program
Central Ontario’s first four-year nursing degree. Study close to home and benefit from more industry connections, hands-on practise, and one-on-one training with small class sizes taught by expert faculty who care.
Program information
Program description
Your Honours BScN nursing degree from Georgian will open doors to careers in hospitals, long-term care, clinics or community health services. This community-based program reflects the specific health needs of local populations, including the elderly, Indigenous and Francophone peoples, as well as those with mental health challenges.
This program has been approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) as a full-time, direct-entry program for individuals with no previous nursing knowledge. Those with previous nursing credentials should check out Georgian’s Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing RPN to BScN Advanced Standing Pathway (Bridge) program.
Intake information
| Start date | Campus |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Barrie, Owen Sound |
Tuition and fees
- Visit our tuition and fees page for detailed information on the cost to attend Georgian.
- Check the Bring Your Own Device requirements for this program.
- You can afford this! Explore OSAP as well as awards, scholarships and bursaries to help you pay your way to graduation.
Work-integrated learning
- This program includes a clinical placement component where you’ll get clinical experience under the supervision of an experienced registered or licensed professional.
- Learn about types of work-integrated learning at Georgian.
What are the admission requirements for the Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing program?
admission requirements
Information about placement requirements
To help you navigate the requirements to complete the clinical placement component(s) of this program (e.g. immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and other non-academic requirements), please review the details below.
For more information about placements, visit the Placement Offices webpage.
In order to provide quality practicum placements (“Placements”), students are placed in a variety of agencies, largely in the region serviced by the campus. Students are required to provide their own transportation to Placements. Placements may vary in length (e.g. six to 12 hour days) and may include weekends and evenings, with varying start and end times (e.g. day, afternoon, overnight).
Many programs, including Health and Wellness, have immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and other non-academic requirements that need to be met prior to Placements starting. You are responsible for carefully reviewing and meeting these requirements. The failure to meet them may mean that the host agency may refuse to accept you for a Placement or, if you have started one, that you may be prevented from continuing. The result may be that you cannot complete your program. Program-specific requirements can be found on page 2 of the Clinical Preparedness Permit specific to your program.
You are responsible for meeting all immunization, criminal screening and other requirements by the deadline provided by your program and before you start your Placement.
Notes regarding the Criminal Record Check (“CRC”) and Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS)
Individuals who have been charged or convicted criminally and not yet pardoned or who have adverse entries on their CRC or VSS will be prohibited from proceeding to a Placement. Such a student will normally be counselled to withdraw from the program because the successful completion of a Placement is a program requirement.
Obtaining the CRC and VSS usually requires a processing time of up to 12 weeks and can vary between police jurisdictions. As some jurisdictions require longer lead time for processing, ensure you allow for sufficient turn-around time. Record checks and screenings conducted earlier than six months may not be considered current and not be acceptable. Refer to your Clinical Preparedness Permit for information regarding this. A host agency may refuse a Placement if the CRC or VSS is not satisfactory to it. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the necessary completed documents prior to the start of a Placement at the designated check time, and in the format set by Georgian College and stated in the Clinical Preparedness Permit Information Package. More information can be found on the Placement Offices webpage.
The costs associated with the provision of the CRC and VSS, anything related to them (including, if applicable, obtaining a pardon), and meeting any immunization and other Placement requirements, are to be borne by the student. The non-academic requirements of clinical agencies as described in the Clinical Preparedness Permit are subject to change at any time and host agencies may accept or decline students for any reason at their discretion. Georgian College is not responsible for any of the costs associated with the foregoing, nor for the consequences of failing to comply with, any of the requirements set out above.
Why study Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing at Georgian?
Long-standing reputation of excellence
- Georgian has a long history of delivering high-quality nursing education since 1973.
- Georgian nurses are well-known in our campus communities – and beyond – for their abilities, compassion and leadership in interprofessional health-care teams.
State-of-the-art facilities
- The equipment you’ll practise on as a student will look and feel like the equipment you’ll use in a modern hospital or clinic setting, preparing you for your nursing career.
Valuable clinical placements
- Build your skills and experience with local employers through exceptional clinical placements in various health-care settings across Central Ontario.
- Improve your employability and network with potential employers before you graduate.
High employment and high demand
- Nursing graduates are in high demand at health-care providers in Central Ontario. The demand for qualified nurses in Georgian’s campus communities is expected to increase by 25 per cent by 2028.
- Our grads get jobs! 88.1 per cent find work within six months, above the provincial average – which we’ve exceeded for more than 20 years.
Learn local, work local
- With Georgian’s BScN program, you no longer have to travel to study to become a registered nurse. Complete all four years in Barrie or Owen Sound.
- The Honours BScN nursing degree allows students who live in the community, to learn in and about the health are needs of our local community and then practice locally to contribute to the health and wellness of our communities.
Expert faculty
- Georgian nursing faculty are caring, highly-trained experts, with years of experience at the point of care.
- Many are experienced researchers and have shared their research in publications and presented their work at local, national and international conferences.
- Many have published literature, including the Canadian adaptation of Think Like a Nurse: The Caputi Method for Learning Clinical Judgment, used by nursing students at Georgian and across Canada. Purchase this textbook.
Learning spaces
Hands-on health-care education
Our state-of-the-art nursing facilities and simulation labs give you the hands-on training you need with equipment you’ll use on the job.
Barrie Campus
The Sadlon Centre for Health, Wellness and Sciences at the Barrie Campus includes:
- 11 patient beds occupied by sophisticated, high-fidelity human patient simulators
- scenario rooms to simulate real life, high-stress situations and gain practice with a wide variety of medical conditions
- simulation control rooms to monitor, record, and remotely control simulation scenarios to assist in student learning
Owen Sound Campus
Our new Nursing and Wellness Wing at the Owen Sound Campus features:
- two eight-bed high-fidelity simulation labs with a variety of patient simulators
- two simulation rooms with accompany debriefing rooms
- a full apartment-style lab with functioning appliances, furniture and fixtures to facilitate training for in-home care
- a large hybrid learning classroom equipped with big flat screens for video playback and live streaming of simulations
One thing that’s unique for Georgian is the amount of space we have dedicated to in-person learning in a lab setting. The simulation labs help create a near-reality experience where students are managing their knowledge and skills to work with a patient who has a unique story. These settings are safe and allow for repetition and building confidence. I think that really sticks out in comparison to other colleges.—Len Lefaive, RN, BScN, MHSc, faculty and nursing lab co-ordinator
Meet our academic team
Learn from passionate, experienced professors
As a Georgian nursing student, you’ll learn from and be mentored by dedicated, award-winning professors who built their careers in the health-care sector and combine academic theory with vast industry knowledge.
Click on any of the academic team members below to read their profile and learn about their education, experience, research, publications and more.
At Georgian, we all come with a very diverse set of experiences and background in terms of our nursing knowledge. It’s that diverse perspective that makes for a really well-rounded nurse – somebody who understands nursing from a bunch of different perspectives.
Corrine Lalonde, RN, BScN, MScN, Program Coordinator
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Avinash Thadani
BSc, MSc, PhD (Medicinal Chemistry), Professor
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Corrine Lalonde
RN, BScN, MScN, Program Coordinator
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Darci Wright
RN, BScN, MN, Professor and Clinical Coordinator
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Gianina Gaitana
RN, BScN, MN, Professor
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Hannah Churchill
Professor, Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing
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Len Lefaive
Professor
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Lesley MacMaster
RN, BNSc, MScN, Professor
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Lisa Keenan-Lindsay
B.Sc., BScN, MN, Professor
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Michael Smith
Professor, Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing RN, BSc, BScN, MN
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Mona Koldsgaard Rogan
RN, BScN, MN, Professor
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Sara Lankshear
RN, BScN, M.Ed., PhD, Associate Dean
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Stephanie Atthill
RN, BScN, PhD (Nursing), Professor and Program Coordinator
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Susan Chapman
RN, BScN, MN, Professor
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Treva Job
PhD, BScN, PHCNP, MA Ed, CCSNE, CHSE, Manager, Simulation Centre
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Wendy McDonald
RN, BScN, MN, CCSNE, Professor and Program Coordinator
What career paths can I take in nursing?
Your Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing (BScN) degree gives you many career opportunities
Graduates of Georgian’s four-year Honours BScN program are qualified to work as Registered Nurses (RN) upon completion of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
Your nursing degree will open doors to careers in hospitals, long-term care, clinics or community health services. Challenge yourself by exploring different patient types, medical conditions, and roles. If you want to become a leader, you’ll have the knowledge and skills you need to learn and grow in your career. Graduate practice-ready, prepared to work in a modern, interprofessional health team.
Your future career in nursing
- Case manager
- Community health nurse
- Health administration
- Health-care co-ordinator
- Home health-care nurse
- Nurse practitioner
- Policy development
- Registered nurse
- Researcher/forensics
What courses are included in the Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing degree program?
Course overview
27 Mandatory Core Courses
6 Clinical Placements
4 Mandatory Non-Core Courses
1 Elective Non-Core Course
Program-specific courses
Semester 1 courses are listed below. For a full list of courses in the program including course descriptions, view the Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing program outline.
- NURS 1016 – Anatomy and Physiology 1
- NURS 1017 – Pathophysiology 1
- NURS 1018 – Relational Practice
- NURS 1019 – Person-Centred Care and Nursing Professional Practice
- INTS 1002 – Introduction to Multidisciplinary Research
Your course delivery method(s)
In person
This program is delivered fully in person and requires you to attend campus.
Please note, delivery methods are based on planning for the upcoming semester and are subject to change.
Accreditation
Become a Registered Nurse (RN) in Ontario
Georgian’s baccalaureate nursing program gives you the in-depth knowledge and skills you need to practice as a Registered Nurse!
Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing
- The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) certifies that the Georgian College Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing have fulfilled the necessary requirements for the CASN Accreditation program
College of Nurses of Ontario
- The Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing degree program at Georgian College received full program approval by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
- Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Ontario.
Find out MORE.
Ready to explore your future career in nursing?
We’re here to help answer your questions and connect you to all things Georgian College!
Connect with Kailey, Student Recruitment Specialist, to discover more about Georgian’s nursing degree program, our campuses and our services.
Check out our other related programs
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Do you have questions about Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing? Contact us!
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