Curriculum Overview

The minimum number of hours to graduate with a BSN from UT Knoxville is 123 credit hours. RN to BSN students must have at least 60 credit hours (including credit by proficiency) from a 4-year institution to graduate from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Through the program, students will earn 34 credit hours and receive 27 hours of proficiency credit for a total of 61 credit hours. By completion of these courses, RN to BSN students at UT Knoxville are eligible for honors designation at graduation.

In addition to these 61 credit hours, all students should come into the program with at least 63 transferrable credit hours, which would total a student’s credit hours to meet the 123 credit hour requirement.

Students can choose between a full-time or part-time academic plan. The full-time plan can be completed in one calendar year (i.e. 3 semesters, including summer), while the part-time plan may be completed in 2 years*.

*Timeframes of plans are based solely on RN to BSN curriculum, not including any general education needs. Completion of the program may be extended if students still need to complete general education requirements.

The RN to BSN advisor may work with students on an individual basis to alter academic plans for extenuating circumstances, but students should be aware that altering plans will result in an extended graduation time based on certain courses only being offered during certain semesters and course sequencing.

Semesters are broken down into two 8-week sessions. The curriculum is outlined for each enrollment status option on the following few pages.

Due to experiences gained in the field, RNs are offered 27 proficiency credits to complete the RN to BSN degree. Students will receive proficiency credit (as Satisfactory/No Credit grades) for the following courses (i.e. they will be exempt from taking these courses):

These credits will be held in escrow until the graduating semester for a student. In order to officially receive proficiency credits, students will need to complete related paperwork the semester prior to graduation.

Proficiency credits are $5 per credit hour, for a total of $135. Completing the proficiency credit paperwork and $135 fee are considered a degree requirement.