UMA Nursing – BSN

Earn your BSN at UMA

Our holistic nursing program will prepare you to become a skilled, compassionate provider, ready to meet Maine’s growing healthcare needs. Through a holistic, evidence-based approach and hands-on clinical experience, you’ll build knowledge and confidence for a successful career in today’s healthcare environment.

Hybrid model

Maine’s only holistically-endorsed nursing program

Flexible pacing options

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What is holistic nursing?

Holistic nursing is a specialized, relationship-centered approach that treats the whole person—mind, body, spirit, and emotions—rather than just focusing on a specific illness or symptom. It bridges conventional medical practices with complementary therapies to promote healing and wellbeing, involving the patient as an active partner in their health journey. We believe that in order to effectively care for others as nurses, we must also practice self-care, mindfulness, and self-reflection. Our curriculum integrates holistic practices at every level, shaping how students learn, reflect, care for patients, and care for themselves.

Holistic Nurse Certification Exam

We’re Maine’s only holistically-endorsed nursing program, a distinction we share with just 16 other schools across the country. That means our students graduate prepared—and eligible—to take the NCLEX-RN and the HNB-BC (Holistic Nurse Certification Exam)—a notable career differentiator.

Maine’s most flexible nursing program

Multiple pacing options

4-year track

Ideal for students who want a direct, continuous path to graduation. You’ll move through foundational sciences, liberal arts, and immersive clinical rotations with a supportive peer cohort.

Part-time track

Ideal for the modern adult learner. This option is perfect for students balancing jobs, family commitments, or financial demands who need a lighter, more manageable workload—and is the only part-time path to prelicensure available in Maine.

Advanced track

Ideal for transfer students, college grads, or career changers who have already completed foundational education requirements and want an efficient, targeted pathway to prelicensure.

uma capital center exterior

Locations

While all prelicensure students must travel to Augusta occasionally to meet program requirements, UMA offers the greatest spread of access points across Maine.

Designed to mirror real-world medical environments, this center features cutting-edge simulation labs where you can build your hands-on confidence in a supportive space.

Access high-fidelity lab simulations and spend more time in your home community through the Ellsworth & Rockland Centers.

Beginning in Fall 2026, you can complete your nursing degree in the heart of Central Maine with full onsite student support services, and regional clinical placements.

Experience the classic campus lifestyle at the University of Maine at Farmington while being enrolled in UMA’s nursing program. Students can earn a BA in Holistic Health from UMF and a BSN in Nursing from UMA, combining liberal arts with nursing skills.

Earn both a Bachelor of College Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) while staying in the Downeast region. Flexible coursework through UMaine Machias, online nursing through UMA, and hands-on lab & simulation experience through the Ellsworth Center.

Individualized pathways

Our nursing faculty will work with you to develop an individualized progression plan based on your location, goals, circumstances, and what you need to complete the program successfully. 

Hybrid structure

Theoretical nursing core instruction is delivered through online and synchronous distance learning modalities.

Cohorts

To make nursing education more accessible, we employ a distance-education cohort model. Students progress together in a supportive group, building a strong localized community.

Hands-on experience

Clinical requirements are met through in-person laboratory simulations and supervised clinical rotations at healthcare facilities across the state.

A note on travel

We prepare practice-ready, compassionate providers through essential hands-on simulation and clinical experience. Due to this in-person requirement, prelicensure is never 100% online. While some requirements can be met locally through access points, all Prelicensure BSN students must travel to the Augusta campus periodically, and should expect some clinical placements to require travel across Maine. To ensure students can plan accordingly, the nursing faculty provides advance notice regarding all mandatory travel requirements.

Learn more about UMA’s Prelicensure BSN

There are many benefits to having a BSN—increased earning potential, access to specialized roles, leadership opportunities, and beyond. Explore the career opportunities & outcomes you can pursue with this degree.

BSN 4-Year Pre-licensure Track Admission Requirements

Application Deadline: January 31st for Fall Entry and November 15th for Spring Entry

All new applicants who do not meet UMA’s Nursing program requirements can be admitted to pre-nursing status to gain eligibility. UMA offers admission to the nursing program twice each year for both fall and spring entry. Applicants who apply to the Nursing program before November 15th will be notified by December 15th of a spring admission decision. Fall applicants who apply by the January 31st deadline will be notified by March 15th of a fall admission decision.

