How can a ASN program be 2 years if you have to take prereqs and nursing classes?

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I don't understand how ASN degrees are considered associates degree when they are the exactly the same length as a bsn. Both programs have 2 years of nursing courses and clinicals. Both require pre reqs and nursing courses.

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Specializes in Intensive Care Unit.

Bsn is 4 years. Asn is two...not sure how you are confused. Bsn also has capstone courses and leadership classes included. Asn doesnt always have that.

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The BSN takes 3-5 years, and generally requires more general education requirements than the ASN.

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My school is a private two year (5 semesters; we don't take summers off) ADN program. The only pre-reqs are high school biology and chemistry. All the other classes (A&P, Micro, English, Math, Psy, etc) can be taken concurrently with the nursing program (although about half of us choose to do the pre-nursing guaranteed admission program (2 semesters, 4 classes) first.)

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

I believe that if you were to take all of your non nursing and nursing courses together, the degree would take two years full time. But then how would schools select students without a gpa to look at? Rather than basing it solely on standardized testing, I suppose they decided to separate gen Ed classes from nursing core. It takes longer, but it weeds people out and lightens the load once admitted into NS.

You can stretch any two/four year degree out into any number of years if you go slowly enough. In my case, I'm only taking 9 hours my first semester of NS.

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asn is requires 4 classes maxiumm to get in to & it only take u 1-2 semsters

whereas bsn u are required to take more than 12 classes which min take u 2 years & once u get accpeted there is another 2 years for the nursing

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Specializes in CMSRN.

My ASN program is three years at a minimum. After completing the pre-req's, there are two years of nursing courses. I think a lot of people confuse an associate's degree with only being 2 years. Most AD's are at least 60 credit hours. Unless you do 15 credit hours all four semesters or 12 straight through the summer, that's not possible to complete. And if there are any remedial courses, which some people need to take, that will spread it out also. I know very few people that complete a BSN in four years exactly. All of these are just arbitrary numbers. The real world tends to change the rules.

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I don't think its the length of time that it takes but the number of classes. ASN may take 4 years but its requires less credits and classes than a BSN and a person could take non nursing and nursing classes at the same time. The ASN program near me requires 70 credits, whereas the BSN requries 120 credits. Also, many people take 5 years to get a BSN.

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Basically what everyone else said... The local ASN/ADN is 66 college credits total (including prereqs). The BSN program I am about to start is 124 credits total. The nursing part of it is 5 semesters at 16 credits a semester.

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Lol. This nearly turned into a philosophical debate?

ASN- pre reqs + 2 years of nursing

BSN- pre reqs+ (school of nursing core) + 2 years of nursing

For a lot of people who have never been to college or going back, it will take them longer to get all of general Ed courses 1-3 years.

The content of some of the nursing will change, as you progress in your degrees.

I.e ASN students do not train, in school, to take charge positions, like BSN students, even though they do, in the real world, as do LVNs.

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Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.
My school is a private two year (5 semesters; we don't take summers off) ADN program. The only pre-reqs are high school biology and chemistry. All the other classes (A&P, Micro, English, Math, Psy, etc) can be taken concurrently with the nursing program (although about half of us choose to do the pre-nursing guaranteed admission program (2 semesters, 4 classes) first.)

my nursing school is similar. there is the regular 2 year option (5 1/2 semesters [1/2 is a 3 week capstone]) which is about 11-17 credits per semester or the 3 year option (8 1/2 semesters) which is most lib arts and sciences the first year, then 2 years of nursing classes (plus soc and ethics in the first year instead of the second year).

I'm one of those crazy people who got into the longer option and begged to be in the shorter more intense program. my dean told an open house i'm one of the few who go straight from HS to nursing school and do the whole program (68 credits) in 2 years. she just forgot to mention I CLEP'd 2 courses and transferred credits for English and Nutrition I earned while in HS :bow: gotta love absent minded prof's

they only admit about 25 into the 3 year program and 125 to the regular program. over the year though, people will fail out a nursing class and join the 3 year option until they get back on track in nursing courses

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My BSN program is 130-135 credit hours. The ADN program at the school near me requires 68 credit hours.

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