The University of Minnesota has many policies pertaining to academic work and student life on campus. Students at the University of Minnesota is responsible for complying with these policies, the following is a summary of relevant policies.
Academic Alerts and BSN Success Plan
The purpose of Academic Alerts and Success Plans are to facilitate student growth towards achieving program outcomes by providing honest, direct and immediate feedback to students about areas in which faculty are concerned.
When a student exhibits behaviors that indicate concerns related to academic performance, technical ability, integrity, professionalism, or communication, faculty provide feedback to the student so that, together, the student and faculty can develop a plan for success. This is a constructive process to help the student achieve success in a course. The Academic Alert is initiated by course faculty and will be shared with the student and their Academic Advisor via email. Sometimes an Alert will require a meeting to develop a written Success Plan. In these cases, copies of the Success Plan are given to the student, the course faculty, academic advisor, and the program director(s) for the course in question. This document does not become part of students’ official University of Minnesota academic record.
BSN Dismissal
The BSN dismissal policy is separate from the University Probation/Suspension policy and exists to clearly communicate the academic expectations of BSN students to remain in good academic standing with the School of Nursing. The dismissal policy is as follows:
Year One: All foundational coursework must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better. Additionally, a minimum term GPA of 3.0 must be maintained each semester of Year One.
Year Two to Program Completion: Beginning in Year Two, students who receive a grade below a C- (e.g. D+, D, or F), or a grade of W, in two or more required Nursing major courses will be dismissed from the program. This can include a grade lower than C-, or a W, in two different courses or twice in the same course, and includes failures that occur in the same semester or in different semesters.
Prior to dismissal, when a student does not successfully complete a Nursing major required course (either because they earned a grade lower than C- or withdrew), the student is out of progression and required to submit a revised program plan to the BSN Academic Advisor. Failure to complete an approved progression plan could result in dismissal from the BSN program. Contact a BSN Academic Advisor for assistance.
Dismissal FAQ
Q: Can students take foundational courses over the summer and still remain in progression?
A: Students are expected to complete their foundational coursework during the traditional academic year (fall and spring). Those who are interested in taking summer courses should work with their Advisor to develop a progression plan.
Q: Can students take foundational courses at other institutions?
A: Once enrolled, students are encouraged to complete all foundational courses at the U of M. Those who are interested in taking courses elsewhere should work with their Advisor to develop a progression plan and confirm transferability.
First Year Progression
Progression Advancement
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree follows a cohort model -- it is a structured, highly sequenced program with capacity limits due to the practical nature of lab and clinical requirements. A BSN degree takes four years for students admitted from high school (first year students) and three years for students admitted from another college or University (transfer students)
First year students who have completed all of their first year foundational courses prior to enrollment are eligible to petition to advance their progression and join the second year cohort. They must have completed all of the following, without exception: Biology, Chemistry, First Year Writing, Lifespan/Human Growth and Development, Nutrition, and Psychology. Petitions from eligible students are not guaranteed to be approved and are dependent upon a variety of factors including available space in a given cohort. First year students who have not completed all first year foundational courses are not eligible to petition to advance their progression. Transfer students are not eligible to advance their progression.
Students who are interested in exploring the possibility of advanced progression should speak with their Advisor during Orientation. The Advisor will guide eligible students through the petition process which must be completed prior to the first day of Fall term in the student's first year.
First Year Progression FAQs
Q: Can I take one of my foundational courses over the summer and still remain in the Nursing program?
A: First Year students must have a progression plan on file with their Academic Advisor if they want to take a foundational course over the summer. If at the end of Spring semester a foundational course is incomplete and no progression plan is on file, students will be dismissed. Speak to your Advisor before making changes to your registration and planning a summer course!
Q: Can I take one or more of my foundational courses at a community college?
A: Once they are enrolled, students are strongly encouraged to take foundational courses at the U of M since these are best suited to prepare students to be successful in U of M Nursing required courses. There are some cases in which it makes sense for students to take a foundational course elsewhere in which case you will need a progression plan on file. Speak to your Advisor before registering for courses at another institution!
Q: What factors are taken into consideration for my appeals to advance my progression?
A: A holistic approach will be used to make decisions about approve requests to advance progression. Among other things, the committee will evaluate a student's preparedness for second year classes by looking at their GPA, total credits completed, rigor of course loads taken, and type of courses completed (e.g. AP, IB, PSEO, CIS). The committee will also consider the student's academic progress and whether they have enough coursework to complete during first year or if it is reasonable for them to complete remaining requirements within a reduced timeframe.
Q: Outside of an approved petition to advance progression, is it possible to graduate early from the BSN program?
A: No, due to course sequencing in the BSN program, the BSN program takes four years for all NHS students and the only possibility to graduate early is through an approved petition for progression advancement. The BSN program takes three years for all transfer students; there are no exceptions.
Q: What policies apply for first year students who are approved to advance their progression?
A: A mixture of first and second year policies -- both first year dismissal and second year to graduation policies will apply and these students will be required to complete NURS 1030 and 1031. Non-honors students will be required to complete First Year Advising.
Withdrawing from a Course
Nursing Courses
Students who would like to withdraw from one or more courses required in the nursing program (e.g. NURS and foundational courses) must discuss their plans with their academic advisor and contact the Office of Student and Career Advancement Services prior to dropping the course registration. Students will need to discuss their progression plan and failure to have your withdrawal approved could result in dismissal from the program.
