The College of Nursing and Health Innovation at ASU offers four undergraduate degrees including
Community Health,
Integrative Health,
Health Care Innovation, and the
Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN). The BSN program and BS Community Health share many similarities.
- Community Health, as a discipline, focuses on creating healthy, sustainable communities by working with specific populations. Professionals in the field often work in a team environment within public, private, or non-profit sectors. Community health workers typically work alongside health care practitioners to provide health related advocacy, education, promotion, evaluation, care navigation and service coordination in areas within a geographical area or specified population. As part of the BS Community Health program, you will take lower division coursework that prepares you with an understanding of health care systems, cultural differences in medicine and healing, and the basic sciences of the human body. When you reach your junior year, you begin taking upper division courses that focus on health care research, education and advocacy, effective communication, and leadership/management. As a Community Health graduate, you may find employment as community health workers, health care coordinators, health care navigators, and health services administrators.
- Nursing is often described as the perfect balance of art and science; professionals within the field habitually provide preventative and restorative care to patients and clientele within hospital, clinical, or community settings. Nurses observe patients, administer medication and treatments, develop strategic plans for patient care, operate medical equipment, and educate patients and their families on managing illnesses and fostering wellness. Nursing professionals typically work alongside medical doctors, dietitians, physician assistants, and other allied health care workers. As part of the Traditional Pre-licensure Clinical Nursing Program, you will take lower division coursework during your freshman and sophomore years that includes general education classes, basic lab sciences, cultural awareness and health care curriculum coursework. These courses prepare you to advance to the upper division clinical nursing program during your junior year. Within the junior and senior year of the traditional program, you will take upper division coursework which includes classroom lectures, clinical simulations, and hospital rotations. After completing the Traditional Pre-licensure Program and graduating with a BSN, you are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Successful passage on this examination grants you your license to practice as a registered nurse or RN.
Please note: Only two populations of ASU students are classified as “Nursing BSN” majors: students who were directly admitted to the nursing program from high school or students who are currently enrolled in the upper division clinical nursing program. All students trying to earn a spot in the clinical nursing program through the competitive application process are not labeled as “Nursing BSN” majors. Instead, it is common for these students to be classified under the BS Community Health academic program. Community Health majors enroll in the same coursework as nursing students for the first two years, and these individuals have full access to College of Nursing and Health Innovation support and resources such as academic advising, residential community options, and involvement opportunities.
For additional questions, you can contact us by email at
nursingandhealth@asu.edu or reach out to us by phone. If you are a current student, please call 602-496-0888. If you have not yet been admitted to Arizona State University, please call 602-496-0937.
