Transfer Students From Universities And Colleges External To Sdsu
Students attending a regionally accredited college or university external to San Diego State University in pursuit of obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing are Transfer Students. Additionally, graduates of regionally accredited colleges and universities in the United States, and alumni of SDSU who are seeking a second bachelors degree in Nursing, are also considered Transfer Students.
Admission to the pre-licensed BSN program is highly competitive due to the high volume of applications received and the limited number of seats available. Transfer applicants must meet admissions criteria for both the University and the School of Nursing in order to be eligible for admission consideration to the School of Nursing. This program is not an Accelerated BSN program. Due to the sequencing of clinical courses, the duration of the program is 6 semesters
Are Prerequisites Different Among Nursing Career Paths
Besides differences in school requirements, you will also want to consider how prerequisites reflect the specific degree you want.
Of course, BSN courses, which prepare you to be an RN, have the strictest and most difficult requirements. However, they give you the most solid and useful degree with the most opportunities for advancement in the future.
Therefore, if you have the time and the academic aptitude, this might be the right path for you. However, most BSN schools set 3.0 as their minimum GPA.
For an associates degree in nursing , you will most likely not have the same amount of prerequisites, which can help you get your degree and begin work as an RN faster.
You may also not have to maintain the same high GPA that a BSN student does to stay in the nursing program because many ADN programs set required GPAs at 2.75 or lower.
However, you may not be able to advance in your degree as much as you would like in the future.
Finally, individuals wanting to become LPNs will also have only minor prerequisites to fulfill in most cases, such as basic high school English, algebra, chemistry and biology classes. However, this can vary based on the school in question.
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Bsn Prerequisite Guide Faq
Q: Can I request an unofficial prerequisite evaluation?
A: Unfortunately, due to limited staffing and the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide unofficial evaluations. Official evaluations are conducted by the UTHealth Registrar’s Office upon submitting your transcripts when you apply. If you have a question about a specific course after reviewing this guide, please email , and we will do our best to assist you.
Q: My school is not listed on the transfer guide, what can I do?
A: There are a lot of schools in Texas, so it is not a comprehensive list. To get a sense of what may transfer, please refer to the Texas Common Course Numbering System. From here you can choose a school listed in our transfer guide and compare it to the institution you are planning to attend.
Q: Will the courses I earned for dual credit at my high school count for credit?
A: Yes, to get credit, you will be required to submit an official transcript from the institution who certified the credit.
Q: Are CLEP/IB/AP scores accepted?
A: Yes. If your scores were already evaluated for post-secondary credit and appear on a college transcript they will be accepted. CLEP/IB/AP will not be accepted for science courses.
Q: Can I take the courses online?
Q: If I retake a course, how will that be reflected in my overall prerequisite GPA.
A: The highest course GPA will be used to calculate your prerequisite or science GPA.
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Important Things To Remember During The Interview Process
- Be up to date on current health stories
- Prepare by practicing mock interviews
- Know key facts about the nursing program and the university
- Dont lie, evade, or embellish during the interview
While the type of questions asked at nursing school interviews is expansive and differs for every program, most nursing school interview questions fall into one of the following categories:
What You Will Learn

In USask’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, you will learn all aspects of health and well-being across a persons life span as you study nursing, health and the health-care system through the creation and integration of knowledge from research, education and practice. The nurse of the twenty-first century uses advanced technology to provide nursing care to individuals, families, groups and communities.
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What Pre Reqs Should You Take In High School
Even though pre reqs and admission requirements may vary from school to school, most colleges and universities want students to complete a standard core curriculum. To give you an idea, here is what a standard high school curriculum generally looks like:
- Four years of English, with a focus on Writing and Critical Reading Skills
- Two years of Foreign Language
- Three years of Math, including Algebra and Geometry
- Two or three years of Science, including Chemistry, Biology, and Physics
- Two or three years of Social Studies, including World History and U.S. History
If you already know what you want to major in after high school , its a good idea to take classes that will help prepare you for college coursework. For example, students preparing for an undergraduate degree in microbiology might want to take courses that give them a solid chemistry background, whereas students in the liberal arts would be better off taking a wide range of intro-level courses in the humanities.
Mercers Accelerated Bsn Program
Offering three yearly program starts in spring, summer, and fall Mercers second-degree ABSN program provides comprehensive nursing education, ensuring you graduate well prepared for your new profession and to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination . During this intensive three-semester program, you will learn via a blend of:
- Online coursework that is designed to accommodate different learning styles and can be accessed 24/7 so you can learn the theory behind nursing practice when and where it is convenient for you.
- Hands-on skills and simulation labs that allow you to practice essential nursing skills and experience life-like medical scenarios in our state-of-the-art Atlanta learning center.
