School of Nursing

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Accreditation: The School of Nursing of Widener University is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the State Board of Nurse Examiners of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
One Dupont Circle, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036-1120; (202) 887-6791

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, State Board of Nursing
P.O. Box 2649, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649; (717) 783-7142

SON Mission and Core Values

MISSION

Empowering an interprofessional community of learners to advance health through practice, scholarship, leadership, and innovation.

CORE VALUES

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do.

Excellence

We hold ourselves to the highest standards of excellence in education, practice, scholarship, and service.

Respect

We care for and honor the dignity of all in our community and those we serve.

Integrity

We hold ourselves and our community to high personal and professional ethical standards.

Courage

We embrace opportunities to advocate and innovate to advance the health of our community and the strengthening of our professions.

Professionalism

We believe that professionalism encompasses a professional identity that demonstrates accountability, a collaborative spirit, cultural sensitivity, humility, and social justice.

School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook

Widener University general policies regarding academic admission, progression, graduation, student rights/responsibilities, and student organizations are found in this catalog and in the Widener University Student Handbook. Policies specific to the School of Nursing, including academic/clinical requirements, dismissal, readmission, appeal, and other such matters, are found in the School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook, which is available on the School of Nursing Undergraduate website. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves thoroughly with university and School of Nursing policies and for complying with such policies.

Undergraduate Program

The School of Nursing offers a four-year full-time baccalaureate program, which begins with a broad foundation in the humanities and natural and social sciences, and expands to the role of the professional nurse. In addition, the School of  Nursing offers an 18 month Accelerated Second Degree BSN and opportunities for students with an Associates Degree to transfer into the BSN program.  Clinical practice in varied health care settings is an integral part of the educational experience. The curriculum plan can be found in the School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook, as well as in this catalog.

Undergraduate Learning Outcomes

• Synthesize theoretical concepts and constructs from the humanities, social sciences, mathematical, natural, and physical sciences into nursing practice.
• Use individual, organizational, and systems leadership and management theories to interact constructively and ethically to influence and assure effective, evidence-based, safe, quality outcomes in the delivery of nursing care to human beings in an ever-changing world and global society.
• Apply methods of scholarly inquiry and interpretation to translate best current evidence into nursing practice.
• Implement evidence-based and theoretically sound nursing care by collaborating with other health care team professionals to promote optimal health for individuals and populations.
• Use technology to facilitate care to provide safe, ethical, and effective clinical decision making for individuals, populations, and health care workers.
• Integrate into practice a basic knowledge of health care policy, finance, and regulatory environments, including local, national, and global trends with system cost factors and the impact on individuals and populations.
• Integrate into practice a basic knowledge of the impact of socio-cultural, economic, legal, and political factors influencing health care delivery and practice.
• Use effective communication techniques to produce positive interprofessional and intraprofessional working relationships.
• Demonstrate appropriate team building strategies when working with interprofessional and intraprofessional teams.
• Use health promotion along with disease and injury prevention strategies to maximize the health of individuals and populations across the lifespan.
• Advocate for social justice with a commitment to the health of vulnerable populations and the elimination of health disparities.
• Assume accountability for professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct through self-reflection of attitudes, beliefs, and values as they relate to decision making, advocacy, collaboration, and social responsibility.
• Foster personal and professional growth and development through self-care and lifelong learning.
• Perform developmentally and culturally-focused patient and family assessments that include a comprehensive appraisal of physical, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental parameters.
• Deliver patient-centered education that reflects consideration for patient developmental level, cultural background, literacy, and family system.
• Recognize the relationships of genetics and genomics to health, prevention, screening, diagnostics, prognostics, selection of treatment, and monitoring of treatment effectiveness.
• Apply effective communication in interactions with patient and patient’s support network.
• Demonstrate in clinical practice the application of sound principles of psychomotor skills that reflect efficient, safe, and compassionate patient care.

Admission to the BSN Program

Incoming freshmen must have:

• Completed the application to Widener University specifying a major in nursing.
• SAT Score of 980 or higher (combined verbal and math).
• High school GPA of 2.85 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).
• Test optional admission process is also available.

In addition, international students need passing TOEFL scores or equivalent: IBT scores of 79 (total score)/26 (spoken) or paper-based exam scores of 550/55 (spoken) or a PTE passing score of 55 or higher overall, with  no Communicative Skills subscores lower than 50 in each part.*

Widener students who are transferring to nursing from another major must have:

• 2.75 or higher cumulative GPA at Widener.
• Grade of C or higher in CHEM 105/106.
• Grade of C or higher in all courses required for the nursing curriculum.

In addition, international students need passing TOEFL scores or equivalent: IBT scores of 79 (total score)/26 (spoken) or paper-based exam scores of 550/55 (spoken).*

Students who are applying to the Accelerated BSN option on the Chester or Harrisburg Campus must meet the following admission requirements:

• Complete the transfer application to Widener University specifying the accelerated nursing option and the campus of choice.
• A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA from all previous college/universities for admission consideration.
• Completion of all pre-requisite coursework.  We will further examine the strength of science courses and the patterns of progress (limited withdrawals and repeats allowed).
• Letter of good standing from the dean/director/chair of the nursing program for students whose transcript contains evidence of nursing courses.

The Harrisburg, PA program is for second degree students only and a completion of a bachelor’s degree is required for acceptance.  Prerequisite and general education courses will be accepted as a block credit of 49 credits.

Transfer students will only be accepted on the Chester, PA campus.

Please be advised that a student attending the Main Campus in Chester cannot apply for another Widener major with the intention of eventually changing his/her major to Nursing.  If a student intends to graduate with a nursing degree, the student must be admitted directly to the nursing major.

