Northern Illinois University

Offcampus Academics

Academic Requirements

You must complete 120 semester hours with at least 40 hours in upper-division courses, maintain at least a 2.50 GPA and complete university general education requirements.

You may transfer up to 66 semester hours of approved course work and four hours of physical education to help meet these requirements.

Complete the following requirements at NIU, a community college, or another accredited institution:

You need to complete seven theory courses and one to two clinical courses as part of the 120 hours. 

  • NURS 346: Concepts, Issues and Interpersonal Strategies in Professional Nursing OR NURS 300: Professional Nursing
  • NURS 301: Research in Nursing
  • NURS 306: Health Assessment
  • NURS 306A: Health Assessment Learning Lab
  • NURS 309: Alterations in Biological Systems
  • NURS 401: Processes for Nursing Leadership
  • NURS 424: Community Health Nursing
  • NURS 460: Clinical Development: Leadership/ Management in Aggregate-Focused Nursing Care OR NURS 420: Clinical Development VI and NURS 430: Clinical Development VII
  • NURS 487: Nursing, Ethics, and the Law

You must also pass drug screening and criminal background checks prior to enrollment in clinical courses

Up to 32 hours of credit for previous course work is held in “escrow” and is posted to your transcripts upon successful completion of 12 hours of nursing credit with a grad of C or better.

More information is available at www.chhs.niu.edu/nursing/