Undergraduate Programs

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs are designed for students who are not licensed nurses. We offer a traditional BSN located at PLU’s main campus in Tacoma, and the Accelerated BSN program in Lynnwood for students with a minimum of 60 non-nursing college credits.

You will find a learning environment where students work with outstanding faculty and staff to gain knowledge and skills, share professional experiences with expert clinical preceptors, and become exceptional nurses. Our professional and educational standards, our innovative responses to changing health care markets, and our distinguished history of educating students for lives of service have earned the School of Nursing a reputation for excellence in the Pacific Northwest. Our esteemed alumni include a member of the United States House of Representatives. We invite you to become a part of our tradition.

A PLU Baccalaureate Nursing Education

A Pacific Lutheran University Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum is based on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) and achievement of the program outcomes will enable graduates to practice as generalist nurses within a complex healthcare system. The BSN curriculum builds on the PLU core liberal education in the arts, humanities and sciences as the cornerstone for the practice of nursing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Outcomes:

• Demonstrate the ability to incorporate the dimensions of person, nursing, and environment to promote health in a variety of nursing situations.
• Provide evidence-based clinically competent care of individuals, families, and communities in a variety of settings across diverse populations.
• Enact the role of service as a professionally educated member of society.
• Employ principles of ethical leadership, quality improvement, and cost effectiveness to foster the development and initiation of safety and quality initiatives within a microsystem or entire system.
• Collaborate in the interprofessional design, management, and coordination of safe, quality care.
• Pursue practice excellence, lifelong learning, and professional engagement.
• Demonstrate knowledge of how healthcare policy, including financial and regulatory, affect the improvement of healthcare delivery and/or health outcomes.
• Demonstrate the use of information systems, patient care technologies, and interprofessional communication strategies in support of safe nursing practice.

Please note that applicants must decide between applying for our Traditional Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program on our Tacoma campus, our Accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in Lynnwood, and our Entry Level Master’s of Science in Nursing (ELMSN) program on our Tacoma campus. Applicants are not allowed to have an active application for more than one program concurrently, as per our admissions process.

University Accreditation

Pacific Lutheran University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), located at 8060 165th Ave NE, Suite 100, Redmond, WA 98052; (425) 558-4224.

Nursing Program Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Pacific Lutheran University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Nursing Approvals

The Pacific Lutheran University School of Nursing programs are approved by the Washington State Board of Nursing.