Pre-Nursing

Preparation

While in high school, students should pursue all available courses in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology.

Advising Degree Worksheet (docx)

Degree Requirements 

• 90 quarter credit hours in courses numbered 100 or above.
• At least 30 applicable credits must be earned at Tacoma Community College.
• A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in all coursework applied to the degree and a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in all TCC college level courses.

 

Core Requirements (15 Credits)
Number	Title	Credits
A	Written Communication Skills (10 Credits)
ENGL& 101	English Composition	5
and	and
ENGL& 102	Composition II: Argument and Persuasion	5
or	or
ENGL 103	Composition III: Writing about Literature	5
	Quantitative Skills (5 Credits)
MATH& 146	Introduction to Statistics	5

 

Distribution Requirements and Electives (75 Credits)
Number	Title	Credits
A	Humanities (15 Credits)
CMST 110	Mulitcultural Communication	5
or	or
CMST& 210	Interpersonal Communication	5
or	or
CMST& 220	Public Speaking	5
and	and
Electives	Select two additional courses from the approved Humanities distribution course list.*	10
	Social Science (15 Credits)
PSYC& 100	General Psychology	5
PSYC& 200	Lifespan Psychology (M)	5
Elective	Select 5 credits of Sociology (SOC) courses from the Social Sciences section of the Approved Distribution Course List.	5
	Natural Sciences (35 Credits)
BIOL& 160	Fundamentals of Cell Biology	5
BIOL& 260	General Microbiology	5
BIOL& 241 & 242	Human Anatomy & Physiology	10
CHEM& 121	Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry	5
CHEM& 131	Introduction to Organic Chemistry	5
NUTR& 101	Human Nutrition	5
	Additional Requirements (10 Credits)
PE 100	Total Fitness	2
Elective	PE Activity	1
Distribution Electives	Select from courses listed under the Communication, Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, or General Distribution Courses sections of the Approved Distribution Course List.	2
Electives	Select courses numbered 100 or above that are not PE activity courses	5
Total Credits	90

*At least one course (5 credits) must be from a discipline other than communication studies (CMST). No more than five credits of studio /performance/skills courses may be used to satisfy this requirement. No more than five credits in World Languages at the 100 level can be applied.

 

This path is designed to prepare students who are planning to transfer at the junior level to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (BSN) at a 4-year college or university. Students completing the Associate of Arts in Pre-Nursing degree, and who have met the GPA requirement for the BSN program to which they are applying, will have met the prerequisites necessary to apply to most upper-division nursing programs in Washington State.

Program Planning

Students should meet with an advisor as soon as they are admitted to Tacoma Community College. Many courses have prerequisites that are offered only once or twice a year, and/or are sequential. Careful selection of classes each quarter is necessary to complete the program without delay.

Certain schools may have additional university specific requirements for admission to the institution. For example, some universities require 2 years of high school or 2 or 3 quarters of college foreign language, additional college level math, practical experience in a healthcare setting, or specific additional courses. It is important to consult catalogs, websites, and advisors at the 4-year institutions you are considering attending early in the process.

Transfer Options

Learn more about transferring to a four year institution:   

• Washington State University
• University of Washington –Tacoma, Bothell
• Western Washington University
• St. Martins University
• Western Governors University
• Olympic College
• Columbia Basin College
• Bellevue College
• Wenatchee Valley College

Sample Schedule
Fall	Winter	Spring
ENGL& 101 (5) Humanities (5)* CHEM& 121 (5) PE 100 (2)	ENGL& 102 (5) or 103 (5)** PSYC& 100 (5) CHEM& 131 (5) PE Activity (1)	MATH& 146 (5) PSYC& 200 (5) (M) BIOL& 160 (5)
Fall	Winter	Spring
Humanities (5)* NUTR& 101 (5) BIOL& 241 (5)	Sociology Elective (5) CMST& 220 (5) BIOL& 242 (5)	BIOL& 260 (5) Elective (5) Distribution Elective (2)

*At least one course (5 credits) of Humanities distribution courses must be from a discipline other than Communication Studies (CMST). Humanities distribution may include a maximum of five credits in world language at the 100 level, no more than five credits of performance skills classes are allowed. Recommend that students meet with an advisor at the individual Universities to identify Humanity courses that best support their requirements.
**Certain schools require a second English course be a research and writing class (English 102).
M = Multicultural course
Humanities courses must be chosen from the Humanities distribution list. PE activity credits cannot be used as electives.
Some students may need to take additional prerequisite courses.
Admittance to BSN programs are highly competitive and completion of the pre-nursing associate degree does not guarantee admission. Application deadlines vary; check with the college to which you are applying for specific dates.
Participating 4-year universities include: UW Seattle, WSU, Northwest U, Seattle U, SPU, PLU, Walla Walla University, and the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing (WSU-ICN).