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B.S.N. Second Degree Option Admission Requirements

Criteria and Selection

Admission to the Second Degree B.S.N. program is highly competitive. For a candidate to be considered, a fully completed application packet is due to the Department of Nursing on or before January 13, 2023. Applicants are open year round.

Applications will not be considered complete and will not be evaluated until all the following required information has been submitted. Submission of documents to the Department of Nursing is the responsibility of the applicant. Incomplete applications will not be considered in the selection process.

Please call the Nursing Department at 325-942-2224 or email us at nursing@angelo.edu for more information.


Eligibility to take NCLEX-RN Examination

Declaratory Order (DO)

The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has identified certain circumstances that may render a potential candidate ineligible for licensure as a registered nurse in the state of Texas. A petition for Declaratory Order (DO) is formal disclosure to the Board of Nursing of an eligibility issue that may prevent an applicant from taking the NCLEX-RN and receiving initial licensure. The DO permits the Board of Nursing to make a decision regarding a student’s/petitioner’s eligibility for licensure prior to entering or completing a nursing program.

You should submit the Do if:

New/Accepted Student Roster Process

BON New/Accepted Student Criminal Background Check Process:

Questions on the DO to help determine the need to disclose

Criminal Background
Question 1 on the DO pertains to criminal offenses. If the Board of Nursing wants you to submit a DO based on your CBC (criminal background check) from your fingerprinting, you will be contacted by the board with instruction on how to initiate this process.

Non-Criminal Background
Question 2-5 on the DO pertain to non-criminal offenses. If you answer yes to any of the questions 2-5 below, you need to disclose (file a DO) to the Board of Nursing.

2. Are you currently the target or subject of a grand jury or governmental agency investigation?

3. Has any licensing authority ever refused to issue you a license or ever revoked, annulled, cancelled, accepted surrender of, suspended, placed on probation, refused to renew a professional license, certificate or multi-state privilege held by you now or previously, or ever fined, censured, reprimanded or otherwise disciplined you?

4. In past five (5) years have you been diagnosed with or treated or hospitalized for schizophrenia and/or psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder which impaired or does impair your behavior, judgment, or ability to function in school or work?

(You may answer “No” if you have completed and/or are in compliance with TPAPN for mental illness OR you’ve previously disclosed to the Texas Board of Nursing and have remained complaint with your treatment regime and have had no further hospitalization since disclosure.)

5. Within the past five (5) years have you been addicted to and/or treated for the use of alcohol or any other drug?

The Declaratory Order process permits the BON to make decisions regarding eligibility for licensure prior to an applicant entering or completing a nursing program. The review process can take a minimum of three months to two years depending on the petitioner’s case, after you provide all required documentation. Statutes and rules governing the petition may be found in the Texas Occupations Code §§301.257, 301.452-301.454 (Nursing Practice Act) and in the Board Rules and Regulations relating to Professional Nurse Education, Licensure and Practice, 22 TAC §§213.27- 30 and §§217.11-12. These statutes can be found on the BON’s website. Students who have obtained a Declaratory Order Petition must notify and inform the programmatic administrator of the outcome of their petition.

For more information on the Texas Declaratory Order see the Texas BON website under declaratory order.


Transfer Information

We often get questions from students about which courses will transfer to ASU. Students should be approved for admission before the Office of Transfer Student Services can evaluate their transcripts.

Your transfer hours from accredited two-year colleges may be used toward ASU degree plans. ASU requires 30 semester credit hours to be taken in residence to receive a bachelor’s degree from ASU. Visit the transfer students page on the Office of Admissions website for more information about courses that transfer to ASU.

Students interested in transferring nursing coursework into ASU for use toward the BSN program must meet the following transfer guidelines in addition to all pre-acceptance requirements by the application deadline. Being granted transfer credit for nursing coursework is rare and evaluated on an individual basis. For more information, please call the Nursing Department at 325-942-2224 or email us at nursing@angelo.edu.


Physical and Mental Performance Policy

To accomplish the objectives of the Nursing Department, students must be able to meet the following performance requirements:


Standards for Readmission into B.S.N. Program

Second Degree BSN Program

Readmission to the Second Degree Program is not permissible. A student starting the Second Degree Program must be successful in all courses with their first attempt, and continue each semester without pause, in order to progress through the Second Degree Program’s curriculum and degree plan.

If a student is not successful on their first attempt with second degree courses, that student, if in good standing, may be allowed to enter into Generic BSN Program to repeat the unsuccessful course(s) and then finish out the Generic BSN Program to earn their BSN degree.

Students in this situation will be required to submit a readmission application to the Department of Nursing by the end of the semester of their unsuccessful first attempt. Readmission applicants can be found on the ASU Nursing Website. This application must be submitted no later than 3 days after the end of the attempted semester. A student reapplying must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 to be eligible for readmission.

Students seeking readmission will be expected to enter the next academic semester to repeat their failed course(s) and to take the needed courses to be in the sequence with the Generic BSN curriculum. That student will then enter into the Generic BSN program the following academic semester from the repeated courses.

Any student who has been dismissed for disciplinary reasons or withdrew from the Second Degree Program for academic reasons, is ineligible for readmission to that program. Any student who was dismissed from the Second Degree Program for disciplinary reasons is ineligible for readmission into our BSN programs. 

Interviews with the Nursing Readmission Committee

A student is allowed only one readmission to the BSN nursing program. Readmission for qualified applicants is approved on a space available basis. Students applying for readmission after one year will be required to repeat the program application process and re-take all previously completed nursing courses.

On occasion, the Readmission Committee may request an interview with a student reapplying to the BSN program before a final decision toward readmission is made. If you are chosen to interview, you will be contacted by the nursing department and a time to interview will be scheduled.

2nd Degree Readmission Application