Tennessee Tech University

TTU School of Nursing offers a four-year program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).  During your first two years, you will concentrate on general education (Gen Ed) requirements.  The Gen Ed requirements, while giving you a solid educational foundation, will also provide a good foundation for your nursing classes.  Your knowledge of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and sociology will promote your success in your nursing classes and also allow you to understand and interact with patients while in clinical experiences and after you graduate.

Your last two years, a combination of nursing classes and clinicals, will provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for patients in all areas of nursing, including community health.

NURSING (NURS)

(Leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree)

TTU School of Nursing, in collaboration with the other five Tennessee Board of Regents universities, offers an MSN-RODP program leading to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).  By choosing Tennessee Tech as your “home school,” you’re able to earn an MSN with your choice of the following concentrations:  Nursing Education, Nursing Administration, Nursing Informatics, or Family Nurse Practitioner.

All coursework is done online, and you have a choice of preceptors to complete the clinical experiences.  For most Registered Nurses, this program gives you an achievable way to further your education while continuing your job responsibilities.

The checklist below will guide you through the process of applying for the program and navigating through the administrative procedures of the program.

Regents Online Degree Program Guide

This document is intended only as a checklist to guide you in successfully completing the MSN-RODP program. All policies for the program can be found on the RODP web site.

• Apply for the MSN-RODP program through the RODP web site at http://www.rodp.org/msn/. Choose your concentration of study and your home school.
• Complete all RODP requirements to be accepted into the MSN-RODP program.
• Wait for an acceptance letter from RODP. If your choice of home schools was TTU and RODP approved your choice, apply for graduate admission at TTU.
  If you have questions, your contact at TTU is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Academic Advisor for the School of Nursing, at (931) 372-3229.
• To view details of the MSN-RODP program, visit http://www.rodp.org/msn/ and click on the concentration you're interested in. This page will show you a list of classes you’ll take for your particular concentration. For a detailed syllabus of each class, click on the class number link. To see a recommended sequence of taking the classes, scroll down below the numerical listing of classes.
• Keep track of all important dates by visiting the calendar and choose the calendars you want to view. At a minimum, keep track of dates under Academic Calendar and Student Accounts.
• Whenever possible, be advised and get registered during early course selection times. Since you probably live outside the Cookeville area, we won’t require you to visit campus for advisement and registration.
  Send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the classes you want to take the next semester, and she will e-mail your alternate PIN to you. If you’re doing early course selection during the spring semester, make sure you specify which classes you want to take summer semester and which classes you want to take fall semester.
• Pay your fees by the appropriate date on the student account calendar. You may do this by check or credit card through your Eagle Online account.
• Check your TTU e-mail account frequently. This will be the method of communication used to send you information. To find out your TTU e-mail address, look in your Eagle Online account under Personal Information. For new students, your e-mail address will be available a few days before classes begin if your fees have been paid. For directions on setting up your password, getting into WebCT to do your online classes, or to find any other information concerning "computing at TTU", visit ITS and click on "Welcome to Students."
• Before you complete 15 semester hours, visit the graduate studies web site and print out an Application for Candidacy and Proposed Program of Study for your particular concentration. Completely fill out the program with the semester you plan to complete each class. This plan can be changed at a later date, but it helps to plan course offerings and clinicals. Under the column for the semester you plan to take each class, use the format YYS, where YY is year and S is semester. Fall semester is F, Spring semester is S, and Summer semester is M. As an example, summer 2007 would be 07M.
• Email Dr. Melissa Geist, your contact for the FNP concentration, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it at least one semester before you plan to enroll in clinicals. This time is needed to get contracts for preceptors in place. Without these contracts, you will not be able to begin clinicals.

Lower division coursework includes completion of the general education requirements, many courses of which RN students have previously completed.  Through the Tennessee Mobility Act, Tennessee Tech is able to award credit for more than half of the upper division nursing courses to qualifying RN-BSN students.  The potential for experiential learning credit is available in community health and leadership/management nursing courses. The policy and procedure for experiential credit can be found in the Student Nursing Handbook.

The School of Nursing will review each applicant to the RN-BSN program individually due to the diverse educational background of each student.  An individualized curricular plan for each RN to BSN student will be devised to help the student realize the BSN degree.

You can look at the policies and procedures for the RN-BSN program in the Student Handbook.  Because of the different backgrounds of RN-BSN students, however, there is not a set curriculum for you to follow.

For Registered Nurses who have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than Nursing, you might also consider the bridge program which will move you toward your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).  You would take four classes to bridge into the MSN-RODP program to earn your master's degree.

NURSING (NURN) RN/BSN

(Leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree)