A growing profession, nursing is a rewarding and flexible career. As a nursing major, you will learn to think critically and apply the nursing process when caring for patients of all ages in a variety of settings.

At a Glance

  • Flexibility
    Full Time
  • Delivery Options
    On Campus
  • Degree
    BS

Get Started

What courses will you take?

Nursing student poses wearing UMass Lowell blue scrubs and a stethoscope

The B.S. in Nursing program at UMass Lowell provides a strong foundation in how to apply ethical principles and legal requirements in the delivery of care, develop therapeutic relationships with individuals and groups, and promote health in diverse populations. 

From Interprofessional Education (IPE) activities, you'll learn how to work in teams with students from different disciplines such as dietetics, public health, exercise physiology, physical therapy and pharmacy.

During the senior year, you'll experience a semester of immersion in the nursing specialty area of your choice, working one-on-one with an expert nurse preceptor. 

Upon successful completion of the program, you will be eligible to sit for the Board of Registration in Nursing’s NCLEX examination for licensure as a registered nurse (RN).

The UMass Lowell nursing program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. 

Visit the Academic Catalog for complete a course listing.

  • Degree Pathways are a semester-by-semester sequence of courses recommended for successful completion of a degree, diploma, credential or certificate from the university. The most current degree pathways are:

    Visit the Academic Catalog for all degree pathways, including those from prior enrollment years.

  • The Baccalaureate Program prepares nurse generalists who:

    1. Develop therapeutic relationships with individuals, families, groups and communities
    2. Demonstrate competence in the implementation of standards of practice
    3. Apply ethical principles and legal requirements in the delivery of care to individuals, families, groups and communities 
    4. Collaborate with individuals, families, groups, communities and health care professionals in the delivery of care
    5. Utilize theories and research findings in practice
    6. Promote health in diverse populations
    7. Participate in efforts to influence health care policy
    8. Assume responsibility for learning and professional career development

    Graduates of the Baccalaureate Program are prepared to:

    1. Pass the NCLEX - RN licensure exam
    2. Sustain employment in the practice of nursing
    3. Participate in nursing continuing education programs
    4. Obtain nursing practice and/or specialty certifications
    5. Obtain advanced certificates and/or degrees
    6. Become members of professional organizations
    7. Participate on committees in health care agencies
    8. Present papers and posters related to nursing practice
    9. Engage in research utilization and evidenced-based practice

Why study nursing at UMass Lowell?

Nursing student wearing blue scrubs and gloves works in a UMass Lowell simulated hospital room

Advanced Nursing Laboratories

Build your confidence and experience before going into a care setting through our state-of-the-art facilities, which include: 

  • Simulation laboratories with observation rooms
  • Demonstration hospital wing and true-to-life exam rooms
  • “Smart” technology for presentations
  • Mentoring, tutoring and open lab hours to help you succeed
Nursing student wearing blue scrubs holds tubes near a patient bed in a UMass Lowell demonstration hospital wing

Hands-On Experience

Gain hands-on experience through our collaborative relationships with more than 250 clinical agencies, including:

  • Acute care hospitals (major teaching, community-based, medical centers)
  • Long-term care settings
  • Assisted living facilities
  • Primary care practices
  • School health settings
  • Visiting nurse and home care agencies
  • Occupational health setting
  • Child care and adult day health settings
Nursing student sits at an outdoor table

Fun Outside the Classroom

Put your learning into practice. Check out some of the fun ways UML students come together.

Nursing student wearing blue scrubs sits at a table in a UMass Lowell classroom

Bachelor’s-to-Master's Program

Get on the fast track to an advanced degree with our combined B.S/M.S. program. 
  • Available to juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.5 or better
  • Offers a continuous, coordinated sequence of courses
  • Reduced credit-hour requirements can save you time and money

What can you do with a degree in nursing?

UMass Lowell’s nursing graduates are in high demand, with 86 percent landing jobs or being accepted into graduate programs within six months of graduation.

UMass Lowell graduate Lianna Partee taking notes at a desk working as an RN at a hospital

The clinical aspects of the nursing program are developed, coordinated and supervised by the nursing faculty and are provided in collaboration with members of our community agencies. Student clinical placements may include:

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital
  • Greater Lawrence Family Health Service
  • Holy Family Hospital
  • Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
  • Lawrence General Hospital
  • Lowell Community Health Center
  • Lowell General Hospital
  • Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Tewksbury Hospital
  • UMass Memorial Medical Center
  • VNA of Greater Lowell Winchester Hospital

Meet Our Alumni and Students

Diane Feeney Mahoney works at a laptop at a desk in a bright, white office
Diane Mahoney '80
Nursing

In her career of nearly 50 years, Diane Mahoney has cared for patients in hospitals and in homes, developed training programs for hospital personnel and families, taught college students and received millions of dollars in grant funding to conduct research.

The UML gerontology program gave me and a new cohort of nurse practitioners the expertise and confidence to blaze a new trail for improving the lives of patients.
Read More About Diane Mahoney 
Kristina Ogbarmey-Tetteh and three other students
Kristina Ogbarmey-Tetteh '22
Nursing

Kristina Ogbarmey-Tetteh took advantage of the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences’ Student Resource Center as a first-year student, and now she’s a tutor there.

If it wasn’t for the Resource Center, I feel like my first year would have been a lot more difficult.
Read More About Kristina Ogbarmey-Tetteh 
Margaret Fitzgerald with a group of people at the Solomont School of Nursing's 50th Anniversary celebration at the Inn & Conference Center
Margaret Fitzgerald '86
Nursing

While working for 16 years in an intensive care unit, Margaret Fitzgerald decided that she could do more to prevent patients from ending up in the hospital. So she earned a master’s degree in nursing at UMass Lowell to become a nurse practitioner.

The influence that the School of Nursing has had on health in the Merrimack Valley and beyond is extensive, and I’m proud to be part of its legacy.
Read More About Margaret Fitzgerald 
Coral Gonzalez poses for a photo with Oprah Winfrey and five other students who won Oprah Winfrey Scholarships in 2018
Coral Gonzalez '21
Nursing

Coral Gonzalez set her sights on becoming a nurse after she was hospitalized in middle school. The Honors College student won one of the first Oprah Winfrey Scholarships to help her succeed.

I like that the campus is spread out, so you can go on walks. It’s not in the middle of the city, it’s not in the middle of nowhere, it’s not too close to home, but not so far that I can’t see family and friends. It was the perfect fit.
Read More About Coral Gonzalez