To be admissible to the UMA 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, applicants must complete the following requirements (subject to change):

  • Two High School or College-level Science with Lab courses with a grade of B (not B-) or higher within the last ten years
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Applicants who previously attended a school of nursing must be in good standing and eligible for readmission at their current/former school of nursing. Any student who was dismissed from a school of nursing must complete the BSN Supplemental Admissions Essay:

Additionally, as this is a rigorous program, applicants’ prior English and math course grades will be holistically reviewed to ensure applicants have the necessary foundation for academic success. Applicants may not be offered admission if it is determined they do not have the foundational English and math skills required for enrollment. *NOTE: Science and math courses must be completed within the previous 10 years to be considered for admission review.

The nursing program is a lock-step curriculum, meaning each semester of courses builds on the previous semester of courses.

UMA Bachelor of Science Nursing 4-year Sample Curriculum

CourseTitleCredits
Year One – Fall Semester
BIO 110General Biology I with lab4
CIS 100 or 101Introduction to Computer Applications or Introduction to Computer Science3
CHY 103Chemistry for Life Sciences with lab4
ENG 101College Writing3
PSY 100Introduction to Psychology3
Total Credit Hours17
Year One – Spring Semester
BIO 210Anatomy and Physiology with Lab4
BIO 104Human Nutrition3
COM 1XXAny 100-level Communications3
HumanitiesHumanities Elective3-4
SOC 101Introduction to Sociology3
Total Credit Hours16-17
CourseTitleCredits
Year Two – Fall Semester
BIO 321Microbiology with lab4
MAT 115Elementary Statistics I3
PSY 308Human Development3
ENG 210WWriting for Allied Health3
NUR/CIS 225Health Informatics3
NUR 226Nursing Success Seminar1
Total Credit Hours17
Year Two – Spring Semester
BIO 345Pathophysiology3
HumanitiesHumanities Elective3-4
NUR 220Concepts2
NUR 224Holistic Caring Concepts2
NUR 305Health Assessment Through the Lifespan with Lab4
Total Credit Hours14-15
CourseTitleCredits
Year Three – Fall Semester
NUR 303Pharmacology for Nursing3
NUR 310Foundations of Nursing with Lab5
NUR 355Community and Global Health3
NUR 357Community and Global Health Clinical2
Fine ArtsFine Arts Elective3
Total Credit Hours16
Year Three – Spring Semester
NUR 312Caring for Adults I6
NUR 315Caring for Families5
NUR 3XXHolistic Nursing Elective3
NUR 250Health Care Policy2
Total Credit Hours16
CourseTitleCredits
Year Four – Fall Semester
NUR 326Caring for Aging Adults3
NUR 412Caring for Adults II6
NUR 415Mental Health and Wellness4
Total Credit Hours13
Year Four – Spring Semester
NUR 352Nursing Research3
NUR 410WLeadership and Management in Nursing3
NUR 450Holistic Nursing Clinical Practicum5
NUR 414Professional Integration Seminar1
Total Credit Hours12

Courses are subject to change. View the official UMA Catalog here.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Nursing Education Program the learner will:

  • Demonstrate holistic-relationship centered nursing care in diverse health care settings.
  • Use best current evidence to provide safe and effective holistic nursing care.
  • Use critical thinking skills to assess cultural, ethical, legal, and safety concerns with diverse client populations across the lifespan.
  • Utilize technology and information to monitor outcomes of holistic care and to improve the quality and safety of healthcare systems.
  • Develop one’s professional identity with an ability to partner within an interdisciplinary team in order to continuously improve care.
  • Effectively communicate through technological, written, and verbal modalities.
  • Demonstrate transformative leadership skills in influencing healthcare care delivery systems.
  • Demonstrate competency with self-care-healing modalities in order to create sustainable caring-healing practices.
  • Create a plan for continued professional development and commitment to lifelong learning.
  • Develop health promotion and illness prevention skills for patients and communities via contemporary approaches to wellness through the coaching role of the nurse.

“We are committed to nurturing the growth of compassionate professional nurses who will embody the values of holistic caring—using their wisdom, heart, and soul to make a difference.”

– Shannon Gauvin, Director of Nursing

Where empathy meets expertise

UMA’s nursing faculty are the essence of the program. Every faculty member is doctorally prepared, or are enrolled in doctorate programs. They act as role models for care and self care, preparing students to be resilient leaders in a stressful healthcare landscape. They apply the philosophy of relationship-centered care to their teaching, creating a rigorous, yet supportive learning environment.

