Gonzaga's traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Gonzaga Preceptor placement team

Gonzaga admits nursing students as freshmen only, and its 127-credit BSN takes eight semesters for some students and nine for others because clinical placements in Spokane are limited. Clinical courses start in the junior year, the Department of Nursing arranges them, and the program ends with a final practicum under a registered nurse. This guide explains how those clinical years are built.

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127credits in the BSN plan of study

3.0cumulative GPA to enter the upper division

Freshman entry and the first two years

Gonzaga admits nursing students only as freshmen. Its BSN admission page rules out applications to the nursing major from current Gonzaga students and from transfer students, so a later switch into the major is off the table. The first two years mix university core and science prerequisites with nursing courses that have no clinical component, such as NURS 110 Caring Matters, NURS 230 Medical Terminology, NURS 210 Growth and Development and NURS 220 Social Determinants of Health.

Moving into the upper division takes a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and at least a C in every nursing prerequisite. Gonzaga allows a single retake in two of those courses. Students must also meet the department's Essential Functional Abilities, which carry through the clinical years.

Why the BSN can take nine semesters

Clinical capacity sets the calendar. The undergraduate catalog warns that limits on clinical placements may stretch the BSN to nine semesters, and the program page explains the mechanics: half of each class starts clinical experiences in the fall of junior year, and the other half waits until spring.

You state a preference for a fall or spring start of the upper-division courses during the second semester of freshman year. When fall fills, seats go by prerequisite GPA ranking, which makes your early science grades count twice. A July 2026 Gonzaga story about its endorsed simulation program points to "the limited clinical rotation capacity available in our local hospital settings," and simulation now works alongside hospital clinicals.

Local hospitals also train students from more than one Gonzaga program. The new Accelerated BSN, launching in Summer 2027, runs its own clinical rotations across Spokane's regional health systems.

The upper-division clinical sequence

BSN clinical courses in the 2026-27 catalog plan of study
Term	Clinical course	Focus	Paired theory or lab
Junior fall	NURS 331	Foundations of Practice 1, the first clinical, in community settings	NURS 330 theory, NURS 331L lab
Junior spring	NURS 341	Foundations of Practice 2, acute and chronic care	NURS 340, NURS 341L
Junior spring	NURS 361	Psychiatric and mental health	NURS 360
Senior fall	NURS 431	Foundations of Practice 3	NURS 430, NURS 431L
Senior fall	NURS 441 and NURS 451	Obstetric and pediatric clinicals	NURS 440, NURS 450
Senior spring	NURS 481	Population health, in community settings	NURS 480
Senior spring	NURS 495	Final Practicum under a registered nurse	NURS 490, NURS 494, NURS 498

The table follows the catalog's fall-start plan; if your upper division begins in spring, your first clinical, NURS 331, comes in junior spring instead. The catalog lists no clinical hours for any BSN course, so your syllabi are where those numbers live. The last course on the list is the one where your own planning counts most, and the BSN final practicum guide covers it.

Students on the legacy curriculum

Some current students entered under the older plan, which Gonzaga's Upper Division Curriculum web page still shows. Its practicums carry heavier credit loads and were graded satisfactory or unsatisfactory, with a minimum grade of S listed as the prerequisite for the next course.

Legacy BSN practicums (2024-25 undergraduate catalog)
Course	Credits	When	Notes
NURS 315 Practicum I	5	Junior semester 1	First clinical
NURS 352 Practicum II	5	Junior semester 2	Second clinical
NURS 403 Practicum III	6	Senior semester 1	Third clinical, the largest by credits
NURS 467 Practicum IV: Population Health	2	Senior semester 2	In an assigned community agency
NURS 468 Practicum V: Member of Nursing Profession	3	Senior semester 2	Capstone with an RN preceptor in a setting you request

If you are unsure which plan applies to you, the BSN Academic Advisor can confirm it before you register for senior-year courses.

Clinical rules, clearance and records

Clinicals take place in "a variety of healthcare settings," and the department holds students to professional standards that the Washington State Board of Nursing requires it to enforce. You cannot attend clinical while impaired, and after an injury or illness you may need a medical release before returning. The BSN has its own student handbook, separate from the graduate one, and it holds the detailed clinical policies.