- Clinical rotations where you will experience a variety of nursing specialties first-hand at top healthcare facilities in and around the Atlanta area.
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Prerequisites Needed To Study Nursing In Canada
Nursing is available both as a diploma or an undergraduate degree program in Canada. The national licensing body, the Canadian Nurses Association, recommends all nurses obtain their undergraduate Baccalaureate degree as it is required in all provinces except Quebec and Yukon Territory. To be admitted to either a diploma or undergraduate degree program in nursing, students must have completed high school with English, mathematics, biology, and chemistry, with at least a C average. Physics is recommended. For those without the necessary prerequisites, many schools offer a pre-nursing year.Many nursing schools offer specialized advanced programs some examples are emergency nursing, cardiac nursing, oncology nursing, school nursing, pediatric nursing, and geriatric nursing.
What Are Nursing School Clinicals Like Do You Get Paid For Clinicals
I am currently a freshmen in my second semester finishing my pre-requisites before I apply to nursing school. I will apply to the nursing program the last semester of my sophomore year. So EXCITED!! I was wondering what clinicals were like in nursing school? Like what do you get to do, how are the hours,
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Why Should I Care About Prerequisites
At first glance, these prerequisites may seem like nothing more than silly hoops that you have to jump through to make a university give you its stamp of approval. However, these core courses set the foundation for the rest of the nursing classes you will take.
You will find that anatomy and physiology courses, medical-surgical courses and nursing research classes will build off what you already learned in microbiology, chemistry and basic statistics.
These classes will teach you the basics of why the body responds the way it does, how medications work in the body and how data can be evaluated in the clinical practice.
Find Nursing Programs
Search our school database to find schools and get information on the right programs for you.
Human Anatomy With Lab
In general, if you completed an Associate Degree in Nursing from a California community college, the anatomy course required for your ADN program will satisfy the RN-BSN prerequisite. If you completed your nursing degree at a foreign institution, you may be required to submit a course description or syllabus from your previous science classes to determine if the content completed satisfies this requirement.
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Adn Prerequisites At Dcon
Among other criteria, admissions personnel check to see that you have maintained at least a cumulative 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale for the following prerequisite courses.
Anatomy & Physiology with labs: 8 semester credits
Intro to Algebra: 3 semester credits
English Composition: 3 semester credits
Human Growth & Development: 3 semester credits
What Is A Prerequisite

Prerequisites, or pre reqs for short, are specific courses or subjects that you need to take before you can take higher-level courses in that same subject. At the undergraduate level, these courses typically come in 100-, 200-, 300-, or 400-levels, with the higher levels indicating more advanced courses.
Pre reqs were designed as part of the building block system, meaning that higher level courses should build upon the knowledge that was established in lower level courses. For example, your college degree might require you to take Calculus I as a freshman before you take Calculus II as a sophomore.
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Do You See Yourself In Scrubs
If you have a non-nursing bachelors degree and want to change careers to nursing, Mercers accredited Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Atlanta could be the quickest way to get there. Contact us to speak with an enrollment counselor about whether this exciting program is right for you.
Common Nursing School Prerequisites
Prerequisites for nursing school provide the foundation for advanced level college courses. They usually consist of general education and science courses taken in high school, a minimum GPA, and other requirements. Students who plan to enroll in either a two-year associate degree in nursing or a four-year bachelor of science in nursing should expect similar prerequisite courses such as anatomy, nutrition, and statistics.
Traditional and online BSN degrees typically include prerequisites in humanities, advanced science, and college-level reading and writing courses. While both the ADN and BSN degrees prepare students to take the National Council Licensure Examination , the more competitive BSN, which incorporates clinical experiences and training, seeks applicants who wish for a broader academic background.
Because nursing school requirements vary by degree level and institution, you should always check the school’s website for up-to-date admission eligibility. Below are common nursing school prerequisites.
- Anatomy and physiology
- Example Courses: Introduction to statistics, introductory statistics for nurses
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Why Are Pre Reqs Important
For incoming college freshmen, pre reqs might seem like nothing more than annoying hoops to jump through to earn a degree. But in reality, they serve an important purpose, which is to prevent undergraduates from enrolling in courses that theyre not prepared to take.
You may be wondering: Whats the harm in taking pre reqs that you may not be ready for? For one thing, you could get poor grades that end up tanking your GPA . Its also unfair to upper level college students who want their professor to skip the basics that they learned a long time ago.
If you truly feel that youre ready for an upper level course and have the ability to prove it, meet with your advisor. You may be able to take a CLEP exam to earn college credit for the things you already know and effectively waive some pre req requirements in the process.
