000 clinical hours, a doctoral synthesis project, and maintain a 3.0 GPA to graduate.
Continuing Nursing Education
Nurses may take continuing education courses through the College of Nursing and Allied Health to meet their licensure requirements and stay abreast of new developments in the field. UL Lafayette offers a variety of continuing education program. The schedule varies, and is put together based on input from area nurses, educators, and administrators.
Contact:
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
202 Hebrard Blvd,
Lafayette, LA 70503
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