The Nursing Department offers a program leading to either the BS or BA degree with a major in nursing. There are 128 credits required for graduation, of which 47 are in the Nursing Major. The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing.

A student is admitted to the major upon entering their first nursing course. Admission to the nursing courses requires a GPA of 2.5 in all courses that satisfy Edgewood College degree requirements, and a 2.5 GPA in all required science and math courses. Required science and math courses must have been taken within 5 years of admission to the first nursing course for credit in the nursing major, UNLESS they were part of a degree earned within the past 5 years. In order to progress in the nursing major, an academic cumulative GPA of 2.5, a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in Nursing, and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in the required science and math courses is required. A grade of C or better is required in each Nursing course. A grade of PASS in each clinical course is required for progression into the next Nursing course. If these requirements are not met, the student is unable to progress in the Nursing major.

Current CPR certification, physical exam, and health data are required before entering any clinical course. Each student is responsible for their own transportation to clinical sites. See the Nursing Student Handbook for specific health requirements.

The State of Wisconsin passed the Wisconsin Caregiver Background Check Law in 1998. This law requires a criminal background check on all people who are involved in the care of certain vulnerable groups, i.e., children, elderly, and other compromised populations. The intent of the law is to better protect clients from being harmed.

Edgewood College’s Department of Nursing and all clinical agencies under contract to the department require that every student and faculty member have a background check completed by the Criminal Justice Department of Wisconsin. Background Information Disclosure forms must be completed by students BEFORE entry into the nursing major.

Random drug checks may be done in clinical agencies throughout the duration of a student’s clinical experiences.

In accordance with college policy, a student may choose to repeat a course taken at Edgewood College to improve a poor or failing grade. Both earned grades are included in the GPA computation. If a course is taken at Edgewood College and then repeated at another institution, both course grades are averaged to compute the GPA for the nursing major. If a course is both taken and repeated at another institution(s), the most recent grade is used to compute the GPA for the nursing major.

In accordance with college policy, if a student repeats a course at Edgewood College that was previously accepted for credit at the time of transfer, the transferred credits are removed from the student’s record. The repeated course grade is used to compute the GPA for the nursing major.

A course required for the nursing major may be repeated only once for GPA calculation in the nursing major. In accordance with college policy, repeated courses are counted only once in total credits earned.

Individuals may appeal to the Nursing Department any decisions affecting their admission or progression in the nursing major.

The Department of Nursing participates in an assessment process that compares our students with other nursing students across the country. The computerized examinations, completed at regular intervals throughout the curriculum, are useful in preparing students to take the national licensing examination after graduation. An additional fee for the assessments is added to the tuition charge for each nursing theory course.