Nursing Jobs And Salaries
Depending on your certification, nursing careers may include fields like:
- Acute care
- Long-term care institutions
- Hospitals
Licensed nurses may also serve as practitioners, educators and managers in the health field. Nurses also have options in the travel & tourism industry, as travel nurses are often in high demand.
Salaries in the field increase with experience. Registered nurses can expect starting salaries from $45,000 to $50,000 per year, and those that have a specialty like critical care, could start at $60,000 or more. Practical nurses have lower starting salaries, at around $43,000 per year.
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The Importance Of Statistics In Nursing
Statistics is the science of learning from data, which includes finding ways to organize, summarize, and describe quantifiable data as well as create methods for drawing conclusions and generalizing upon them.
An understanding of statistics is a competence every health care worker should have because it makes it possible to read and evaluate reports and other literature critically and intelligently. Statistical knowledge is also important for carrying out studies that involve the collection, processing, and analysis of data. For example, through statistics, we can gauge the disparities in health conditions among members of a population.
When it comes to nursing, RNs use statistics on a routine basis, from studying the patterns of disease in patients to determining the time interval for when a patient should take prescribed medicine. Nurses also use statistics to calculate the average number of patient examinations per day, week, month or year, which allows them to predict when health consultation is at its peak.
After taking statistics, youll see new value in numbers. Heres some of what youll learn during this ABSN prerequisite course:
- The standard rates, ratios and proportions used to define health status.
- The statistical and visual methods for summarizing data.
- The basic principles of probability, regression, and hypothesis testing.
The Importance Of Anatomy And Physiology In Nursing
While anatomy is the study of the structures associated with the human body, physiology is the study of how these structures function. Exploring the human body in its balanced state, anatomy and physiology are the cornerstones for nearly every health care profession. With an understanding of how the healthy body works, we can identify and treat disease.
Responsible for bringing the human body back to its balanced state, nurses rely on anatomy and physiology to determine the best course of action when caring for a specific patient.
After taking anatomy and physiology, youll come to see the human body as a complex machine. Heres some of what youll learn during this ABSN prerequisite course:
- The role and location of each organ and cavity in the body.
- The interconnectedness of organ systems in the body.
- The anatomical function and location of cells in the body.
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Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Completion Option
This program is designed for students who have already met prerequisites for the BSN completion program, including students who have earned a prior baccalaureate degree. This program also accepts students who have not obtained a prior baccalaureate. In that instance, applicants must show that theyve completed various prerequisite courses, maintaining a cumulative 2.5 GPA in those courses.
Why Are Prerequisites Important

Joining the ranks of Americas most trusted profession takes hard work and dedication, as well as a basic understanding of the underlying science behind nursing. This is why most accelerated nursing programs require you to have taken prerequisite courses to be eligible for admittance. Often these courses include topics that will benefit you as a nurse, such as anatomy, physiology, microbiology, statistics, and psychology, though they may also include school-specific courses.
At this point, you are probably wondering why if so many schools require you to have completed prerequisites these required courses are not part of the accelerated nursing curriculum. The reason is simple. Depending on your previous degree, you may already have taken some or all of these courses, which is why schools seldom include them as a part of their ABSN program curriculum. Generally, due to their background in science, students with a Bachelor of Science degree tend to meet more of the prerequisite requirements than do students with Bachelor of Arts degrees.
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Human Physiology With Lab
In general, if you completed an Associate Degree in Nursing from a California community college, the physiology course required for your ADN program will satisfy the RN-BSN prerequisite. If you completed your nursing degree at a foreign institution, you may be required to submit a course description or syllabus from your previous science classes to determine if the content completed satisfies this requirement.
What Prerequisites Do You Need For Acceptance Into Nursing School
There are two types of prerequisites you need to be concerned about when it comes to nursing school.
First, the nursing school of your choice most likely has a list of classes you must take in high school in order to be accepted into the school.
This could include a certain number of years of English as well as specific mathematics and science courses. If you have not taken the appropriate classes during high school, you will need to complete these before being accepted into the nursing program.
Second, once you begin your college courses, you will have to pass certain classes with a specific grade-point average before being admitted to the nursing program.
This is particularly true of Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, which usually have far more academic hoops for students to jump through than lower-degree programs do.
Although each nursing school makes it own list of prerequisites, some of the most commonly required courses include the following:
- Biology
- Developmental psychology
- Nutrition
Science is at the core of most nursing programs, which is why the highest scores are required in these classes.
In fact, your school may require you to earn specific grades in these courses and may make you retake them if you get a C or lower.
While all schools run their nursing programs differently, its important you know what to expect before your first day of classes. You certainly do not want to be surprised with a pop chemistry test as I was!
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