University of South Carolina Upstate Nursing School Review

The University of South Carolina Upstate (USCU, USC Upstate), originally the Spartanburg Regional Campus of the University of South Carolina, was founded in 1967 in response to the closing of the nursing diploma program at Spartanburg General Hospital. Anticipating a nursing shortage, the college was founded to train nurses for the Spartanburg, South Carolina area. It expanded, added additional programs, and became its own university, although still part of the South Carolina higher education system.

Nursing remains a focus of the University of South Carolina Upstate, although the university also offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, and education. Through the Mary Black School of Nursing, the University of South Carolina Upstate offers an undergraduate nursing program with different entry points for students with different levels of education. The nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Four-Year Track

Each spring and each fall, the Mary Black School of Nursing accepts 112 students into the four-year track of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. Before admission to the BSN program, however, students must complete two years of prerequisites and general education courses. If accepted to the BSN program, they will spend the remaining two years taking nursing classes and completing clinical rotations. Students must take prerequisite classes on the university’s campus in Spartanburg, but they have the option of taking the nursing classes either on campus in Spartanburg or through the University Center of Greenville. Two of the nursing courses are offered online. While the suggested course sequence takes four years to complete, part-time students are also welcome to apply. After completing the prerequisites, part-time students may take up to eight semesters to complete the nursing courses. In total, a student in the BSN program must earn 128 credits in order to graduate. After graduating, he may sit for the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and start working as a Registered Nurse (RN).

Bachelor of Science in Nursing – RN to BSN Track

Through the RN to BSN track of the BSN program, a graduate of an associate-degree program or a diploma program may earn a full BSN degree. Before applying for admission to the RN to BSN program, however, the RN must complete the required sixty-one credits of general education classes. He may do this either through the University of South Carolina Upstate, or at another college. The University of South Carolina Upstate will award him thirty-five advanced placement credits for the lower-level nursing courses. Once all the prerequisites are completed, the RN must earn thirty-two credits of nursing courses at the University of South Carolina Upstate. He can do this in three semesters (including one summer semester) on a full-time basis, but he may also study on a part-time basis. The RN to BSN program starts in the fall only, and the university accepts 100 to 200 students each year. The University of South Carolina Upstate offers the RN to BSN program online and through its center in Greenville.

Contact:
University of South Carolina Upstate
800 University Way,
Spartanburg, SC 29303