Associate Degree (RN)
Overview
- Graduates are eligible to take the National Council of Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN) for licensure as a registered nurse (RN)
- AS degree consists of 65 credits that include theory, laboratory, and clinical learning experiences
- Clinical experiences are in urban and rural hospitals, long term care facilities, community-based agencies and clinics
- Associate of Science in Nursing is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)
- Option to continue to BSN
Offering Information
- Vermillion and Sioux Falls: USD will offer the Associate of Science in Nursing (AS) degree with the last admitting class for the fall of 2012. Only LPN's will be admitted fall 2013 in Vermillion and spring 2013 and fall 2013 in Sioux Falls
- Rapid City: Associate of Science Degree will continue to be offered with the last admitting class fall 2013
Academics
- AS coursework
- Courses are offered face to face in the traditional classroom, along with online learning components and nearby clinical site rotations, at the Vermillion, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Pierre, and Rapid City campuses
- The Distance Program, available only to employees whose healthcare employer has completed a contractual agreement with USD Distance Nursing, delivers theory online and arranges clinical rotations in geographically centralized locations near student groups
- LPN to RN Upward Mobility program at all campuses
- For more information, see the USD Undergraduate Catalog
Program Admissions
Accepted Students
Center of Excellence
The ASN program is designated as a national Center of Excellence in Nursing Education for the National League for Nursing.