Non-native English speaking applicants born outside the United States (international applicants, immigrants to the U.S., and U.S. permanent residents) are required to submit the results of a test of English proficiency (exemptions). Accepted tests and requirements are as follows:

  TOEFL internet-based test (80 minimum/26 minimum on the speaking section)

  TOEFL paper-based test (550 minimum)

  TOEFL computer-based test (213 minimum)

   IELTS (6.5 overall band score)

  *IETS (TOEFL) school code for Widener University is: 26642

*All non-native English speaking applicants born outside the United States (international applicants, immigrants to the United States, and U.S. permanent residents), including students who have completed English as a Second Language course(s), are required to take the TOEFL examination. Results from the TOEFL taken up to two years prior to admission will be accepted. Non-native English speaking applicants born outside the United States but who have attended high school in the United States since the 9th grade must submit their official high school transcript and either the SAT or TOEFL. An interview may be required.

Any student from the following countries will be exempt from taking an English Proficiency Exam.  

Exemption list 

Anguilla 

Antigua & Barbuda 

Australia 

Bahamas 

Barbados 

Belize 

Bermuda 

Botswana 

British Virgin Islands 

Canada (except Quebec) 

Cayman Islands 

Dominica 

Fiji 

Gambia 

Ghana 

Gibraltar 

Grenada 

Guyana 

Ireland 

Jamaica 

Kenya 

Kiribati 

Lesotho 

Liberia 

Malawi 

Marshall Islands 

Mauritania 

Mauritius 

Micronesia 

Montserrat 

Namibia 

New Zealand 

Nigeria 

Papua New Guinea 

St, Kitts & Nevis 

St Lucia 

St. Vincent & Grenadines 

Seychelles 

Sierra Leone 

Singapore 

Solomon Islands 

South Africa 

Swaziland 

Tanszania 

Tonga 

Trinidad & Tobago 

Turks and Caicos Islands 

Uganda 

United Kingdom 

Vanuatu 

Zambia 

Zimbabwe 

For additional information on School of Nursing policies and procedures, please see the Nursing Student Handbook in the dropdown menu on the main Undergraduate Catalog page. 

Programs for Registered Nurses

Widener’s School of Nursing is committed to meeting the needs of registered nurses who wish to further their education at the baccalaureate and graduate level. The Accelerated RN to BSN to MSN program is offered for registered nurses holding an associate’s degree or diploma who wish to pursue the bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree. ​As part of the RN to BSN to MSN option, students will complete three graduate courses which provides an opportunity to fast-track into a master’s program. The RN/MSN option of the MSN program is offered for registered nurses prepared with the associate’s degree or diploma who also hold a bachelor’s degree in another field of study.

School of Nursing Honors Program

The School of Nursing Honors Program is designed for academically talented nursing students. Its purpose is to provide meaningful learning experiences that prepare students to continuously learn, apply, and create new knowledge throughout their lifetimes. Class time is spent cultivating critical thinking, skill in self-expression, and independent analysis of material. This program is intended as a complement to the university Honors Program in General Education. Participation may be in addition to or independent of the Honors Program in General Education. Eligible students must have a 3.2 cumulative GPA by the end of the sophomore year and a 3.5 GPA in the nursing major.

Nurses Educated Together (NET) Commuting and Learning Community

The NET Commuting and Learning Community is open to commuting freshman students admitted to the nursing major.  The students have an opportunity to attend selected freshman courses and faculty-led activities with a small cohort of commuter students.  This program enhances the freshman year through scheduled cocurricular activities and provides an immediate peer group.  Students apply to the NET program during the summer, prior to freshman orientation.  Students are selected on the basis of their applications.  Only students eligible to enroll in CHEM 105/106 during the fall of freshman year are eligible.

Nurses Educated Together (NET) Living and Learning Community

The Living Learning Community is manage through the School of Nursing in conjunction with Residence Life.  The Living Learning Community provides freshmen nursing students a unique opportunity to live and learn together through a variety of cocurricular activities and social events, in common areas of the residence hall and in Founders Hall.  This peer support system will foster friendships and help with the transition to college and reinforce your commitment to nursing excellence.  This community participates in diverse programming that complements the classroom experience while addressing personal development, academic skills, and success in the nursing profession.  Upper division nursing students serve as your Resident Assistant and mentor.  Active participation is the key to success of the NET LLC.  This acceptance requires that a student be available for all scheduled cocurricular activities with the exception of class conflicts.  These cocurricular experiences include, but are not limited to, times during late afternoon/early evening hours in your residence hall area or in Founders Hall.  Space in this LLC is limited to 54 students and selection will be by a competitive process.

If selected for the LLC, students will be placed in housing based on their Math ACT/SAT scores.  

Graduate Programs in Nursing

The School of Nursing offers a master of science in nursing (MSN), a doctor of nursing practice (DNP), and a doctor of philosophy (PhD). Post-master’s certificates in clinical specialties are also available. Information on all of the graduate nursing programs can be found in the School of Nursing’s online graduate catalog, which can be found at www.widener.edu/catalogs.

Additional Costs for Nursing Students

In addition to general matriculation charges such as tuition, room and board, and books, students in the School of Nursing incur additional expenses that begin with and continue through the clinical portions of the program. The approximate costs are as follows:

Note: Transportation to all clinical and other health care agencies is the responsibility of the student.

*All nursing students are required to complete the criminal check, child abuse clearance, and drug testing forms prior to beginning clinical components.

**Approximate cost. Fee may vary from state to state.

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