Required Prerequisite Courses
As a profession and a discipline, nursing promotes and protects human health and well-being and is grounded in a strong liberal arts, undergraduate education that includes the arts and humanities, as well as the behavioral, social, and physical sciences. Recognizing that different undergraduate majors have varying requirements, applicants will be evaluated both on their success in meeting the requirements of their undergraduate programs and on the breadth and depth of their educational preparation for entry into nursing.
Nursing practice and scholarship have great application in our society, ranging from the acute care of individuals to the management and promotion of the health of whole communities and even nations. The College of Nursing welcomes and is enriched by applicants from a spectrum of disciplines and professions.
Physical and biological sciences*
This category of requirements includes successful completion of specific physical and biological courses. The following courses are required, minimally, to meet this criterion:
- Anatomy** (laboratory component strongly recommended)
- Physiology** (laboratory component strongly recommended)
- Microbiology with a laboratory component**
- Chemistry with a laboratory component***
**Anatomy and physiology may be taken as two separate courses or as Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II.
***General chemistry, inorganic, organic or biochemistry courses with a lab are all acceptable to meet the chemistry requirement
It is strongly discouraged to take anatomy and physiology online.
Behavioral and social sciences*:
These entry requirements may be met in several ways. They can include, but are not limited to, at least one course in the behavioral sciences (e.g., introductory, developmental, abnormal, cognitive or experimental psychology, personality development, women’s studies, criminology, gender studies, human sexuality); and at least one course in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, journalism, geography, African-American studies).
The humanities*:
Applicants should have at least one course in the humanities which may include, for example, courses in the representational and performing arts as well as history, literature, philosophy, art history, communication studies, cultural and classic courses, theater, music theory, dance, cinema, religion, etc.
*It is assumed that if you have completed the general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree, you will have fulfilled the entry requirements for the behavioral and social sciences and humanities. The required prerequisites course may be taken at any accredited university or community college.
All required prerequisite courses must be completed, with a grade of “C” or better prior to the application deadline for which the student is applying. Science courses should be taken with a laboratory component whenever possible. It is highly recommended to have taken human anatomy and physiology within the last three years.
Return to: