Online RN to BSN Degree (Competency Based)
Learn how you can graduate faster and for less
Take the guesswork out of transferring prior eligible college credits with our guide.
Learn how you can graduate faster and for less
Take the guesswork out of transferring prior eligible college credits with our guide.
RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Competency Based-CB)
Prepare to enhance your nursing practice, faster. When you transfer credits from your Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), you can complete your Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Competency-Based) in as little as 12 months.
Self-governed, with the assistance of your faculty practitioners and faculty mentor, this program is designed for working professionals who have an associate degree in nursing, an unencumbered RN license and one year of professional experience.
Ignite Your Passion
Start when you're ready
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Courses
Browse courses for your online nursing degree
Education should hold practical value. That’s why our courses meet rigorous academic standards and provide you with skills and knowledge immediately applicable to your career.
Program Handbook: Nursing Student Program Handbook 
Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.
Requirements: 33 credits
In a competency-based program, you earn credit by demonstrating your knowledge of a core skill, or competency. Since there are 33 credits in this program, one competency equals one credit.
Requirements to enter this program:
- An Associate of Arts Degree in Nursing, Associate of Applied Arts Degree with an emphasis in Nursing, an Associate of Science Degree with an emphasis in Nursing, or an Associate of Applied Science Degree with an emphasis in Nursing from an accredited college or university.
- Students must have a valid, unrestricted/unencumbered RN license.
- A minimum equivalent of one year of full-time post high school clinical-based RN work experience within the past five years. (Full-time work is defined as 32 hours per week for the BSN-CB program.)
4 courses at a time
16 weeks per course
11 courses per year
Schedule
Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for a Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Competency-Based).
Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.
Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every course.
We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.
Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every course.
We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Tuition
Paying for school
Tuition is based on a calculation of number of credits multiplied by the per credit cost.
RN to BSN-CB estimated program cost
$9,900 / program
Tuition Guarantee
With our Tuition Guarantee, you pay one flat, affordable tuition rate from the moment you enroll to the day you graduate from your program.
Budget & borrow
How to pay for college
Paying for school can be intimidating, but we’re here to help you make sense of it. Our finance advisors can walk you through your options like federal financial aid and savings opportunities to minimize your debt. Plus, we can help you figure out your financial plan.
Careers & Outcomes
What can you do with a RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Competency-Based) degree?
Discover where your degree might take you and make informed choices about your future.
An BSN-CB can prepare you to be a:
- Charge Nurse
- Public Health Nurse (PHN)
- Director of Nursing (DON)
Top skills learned in this program:
Business Management
Communications
Coordinating Safe Care
Critical Thinking and Holistic Nursing
Health Administration
Information Management and Communication
Leadership
Professionalism
Quality Improvement and Case Management
Strategic Planning
Ready to get started?
Start your application for free or request additional information.
What you’ll learn
When you earn your online Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Competency-Based), you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. You’ll learn how to:
- Demonstrate evidence-based holistic patient-centered care that reflects knowledge of the health-illness continuum.
- Implement appropriate health promotion and disease prevention strategies for diverse individuals, families and populations across the life span.
- Demonstrate professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct in health care industry.
- Apply leadership and organizational principles that promote safe health care delivery and nursing practice.
- Incorporate strategies that influence health policy at state, national, and international levels for the provision of safe, quality patient care.
- Integrate patient care communication and information technology systems in health care delivery to improve patient outcomes.
- Utilize interprofessional care coordination strategies to promote quality patient care.
6% Growth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , job growth for registered nurses occupations is projected to be faster than average between 2023 and 2033.
The BLS Projected Growth for 2023-2033 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.
Admissions
Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.
Starting your degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.
- No SAT/ACT required
- No essay required
- No cost, risk-free trial for eligible students
- We’ll request transcripts at no cost to you, when possible, and we accept eligible credits from over 5,000 accredited institutions.
How to enroll at University of Phoenix
Receive 1-on-1 support
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)
Call or chat with us 7 days a week.
Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep
Receive 1-on-1 support
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]
[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)
Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.
Student Experience
An education that fits your busy life
Balancing family, work and school
Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.
Online learning
Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night.
Around-the-clock support and resources
You have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Computer requirements for courses
Many course assignments will require you to use a computer to complete and submit your assignment.
Faculty Spotlight
Professionals dedicated to you
Your success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 28+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom, and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.
Accreditation
Count on the quality of your education
programmatic accreditation
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Phoenix are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
This program is aligned with leading industry organizations, such as:
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN®)
- Quality & Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)
Current RN license required.
While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.