Clearance runs through regional systems. Clinical Placements Northwest lists Gonzaga's BSN among its participating programs, and its partner hospitals in the Spokane area include Providence Sacred Heart, Holy Family, VA Spokane and Eastern State Hospital. Gonzaga also piloted CORE, its new platform for compliance documents, case logs and time logs, with BSN students first. The CPNW clearance and immunizations and health records guides list what to have ready.

Accreditation and simulation on campus

CCNE accredits Gonzaga's baccalaureate program through June 30, 2030, and the BSN appears on WABON's approved in-state program list dated August 24, 2026. Gonzaga's licensure disclosures mark the BSN as meeting requirements in every state they list, which helps if you plan to take the NCLEX and work outside Washington. The accreditation guide explains what clinical sites ask about.

On campus, the 2019 Tilford building expansion added a simulation center with two suites and control rooms, a medication room, a debriefing room and a high-fidelity patient simulator. Labs such as NURS 331L, NURS 341L and NURS 431L run beside the clinical courses in the plan.

Where we help Gonzaga BSN students

Gonzaga arranges your rotations, so our work for BSN students centers on the place where you have a say: the final practicum. We help you pick a setting that fits the nurse you want to become, identify units and experienced RNs who can guide you there, and assemble the details faculty need to review the request, early enough that clearance and onboarding keep pace.

If you later return to Gonzaga for an online nurse practitioner degree, the first step toward each preceptor will be yours, and our search is built for exactly that. The MSN FNP guide shows what the path involves. Tell us where you are in the program through the form below.

Questions Gonzaga students ask

Can I transfer into Gonzaga's nursing program?

Not into the BSN. Gonzaga admits nursing students as freshmen only, and its admission page rules out applications to the major from current Gonzaga students and from transfer students. If you already hold a bachelor's degree in another field, the Accelerated BSN starting in Summer 2027 is Gonzaga's route into nursing instead.

Why do some Gonzaga BSN students take nine semesters?

Spokane clinical placements are limited. Half of each class begins clinicals in junior fall and half in junior spring, and the catalog says that constraint can extend the program to nine semesters. You request a start term in the second semester of freshman year, and if fall is oversubscribed, prerequisite GPA ranking decides who starts first.

Do Gonzaga BSN students find their own clinical placements?

For almost every course, no. The Department of Nursing arranges BSN rotations, and its staff includes a BSN Clinical Placement Manager. The exception is the final practicum: the legacy NURS 468 description lets you request a setting of your choice with an RN preceptor, and faculty review decides the final placement.

How many clinical hours are in Gonzaga's BSN?

Gonzaga's catalog lists no clinical hours for the traditional BSN courses, so check each course syllabus for its expectation. The newer Accelerated BSN describes over 800 clinical and simulation practice hours across its 15 months, which gives a sense of scale, but the two programs are built differently and that figure belongs to the ABSN.

What GPA do I need to start Gonzaga's upper-division nursing courses?

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, plus at least a C in every nursing prerequisite, with a single retake allowed in two of those courses. GPA also shapes timing: when more students want a fall start than there are seats, prerequisite GPA ranking decides who begins clinicals in the fall.

ABSNAccelerated BSN (ABSN)Gonzaga's Accelerated BSN starts Summer 2027: 15 months, theory online, labs and clinicals in Spokane, and more than 800 clinical and simulation hours.BSNBSN final practicum (NURS 495)Gonzaga's BSN capstone, NURS 495 (legacy NURS 468): an RN preceptor, a setting you can request, faculty review of every request, and how to prepare early.CPNWCPNW clearanceHow CPNW (Clinical Placements Northwest) clearance works for Gonzaga nursing students: the hour gate, partner health systems, lead times and CORE.Health recordsImmunizations and health recordsThe immunizations, TB screening, BLS card and health records Gonzaga nursing students keep for practicums, plus site extras like Idaho fingerprinting.CCNENursing accreditationGonzaga nursing accreditation explained: CCNE for the BSN, MSN and DNP through June 30, 2030, WABON state approval, NWCCU, and what clinical sites ask.CORECORE ELMSCORE ELMS at Gonzaga nursing: what it replaces (Typhon, CastleBranch and more), the spring 2026 switch, CORE plus CPNW, and evaluations through CORE.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against Gonzaga's catalog, FAQs, preceptor packets and Department of Nursing pages. Your course, the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and Gonzaga's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.

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