Northern's nursing program is designed to meet the needs of the registered nurse who wishes to complete a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing. The amount of time required for a registered nurse to fulfill the requirements of the baccalaureate degree completion program varies depending upon the amount of transfer credit. Most of the nursing courses are available online. Face to face courses are held at a number of convenient locations: College of DuPage, Elgin Community College, Harper College, Rock Valley College, Waubonsee Community College, University Center/College of Lake County, NIU DeKalb, NIU Naperville, and NIU Rockford.
The BS degree with a major in nursing prepares the professional nurse for leadership roles in patient care in the total spectrum of health care agencies and settings. Graduates are prepared to function with baccalaureate competencies in the delivery of nursing care, and assisting in the improvement of health care delivery systems. They are also skilled in utilizing the knowledge of the physical and social sciences as integral aspects of nursing, and in entering graduate programs that will further increase their nursing competencies and skills.