Faculty & Staff

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Relevant Links

BSN prerequisites page Link to full catalog
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FAQs

To be eligible for UMA’s 4-year Prelicensure BSN program, you must meet specific academic and foundational benchmarks.

  • Two high school or college-level science with lab courses with a grade of B (not B-) or higher within the last ten years
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Applicants who previously attended a school of nursing must be in good standing and eligible for readmission at their current/former school of nursing. Any student who was dismissed from a school of nursing must complete the BSN Supplemental Admissions Essay:

Additionally, as this is a rigorous program, applicants’ prior English and math course grades will be holistically reviewed to ensure applicants have the necessary foundation for academic success. Applicants may not be offered admission if it is determined they do not have the foundational English and math skills required for enrollment.

Note: New applicants who do not meet UMA’s nursing program requirements can be admitted to pre-nursing status to gain eligibility. 

The 4-year Prelicensure BSN program at UMA is primarily designed and structured as a full-time program. Here’s how the scheduling and flexibility breaks down:

Full-time track: Curriculum is mapped out over four consecutive academic years (eight semesters). To finish the program within this standard timeframe, you must maintain a full-time course load of approximately 15 to 17 credits per semester.

Part-time pre-nursing flexibility: If you’re completing your prerequisite courses or finishing general education requirements before officially entering the core nursing major, you can absolutely do so on a part-time basis. This allows you to take your time building up your GPA and clearing foundational science courses.

Clinical sequence: Once you are formally admitted into the core nursing major and begin clinical coursework, a full-time commitment is required. The nursing curriculum follows a sequential cohort model where courses must be taken in a specific order alongside your peers. Because of the time demands of lectures, hands-on simulation labs, and off-site clinical rotations at local healthcare facilities, a part-time option is not available for the core nursing portion.

You can absolutely live on campus while studying nursing at UMA. On-campus housing requires students to maintain a minimum of 12 credits per semester.

If you are based out of the main Augusta campus, your housing is located just a 10-minute drive away in the historic, waterfront town of Hallowell at Stevens Commons. Rather than traditional high-rise dorms, you live in newly renovated, historic buildings (Stevens, Erskine, and Cleveland Hall) that have been converted into modern student suites. UMA provides a daily shuttle service that runs back and forth between Stevens Commons and the Augusta campus.

If you’re based out of the Bangor campus, UMA has a unique housing agreement with the Holiday Inn on Odlin Road. Students live in double-occupancy rooms and just like the Augusta campus, UMA provides a regular shuttle service to transport you directly from the hotel to your classes on the Bangor campus. Please note that the majority of the nursing program’s in-person instruction takes place at the Augusta campus.

Starting Fall 2026, students can begin and complete their nursing degree through UMA’s Lewiston Center.

  • Learn close to home
  • Access full student support services
  • Complete clinical experiences in regional healthcare settings

Yes, graduates of UMA’s Prelicensure BSN program are fully prepared to sit for the NCLEX-RN. You can find our program’s recent NCLEX pass rates here.

You can contact admissions and apply for free here.

UMF and UMA offer a unique 4-year dual-degree program where you earn a BA in Holistic Health from UMF and a BSN in Nursing from UMA, combining liberal arts with nursing skills. Students can enjoy the on-campus experience at UMF and commute to Augusta occasionally to meet in-person nursing program requirements.

The UMA nursing program follows a rigorous, lock-step curriculum model, meaning each semester’s coursework acts as a necessary building block for the next. The curriculum is broken down into two distinct phases:
University of Maine at Augusta

  • Foundational phase (first 4 semesters): Students immerse themselves in the liberal arts, humanities, behavioral sciences, and core biological prerequisites (like Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology).
  • Clinical & holistic core (final 4 semesters): Students transition into advanced nursing science and hands-on application. This phase involves high-fidelity simulation labs, acute care clinical rotations, health promotion coaching, and instruction on non-pharmacological, integrative healing therapies.

Because of how comprehensively the curriculum is built, completing your studies does not just prepare you for the standard NCLEX-RN licensure exam—it also completely waives the post-graduate practice requirements normally needed to take the national Holistic Nurse Certification (HNC) exam. Graduates are fully equipped to sit for both boards immediately upon graduation.

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University of Maine at Augusta

46 University Drive
Augusta, Maine 04330-9488
1.877.UMA.1234

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