The NMSU Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is a four (4) year program consisting of 124-125 credit hours. Students must apply and be accepted to the program in order to start their nursing courses.
Semester 1 |
17 cr. |
ENGL 1110G Rhetoric/Composition |
4 cr. |
MATH 1220G College Algebra |
3 cr. |
CHEM 1120G Applied Chemistry & lab (preferred) or CHEM 1215G General Chemistry I |
4 cr. |
PSY 1110G (201G) Introduction to Psychology |
3 cr. |
NUTR 2110 (HNDS 251) Human Nutrition |
3 cr. |
Semester 2 |
17 cr. |
ENGL 2210G Writing for the Humanities |
3 cr. |
CEPY 1120G Human Growth and Behavior |
3 cr. |
SPMD 2210/2210L Anat. Phys. I & lab |
4 cr. |
MATH 1350G or A ST 311 Stat. Applic |
3 cr. |
BIOL 2110G/2110L (211GL) Cellular Biology & Lab |
4 cr. |
Semester 3 |
18 cr. |
COMM 1115G or COMM 1130 Oral Comm |
3 cr. |
SPMD 3210/3210G (SP M 371+L) Anat. & Phys. II & lab |
4 cr. |
BIOL 2320 or BIOL 311 Microbiology |
3 cr. |
BIOL 311L Microbiology Lab |
2 cr. |
**Area VI Creative & Fine Arts |
3 cr. |
**Area V Humanities 3 cr. |
3 cr. |
An alternative 4-semester prerequisite degree plan is available upon request.
* *These classes are not included in the Prerequisite GPA calculation.
Students must submit their applications by the following dates:
- February 1 st for Fall Semester Admission
- September 1 st for Spring Semester Admission
There are several requirements that are considered for admission to the program. These include:
- Applicants must achieve a minimum nursing pre-requisite GPA of 2.75 in order to be eligible to apply to the BSN program. ( Note: The GPA of accepted students is generally higher than this minimum.)
- Applicants must achieve a minimum of 75% on all required sections of the HESI A2 Admission Assessment. ( Note: The HESI A2 scores of accepted students is generally higher than this minimum.)
- A maximum of 2 attempts is allowed per application cycle.
- Exam scores are valid for ONE semester.
- The HESI A2 exam should be taken at least 1 month before the application deadline
The BSN Program Admission Score is calculated as follows:
Criteria |
Score |
Nursing Program Pre-requisite Course GPA |
40% |
HESI A2 Admission Assessment Score |
50% |
New Mexico residents, military students, |
2% |
Four (4) or more pre-requisite course taken at NMSU |
3% |
Admission Essay Score |
5% |
- Trusted Profession: Americans have rated nurses as the #1 most ethical and honest profession for the last 19 years, according to the most recent Gallup pool.
- Job Security: Based on data from the NM Department of Workforce Solutions by 2030, there will be more than 1,200 annual job openings for registered nurses in New Mexico.
- High Earning Potential: Registered Nurses in New Mexico earn an average annual salary of $75,500 per year (or $36.40 per hour) as of May 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Flexible Schedules: While the basic workday for most people is an 8-hour day, five days per week, the average for nurses is 12-hour shifts, three days per week. Longer hours mean more time to spend doing the things you want to do on your days off.
- Diverse Opportunities: Nurses are needed everywhere. There are many different areas of nursing to work in. If you find one isn't right for you, then it is relatively easy to move into another area of nursing.
Yes, the baccalaureate program in nursing at New Mexico State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The BSN program has received full approval with warning for two-years from the New Mexico Board of Nursing due to the average first-time NCLEX-RN scores being less than 80%. Overall, NCLEX-RN pass rates for 2021 were 88.6.