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

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Deliver Passionate, Patient-Centered Care

A nursing student prepares a syringe at the UMass Lowell Nursing Simulation Lab.

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Nursing program at UMass Lowell provides students with the knowledge, skills and hands-on experience to deliver passionate, patient-centered care. Learn 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.

As a student in our program, you'll build skills and confidence in the Donna Manning Simulation Laboratories. By interacting with high-fidelity adult, pediatric and maternal manikins or simulated patients (trained actors), you'll develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills before advancing to your clinical rotations.

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 your 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 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurse (NCLEX) examination for licensure as a registered nurse (RN).

High First-Time Pass Rate on National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Exam

Our 2024 graduates had a 95 percent board licensure pass rate on their first try, exceeding the national average of 91 percent.

Nursing Career Options

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.

Two nursing students smile as they work at laptops in the UMass Lowell Nursing Simulation Lab.

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 and places of employment 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

Courses You'll Take

Check out our degree pathways—a suggested four-year schedule of courses—for a possible pathway toward your B.S. in Nursing.

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

Bachelor of Science in Nursing program learning outcomes

  1. Apply established and evolving disciplinary nursing knowledge as well as knowledge from other disciplines including a foundation in liberal arts and natural and social sciences to the practice of nursing.
  2. Provide coordinated, holistic, respectful, compassionate, evidence-based person-centered care across the lifespan.
  3. Advocate for and deliver care that promotes the health of diverse populations through traditional and non-traditional partnerships with communities and public health agencies for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes.
  4. Apply theories and research in the delivery of evidence-based nursing practice to promote and improve health.
  5. Employ established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science to promote a culture of quality and safety through competent nursing practice.
  6. Work with interprofessional healthcare teams, patients, families, and communities to deliver health care that enhances the health care experience and improves outcomes.
  7. Coordinate resources withi complex systems of health care to provide costeffective, safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
  8. Utilize informatics and healthcare technologies to gather data and form information to drive decision making that guides the delivery of safe, high-quality care.
  9. Cultivate a professional identity that incorporates accountability, ethical comportment, and a collaborative disposition that reflects nursing’s characteristics and values.
  10. Accept responsibility for lifelong learning, personal well-being, professional career development, and reflection for personal growth.


Why Study Nursing at UMass Lowell?

A student uses a stethoscope to examine a child mannequin in the UMass Lowell Nursing Simulation Lab.

Advanced Nursing Laboratories

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

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 or Bachelor’s-to-DNP Program

Get on the fast track to an advanced degree with our combined B.S/M.S. or B.S./Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. 
  • Available to juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.500 or better
  • Offers a continuous, coordinated sequence of courses
  • Reduced credit-hour requirements can save you time and money

Meet Our Alumni and Students

Nurse Isaura Jimenez at the Mary Immaculate Nursing/Restorative Center in Lawrence
Isaura Jimenez '17
Nursing

Three bus rides, a different language and a challenging curriculum were not roadblocks for Isaura Jimenez on her path to a nursing degree. She saw them as challenges to be met.

I could have never gotten as far as I did without the constant support and encouragement I received from the BDN staff.
Read More About Isaura Jimenez 
Amina Mohammed speaks at Youth Poet Laurete Ceremony at Mechanics Hall, Worcester
Amina Mohammed '24
Nursing

Amina Mohammed is the first Youth Poet Laureate of Worcester and a first-year nursing major who loves helping people, especially children.

My passion is to help people. That’s what brings joy to my heart.
Read More About Amina Mohammed 
Isabella De Souza on a hill overlooking a lake
Isabella De Souza '24
Nursing

Isabella De Souza has won two scholarships that will allow her to study Spanish abroad, so she can bring multiple languages to her future nursing career.

I want my patients to feel more comfortable with me.
Read More About Isabella De Souza 
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 

Accredited Program and Approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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