UT Arlington RN-BSN online .... how is it?!

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jun 21, 2011

Someone PLEEEEASE tell me what UT Arlington's online RN-BSN program is like. It's great that each class is only 5 weeks with 1 week between each class. But is that manageable? Is 5 weeks not enough for a class?! I need to decide FAST between this school and TWU's online program.

I can't speak to the actual program but can tell you that the evaluation process is very much like something out of Kafka. I decided against the UT-A program after applying because of this. My assigned nursing advisor was incredibly difficult to deal with and made many arbitrary and capricious decisions regarding my transcript evaluation, sometimes even reversing previous decisions. All in all, UT-A wanted me to take 8 additional non-nursing courses in addition to the 9 core nursing classes. While this may not be a major concern if you're transferring in from an ADN program, I have 2 prior undergrad degrees and an MBA, so I'm not willing to repeat a lot of courses on the whim of an evaluator.

Keep in mind that UT-A requires several non-nursing courses that nearly everyone outside of Texas will have to take. For example, 2 semesters each of political science and US history are required as well as a course in Texas History & Govt. While I was prepared for this, I was not prepared for the shoddy, superficial and logically inconsistent transcript evaluation They don't appear to look further than the course titles in many cases and are very unwilling to consult the appropriate course catalog when challenged. Just 2 examples of this: They insisted that I repeat Intro to Psych because (I think) the number of the course I took was Psych 001 (instead of 101) and the title was Human Behavior I (rather than Intro to Psych) and they also identified all 6 of my English courses as freshman level because the numbering system was one they did not understand. In both cases I provided evidence (copies of the catalog) and confirmation (letters from the both the Psych and Eng dept chairs from my alma mater) - which were rejected. The pysch thing was particularly frustrating because I have 6 psych courses taken at 3 different colleges - all of which accepted Psych 001 as the equivalent prereq.

I've heard that program itself is quite good but also have heard from others who's experience with the evaluation process was similar to mine. YMMV.

Good luck with your decision.

CaliforniaRNnow · Jun 21, 2011

Kafka? What's that?

Well, I'm not really concerned about non-nursing courses because I've done all that already from the first bachelor's degree I obtained. I'm just concerned about the nursing courses itself. I did have some trouble getting them to recognize 2 classes I've already taken. I'm gonna check back with that soon. Glad to hear from you that you heard the actual program was good.

Thanks for the input.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jun 21, 2011

Kafka? What's that?
Well, I'm not really concerned about non-nursing courses because I've done all that already from the first bachelor's degree I obtained. I'm just concerned about the nursing courses itself. I did have some trouble getting them to recognize 2 classes I've already taken. I'm gonna check back with that soon. Glad to hear from you that you heard the actual program was good.
Thanks for the input.

I'm surprised you never had to read anything by Franz Kafka for a college course - he's widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century. Though he wrote exclusively in German, his novella, "The Metamorphasis" is commonly assigned for reading in college English classes. Kafka's stories are characterized by both absurdity and multivalency (allowing for a number of interpretations) a similarity shared with other influential contemporary writers such as Joge Louis Borges (10,000 Years of Solitude). As a result, the term "Kafkaesque" has come into common usage and refers to situations marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity. Just like the one I encountered at UT-A.

All joking aside, I would closely monitor your transcript evaluation by UT-A.