Non-Nursing Courses
Students do not need approval to withdraw from courses outside the major (e.g. electives and courses for liberal education, minor, or double majors), unless they are withdrawing after the University drop deadline. More information and instructions can be found about dropping a class on the One Stop website.
Returning to the BSN Program
Return from Leave of Absence
Students on an approved leave of absence or with an approved progression plan do not need to apply for readmission to the BSN program. Simply fill out the Return to the University form and contact BSN Advising to discuss registration.
Return from Inactive Status
Students whose absence from the nursing program exceeds two years, or students who do not have an approved leave of absence, must re-apply for admission to the BSN program through a petition. Consult with BSN Advising to discuss eligibility and related policies prior to submitting an Application for Readmission.
Return from Dismissal
Students who have been dismissed from the BSN program may petition to be reinstated after a minimum of one year and within ten years of the initial term of dismissal. Reinstatement is not guaranteed to be approved, consult with BSN Advising prior to submitting the Academic Policy Petition.
University Policies and Procedures
School of Nursing students are held to University policies and procedures in addition to those outlined in this Handbook that are Nursing specific. The following are high-level overviews of a few selected University policies:
Conflict Resolution
The first step of any resolution should be at the lowest unit level, between the parties involved or the parties and an appropriate third party (e.g., other faculty, department chair, director of graduate studies, administrator). You may wish to consult the Student Conflict Resolution Center or similar support services for advice and possible mediation. If no informal resolution is reached at the lowest unit level, you may seek informal resolution at the collegiate level with the other party and higher level administrators. If the issue is not resolved informally, you may seek formal resolution. Read the full Addressing Student Academic Complaints policy for more information.
Scholastic Misconduct
Every undergraduate student attending the School of Nursing is expected to adhere to the Regents of the University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code as well as the School of Nursing Behavioral Standards when they accept an offer of admission. Any violation of the above is considered an act of misconduct and warrants disciplinary action appropriate to the violation. A student has the right to contest any allegation of misconduct or disciplinary action. Whenever possible, allegations of misconduct should be settled at the lowest possible level—between the individuals involved—and resolved as quickly as possible. Read more about the disciplinary process on the Office for Community Standards website.
Other Policies
The following are a selection of other University policies with which students are expected to be familiar:
Academic Probation and Suspension
If you have questions about these and other requirements, contact your Academic Advisor.
Attendance and Absences
Attendance Policies
Students have the following responsibilities for attendance per the University's Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy and School of Nursing:
You are to be registered for the scheduled Nursing courses on the first day of class, note that student liability insurance coverage is in effect only for officially registered students.
You must attend the first class meeting of every course in which you are registered, unless you obtain approval before the first meeting. Otherwise, you may lose your place in class to another student. For details, check out onestop's website.
You are expected to attend all meetings of your courses. You will not be penalized for an absence during the semester due to unavoidable or legitimate circumstances. Such circumstances include:
Verified illness
Participation in intercollegiate athletic events
Subpoenas
Jury duty
Military service
Bereavement
Religious observances
Activities sponsored by the University if identified by the senior academic officer for the campus or their designee as the basis for excused absences
Such circumstances do NOT include:
Voting in local, state, or national elections
You are expected to notify your instructors of absences as soon as you are aware you will miss class. so that make-up work can be arranged if appropriate. You should notify instructors of planned absences at the beginning of the term.
Unexcused Absence in a Practicum Course
The School of Nursing pre-licensure programs partner with clinical agencies to meet national and state guidelines for pre-licensure education. To effectively educate, assess, and evaluate student outcomes, faculty need the designated practicum time to observe and guide students in each practicum setting. Students are expected to maximize their learning at each practicum site by attending all practicum days for the course (as outlined in each course syllabus).
All pre-licensure students are expected to attend all practicum experiences as designated by each practicum course unless the student meets one or more of the criteria stated in the University Policy: Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences, or accommodations have been determined based on joint agreement between the Disability Resource Center Services Liaison, the program director(s), and course faculty. This accommodation must be documented in an accommodation letter from the Disability Resource Center.
An unexcused absence in a practicum course will result in a 1 “step” grade reduction on the course grade scale applied after the final course grade has been calculated for that course (for example B+ to a B).
The following is the procedure that course faculty adhere to for unexcused absences:
Course faculty will include the policy statement in the course syllabus (in practicum courses).
Course faculty will keep documentation of student unexcused absence (e-mail, notes of student meeting, etc. ).
Course faculty will notify the student as soon as an unexcused absence has been verified regarding the consequence of the final course grade reduction.
Following the calculation of the final course grade at the end of the semester, the grade reduction as stated about will be applied to the final score and the corresponding letter grade will then be entered into the gradebook as the final grade in University grade platform.
Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences
School of Nursing instructors determine and inform you of the policies and procedures regarding absence from class, laboratory, and examinations. Makeup work is determined at the sole discretion of the instructors. They are not obligated to afford or arrange make-up work or practicum time for an absence unless it is due to one of the excused circumstances noted in the University's Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy.
Instructors are not required to accommodate makeup assignments including laboratory experiences or examinations to suit your personal convenience or to accommodate situations such as vacations. Making-up practicum hours on practicum units or switching practicum groups is not allowed.
Tuition Refund
Tuition refunds for canceled courses are made according to all-University regulations. Information on the Tuition Refund Appeal process can be found on One Stop's website.