BSN vs BS in Nursing

KatieBell · Dec 3, 2005

A BSN is a Bachelors of Science with a Major in Nursing... It is the same thing.

RN34TX · Dec 4, 2005

There is no difference. You got some 2nd-3rd hand info that got mixed up by the time you heard it.

BSN means "Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing".

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 4, 2005

:) welcome to the site. enjoy your stay and best wishes to you. :balloons:

z's playa · Dec 4, 2005

I was just thinking..GEE....it's been a long time since I've seen one of these threads ! :lol2:

Welcome to allnurses FLO!!

Z:Melody: :Melody: :Melody:

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 4, 2005

A BSN is a Bachelors of Science with a Major in Nursing... It is the same thing.

Actually, Katie, that's not technically correct -- although the 2 degrees are ALMOST the same thing.

In most cases, a BSN is the degree offered by a School of Nursing within a university in which the different schools or colleges function with relative independence. There are committees, faculty governance structures, academic standards, etc. that encompass the whole university -- but within that basic structure, each school handles most of the day to day details and decisions themselves, without needing approval from the other disciplines to make most decisions.

A "BS with a major in nursing" usually means that there is an academic governance structure in which most key issues are decided by a multidisciplinary group representing (and governing) the whole university/college. They offer a BS (and bA) degrees that meet the same standards univeristy-wide and then designate the major.

So ... in most cases ... the degrees are essentially the same and one is not superior to the other. However, they are the result in 2 different types of organization within the academic community and that sometimes leads to differences in specific decisions (such as faculty qualifications, language requirements, etc.)

As for the original poster's question ... with most people not knowing the difference between the 2 degrees, I am not surprised that there is a little confusion. But with the difference being so insignificant, I would be shocked if any knowledgable person would use that difference in a hiring decision.

llg

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 4, 2005

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christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Dec 4, 2005

Actually, Katie, that's not technically correct -- although the 2 degrees are ALMOST the same thing.
In most cases, a BSN is the degree offered by a School of Nursing within a university in which the different schools or colleges function with relative independence. There are committees, faculty governance structures, academic standards, etc. that encompass the whole university -- but within that basic structure, each school handles most of the day to day details and decisions themselves, without needing approval from the other disciplines to make most decisions.
A "BS with a major in nursing" usually means that there is an academic governance structure in which most key issues are decided by a multidisciplinary group representing (and governing) the whole university/college. They offer a BS (and MA) degrees that meet the same standards univeristy-wide and then designate the major.
So ... in most cases ... the degrees are essentially the same and one is not superior to the other. However, they are the result in 2 different types of organization within the academic community and that sometimes leads to differences in specific decisions (such as faculty qualifications, language requirements, etc.)
As for the original poster's question ... with most people not knowing the difference between the 2 degrees, I am not surprised that there is a little confusion. But with the difference being so insignificant, I would be shocked if any knowledgable person would use that difference in a hiring decision.
llg

Yes, llg is correct. I just graduated in May '05 with my BS in Nursing. My school listed nursing as one of the majors it offered (hence, you can get a BS in it) but my school was not large enough to have a separate School of Nursing as one of its sub-divisions. I think mostly larger universities have those. But other than that, there is no difference btween a BSN & a BS in Nursing.

-Christine

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Dec 5, 2005

Thanks, llg, for your wonderful post. Always can count on you regarding the academics.

To our new member,

RN34TX · Dec 6, 2005

Actually, Katie, that's not technically correct -- although the 2 degrees are ALMOST the same thing.
In most cases, a BSN is the degree offered by a School of Nursing within a university in which the different schools or colleges function with relative independence. There are committees, faculty governance structures, academic standards, etc. that encompass the whole university -- but within that basic structure, each school handles most of the day to day details and decisions themselves, without needing approval from the other disciplines to make most decisions.
A "BS with a major in nursing" usually means that there is an academic governance structure in which most key issues are decided by a multidisciplinary group representing (and governing) the whole university/college. They offer a BS (and bA) degrees that meet the same standards univeristy-wide and then designate the major.
So ... in most cases ... the degrees are essentially the same and one is not superior to the other. However, they are the result in 2 different types of organization within the academic community and that sometimes leads to differences in specific decisions (such as faculty qualifications, language requirements, etc.)
As for the original poster's question ... with most people not knowing the difference between the 2 degrees, I am not surprised that there is a little confusion. But with the difference being so insignificant, I would be shocked if any knowledgable person would use that difference in a hiring decision.
llg

Talk about splitting hairs!

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 6, 2005

Talk about splitting hairs!

You're right -- and to the undergraduate student, the difference is not significant. However, if you are a faculty member or educational administrator, it can make a big difference.

If your school is more independent, it can make changes in the cirriculum more quickly and have to jump through fewer hoops to make changes. That can be a big advantage. However, there is a disadvantage in that your programs have not been so closely monitored nor officially sanctioned by the rest of the academic community.

At the doctoral level, that can matter. For example, I know of one school that was in the process of establishing a doctoral program. They had to choose between keeping the administration of the program within the School of Nursing and calling the degree a DNS or submitting to the governance of the University as a whole and qualifying for the higher-ranking PhD designation. They chose to go with maintaining more control and going with the DNS designation -- knowing that their graduates might suffer a little because of that decision and that some students might not choose to go to that school because they want the PhD.

The school at which I got my PhD made the opposite choice. Their BSN and MSN programs were run by the School of Nursing, but the PhD program was governed by the university's Graduate School. The rules governing who could sit on our dissertation committees, etc. were all run by the Graduate School and not the School of Nursing. (For example, they required a certain number of PhD's and would only accept an ocassional DNS or MD on a commitee.) That ensures that the students meet the same requirements as students as those in the other disciplines and that their degrees are equally deserving of respect.

Now ... of course ... many DNS programs set their standards just as high and their graduates deserve equal respest. I'm not suggesting otherwise. It's just that by submitting to the oversight by the academic community as a whole, departments of nursing get a stamp of approval that raises the prestige of the degrees they offer.

I'm sorry this post got longer than intended.

llg